Stacker compiled a list of fishing records in North Carolina from Land Big Fish.
Record fish caught in North Carolina
Anglers the world over gather regularly for fishing derbies to see who can land the biggest catch. But record-breaking fish can be caught at anytime, weighed on an International Game Fish Association-certified scale at any number of tackle shops or marinas, and compared to the IGFA's online records database. Sport-fishing enthusiasts can even have their own scales certified by the IGFA for a $40 fee.
Stacker compiled a list of record fish caught in North Carolina using data from Land Big Fish. Fish pictured are not the actual record catch. Keep reading to see which bodies of water in your state hold some of the most massive fish around.
American Shad
- Weight: 7 lbs 15 oz
- Location: Tar River
- Record set by R.S. Proctor in 1974
Blue Catfish
- Weight: 85 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Norman
- Record set by Joel Lineberger in 2004
Bluegill Sunfish
- Weight: 4 lbs 5 oz
- Location: not available
- Record set by Danny Case in 1967
Bowfin
- Weight: 17 lbs 15 oz
- Location: Black River
- Record set by Gregory A. Demery Sr. in 1997
Brook Trout
- Weight: 7 lbs 7 oz
- Location: Raven Fork
- Record set by G.L. Marshall Jr. in 1980
Brown Bullhead
- Weight: 3 lbs 12 oz
- Location: Buckhall Creek
- Record set by Gregory D. Hughes in 1997
Brown Trout
- Weight: 24 lbs 10 oz
- Location: Nantahala River
- Record set by Rober L. Dyer in 1998
Carp
- Weight: 48 lbs 0 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by William Houston Jr. in 1986
Chain Pickerel
- Weight: 8 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Gaston Reservoir
- Record set by John H. Leonard in 1968
Channel Catfish
- Weight: 40 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Fontana Reservoir
- Record set by P.P. Paine in 1971
Crappie
- Weight: 4 lbs 15 oz
- Location: Asheboro City Lake #4
- Record set by Dean Dixon in 1980
Flathead Catfish
- Weight: 78 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Cape Fear River
- Record set by Brian Newberger in 2005
Flier Sunfish
- Weight: 1 lbs 5 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by Douglas N. McCall in 1990
Freshwater Drum
- Weight: 13 lbs 22 oz
- Location: Kerr Lake
- Record set by Henry W. Proctor, Sr in 2003
Grass Carp
- Weight: 68 lbs 12 oz
- Location: Summerlins Pond - Leland
- Record set by David W. Stowell in 1998
Green Sunfish
- Weight: 1 lbs 14 oz
- Location: Private pond
- Record set by Sean Vanderburg in 2008
Hickory Shad
- Weight: 4 lbs 1 oz
- Location: Pitchkettle Creek
- Record set by Trey Maroules in 2004
Largemouth Bass
- Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz
- Location: private pond
- Record set by William H. Wofford in 1991
Longnose Gar
- Weight: 15 lbs 6 oz
- Location: Intracoastal Waterway
- Record set by Kelly WIlliams in 2009
Muskellunge
- Weight: 41 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Lake Adger
- Record set by Richard W. Dodd in 2001
Northern Pike
- Weight: 11 lbs 13 oz
- Location: Lake James
- Record set by Keith Gilliam in 1978
Pumpkinseed Sunfish
- Weight: 1 lbs 6 oz
- Location: Trent River
- Record set by John Koonce in 2003
Rainbow Trout
- Weight: 16 lbs 5 oz
- Location: not available
- Record set by Terry L. Gregory in 1989
Redbreast Sunfish
- Weight: 1 lbs 12 oz
- Location: Big Swamp
- Record set by Ronald Stanley in 1983
Redear Sunfish
- Weight: 4 lbs 15 oz
- Location: not available
- Record set by Travis Jackson in 2008
Redeye Bass
- Weight: 1 lbs 14 oz
- Location: Deep River - Carbonton
- Record set by Robert W. Lytton in 1998
Redfin Pickerel
- Weight: 2 lbs 4 oz
- Location: Gallberry Swamp
- Record set by Edward C. Davis in 1997
Sauger
- Weight: 5 lbs 15 oz
- Location: Norman Lake
- Record set by David Shook in 1971
Smallmouth Bass
- Weight: 10 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Hiwassee Reservoir
- Record set by Archie Lampkin in 1951
Smallmouth Buffalo
- Weight: 88 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake Wylie
- Record set by Tony Crawford in 1993
Spotted Bass
- Weight: 6 lbs 5 oz
- Location: Lake Norman
- Record set by Eric M. Weir in 2003
Striped Bass
- Weight: 66 lbs
- Location: Hiwassee Reservoir
- Record set by Tyler Shields in 2012
Tiger Muskellunge
- Weight: 33 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Lake James
- Record set by Gary D. Nanney in 1988
Walleye
- Weight: 13 lbs 8 oz
- Location: Lake Chatuge
- Record set by Lamar L. Cofer in 1986
Warmouth
- Weight: 1 lbs 13 oz
- Location: McLeods Pond
- Record set by Emma Sears in 1976
White Bass
- Weight: 5 lbs 14 oz
- Location: Kerr Reservoir
- Record set by Jim King in 1986
White Catfish
- Weight: 13 lbs 0 oz
- Location: Lake James
- Record set by Jerry W. Bentley in 1990
White Perch
- Weight: 2 lbs 15 oz
- Location: Falls of the Neuse Reservoir
- Record set by Bob G. Williams, Jr. in 2001
Yellow Perch
- Weight: 2 lbs 9 oz
- Location: Indiantown Creek
- Record set by Evelyn G. Ethridge in 1990
