The 49 Biggest Bluegill Ever Caught

We were motivated to compile this list of state-record bluegills for a couple of reasons. Curiosity, for one. We simply wanted to see which states boasted the slabbiest of slabs, how long ago the oldest records were caught, or how recently the newest ones were landed. We’d be lying, though, if we said we weren’t also motivated by the hope of gleaning some big-fish intel—that is, after gathering all this information, seeing if some patterns emerged. Sure enough, a few did.

For instance, in the 37 states that list the month in which their record bluegill was caught, nearly half were from May and June—when bluegills spawn. And in the states that list the bait their record was caught on, the most common culprit was a worm. The most popular type of water where these records were caught? A pond. Finally, only three state–record slabs weighed less than a pound.

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So if you’re eager to get into the record book, you could do worse than plan a trip to Maine, South Dakota, or Hawaii in May or June, stop at the nearest bait shop to buy a fresh carton of worms, and head to the nearest public pond. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: We saved the best (and biggest) for last…

Wyoming

• State Slab: 1 lb. 14.72 oz.

• Date: July 26, 2008

• Angler: Rod Horsely

• Location: Stock pond, Niobrara County

Wisconsin

West Virginia

• State Slab: 2 lb. 12 oz.

• Year: 1986

• Angler: Mark Allen Lewis

• Location: Not listed

Washington

Wyoming

• State Slab: 1 lb. 14.72 oz.

• Date: July 26, 2008

• Angler: Rod Horsely

• Location: Stock pond, Niobrara County

Wisconsin

West Virginia

• State Slab: 2 lb. 12 oz.

• Year: 1986

• Angler: Mark Allen Lewis

• Location: Not listed

Washington

Virginia

• State Slab: 4 lb. 8 oz.

• Date: February 7, 1970

• Angler: Thomas E. Jones

• Location: Private pond

Vermont

Utah

Texas

Tennessee

• State Slab: 3 lb. (tie)

• Dates: June 27, 1977 December 19, 1987

• Anglers: Thelma Grissom Brad Pendergrass

• Locations: Fall Creek Farm pond, Bledsoe County

South Dakota

• State Slab: 8 oz.

• Date: September 13, 2009

• Angler: Jeff Vilhauer

• Location: Lake Oahe

South Carolina

Rhode Island

• State Slab: 2 lb. 1 oz.

• Date: August 1987

• Angler: C. Rizzo

• Location: Not listed

Pennsylvania

• State Slab: 2 lb. 9 oz.

• Year: 1983

• Angler: Tom Twincheck

• Location: Keystone Lake

Oregon

Oklahoma

• State Slab: 2 lb. 6.4 oz.

• Date: May 8, 1987

• Angler: Tom Shorter

• Location: Pond, Kay County

Ohio

• State Slab: 3 lb. 4.5 oz.

• Date: April 28, 1990

• Angler: Willis D. Nicholes

• Location: Salt Fork Reservoir

North Dakota

North Carolina

• State Slab: 4 lb. 5 oz.

• Date: July 27, 1967

• Angler: Danny Cas

New York

• State Slab: 2 lb. 8 oz.

• Date: August 3, 1992

• Angler: Devin VanZandt

• Location: Kohlbach Pond

New Mexico

New Jersey

• State Slab: 3 lb.

• Year: 1990

• Angler: Dom Santarelli

• Location: Farm pond

New Hampshire

Nevada

• State Slab: 3 lb. 10 oz.

• Year: 2010

• Angler: Mike Tahash

• Location: Colorado River

Nebraska

• State Slab: 2 lb. 13 oz.

• Date: April 26, 1977

• Angler: Gary Ralston

• Location: Grove Lake

Montana

Missouri

Mississippi

• State Slab: 3 lb. 7 oz.

• Date: February 2, 1995

• Angler: Gerald Thurmond

• Location: Farm pond

Minnesota

• State Slab: 2 lb. 13 oz.

• Year: 1984

• Angler: Not listed

• Location: Alice Lake

Michigan

• State Slab: 2 lb. 12 oz.

• Year: 1983

• Angler: Not listed

• Location: Vaughn Lake

Massachusetts

Maryland

Maine

• State Slab: 15.28 oz.

• Date: June 21, 2020

• Angler: Michael Gibbs

• Location: Murdock Lake

Louisiana

Kentucky

Kansas

Iowa

Indiana

Illinois

• State Slab: 3 lb. 8 oz.

• Date: May 10, 1987

• Angler: Darren May

• Location: Farm pond

Idaho

Hawaii

• State Slab: 8.5 oz.

• Date: June 9, 2000

• Angler: June Rae Maeda

• Location: Lake Wilson

Georgia

• State Slab: 3 lb. 5 oz.

• Date: July 3, 1977

• Angler: P.F. Gumm

• Location: Shamrock Lake

Florida

Delaware

• State Slab: 2 lb. 10 oz. (tie)

• Dates: June 10, 1998 April 29, 2001

• Anglers: Arnold Harmon; Clifford Snyder

• Location: Diamond Pond (both)

Connecticut

• State Slab: 2 lb. 4 oz.

• Year: 1996

• Angler: Daniel Gesner

• Location: Private pond

Colorado

California

Arkansas

• State Slab: 3 lb. 4 oz.

• Date: August 7, 1998

• Angler: Albert Sharp

• Location: Fulton County

Arizona

Alabama

• State Slab: 4 lb. 12 oz.

• Date: April 9, 1950

• Angler: T.S. Hudson

• Location: Ketona Lake

This story originally appeared in Vol. 139, No. 1 of the Field & Stream Journal.

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