LOUISIANAMONSTERS
How big do Louisiana fish really get? Explore record bass, giant river catfish, prehistoric gar and choupique, slab crappie and bream, plus the coastal and offshore heavyweights that have earned a place in Louisiana fishing history.
This hub is anchored to the official Louisiana State Fish Records maintained by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA). The current LOWA record book states that it is current through the record awarded August 16, 2026. Records can change when new catches are certified, so the official LOWA book remains the final authority.
Open the official LOWA records & applications →Louisiana's record book is still changing.
LOWA's current record book lists a 272.25-pound yellowfin tuna caught by Cole Apeldorn in February 2026 as the #1 rod-and-reel yellowfin and the 2026 LOWA Fish of the Year. The fly-fishing division also lists a 2.28-pound white crappie caught by Gary Peterson at Poverty Point in March 2026 as a new fly record and Fish of the Year.
Louisiana fish get seriously big.
A 179-pound alligator gar. A 114-pound blue catfish. A nearly 16-pound largemouth. A 149.75-pound cobia. And offshore, Louisiana yellowfin have pushed beyond 250 pounds. This is the side of Louisiana fishing that deserves its own record-book showcase.
Red River • Jimmy L. Thompson
Mississippi River • Lawson Boyte
Caney Lake • Greg Wiggins
Grand Isle Block 69 • “Lucky” Caudell
Find a Louisiana record fish
Search the featured records below by species, angler, waterbody or category.
Freshwater Monsters
Weight, angler, water and date — with questionable or changing entries clearly identified instead of guessed.
Largemouth Bass
- Angler
- Greg Wiggins
- Where
- Caney Lake →
- When
- Feb. 1994
Louisiana’s benchmark trophy bass. Caney Lake has produced an extraordinary share of the state’s biggest largemouth.
Spotted Bass
- Angler
- Vernon Johnson Jr.
- Where
- Tickfaw River →
- When
- Aug. 1976
A river-oriented black bass with a long-standing Louisiana record.
Blue Catfish
- Angler
- Lawson Boyte
- When
- Mar. 2014
A true river monster: a 114-pound blue pulled from the Mississippi River by a young Louisiana angler.
Channel Catfish
- Angler
- Harold W. Clubb
- Where
- Minor’s Canal / Intracoastal Waterway
- When
- Aug. 1977
Channel cats are common across Louisiana, but a 30-pound specimen is anything but ordinary.
Flathead Catfish
- Angler
- Roland Lasseigne
- When
- July 2007
Louisiana’s record flathead came from the lower Atchafalaya system — classic big-cat water.
Alligator Gar
- Angler
- Jimmy L. Thompson
- Where
- Red River →
- When
- May 1997
Nearly eight feet of prehistoric Louisiana attitude. Even a reported 182.5-pound rod-and-reel fish failed to replace it because it could not be weighed on certified scales.
Paddlefish
Paddlefish are found in Louisiana, but the current LOWA Louisiana State Fish Records book does not list a paddlefish rod-and-reel record category. We will not publish an unofficial weight as a state record.
Bowfin / Choupique
- Angler
- Brian Fant
- Where
- Toledo Bend →
- When
- Apr. 1976
A prehistoric backwater predator known across South Louisiana as choupique — and the record fish was enormous.
Freshwater Drum / Gaspergou
- Angler
- Paul R. Heideman
- Where
- Bayou Macon Lake
- When
- Mar. 2011
Gaspergou are often overlooked, but Louisiana’s current LOWA record book shows just how large these powerful freshwater drum can become.
Black Crappie
- Angler
- Randy K. Causey
- When
- Apr. 2010
A Louisiana slab in every sense of the word. Poverty Point has produced multiple record-book crappie.
White Crappie
- Angler
- Tim Ricca
- Where
- Lake Verret →
- When
- May 2010
Louisiana’s official state freshwater fish can reach truly impressive size.
Bluegill
- Angler
- Timothy Delaney
- Where
- Iatt Lake
- When
- May 2016
This LOWA-listed state record shows why Louisiana “bream” deserve a place on the Monsters page.
Redear Sunfish / Chinquapin
- Angler
- Jerry Smelley
- Where
- Caney Lake →
- When
- Aug. 1998
Also called shellcracker, the redear record is another reason Caney Lake has a legendary Louisiana record-book reputation.
Warmouth
- Angler
- Frank E. Dean Jr.
- Where
- Atchafalaya Basin →
- When
- July 1987
A thick-bodied Louisiana panfish with a record that came from the Atchafalaya Basin.
Bigmouth Buffalo
- Angler
- Delbert Sisk
- Where
- Bussey Brake →
- When
- Apr. 1980
A freshwater heavyweight that proves Louisiana monsters are not limited to traditional gamefish.
Common Carp
- Angler
- James D. Rodgers Jr.
- Where
- Bussey Brake →
- When
- Apr. 1981
Powerful, underappreciated and capable of testing tackle far beyond what many anglers expect.
Saltwater Monsters
Weight, angler, water and date — with questionable or changing entries clearly identified instead of guessed.
Red Drum / Redfish
- Angler
- David Weber
- Where
- Not specified in LOWA listing
- When
- June 1992
Louisiana’s iconic redfish record has stood for decades; slot-limit management makes a new retained record difficult.
Spotted Seatrout
- Angler
- Leon Mattes
- Where
- Lake Hermitage
- When
- Apr. 1950
A double-digit speck is legendary anywhere on the Gulf Coast; Louisiana’s record dates to 1950.
Black Drum
- Angler
- Dylan Gonzales
- Where
- Oak Bayou
- When
- May 2007
A bull black drum can look almost unreal beside the smaller fish commonly caught around marsh and structure.
Sheepshead
- Angler
- Wayne J. Desselle
- Where
- Not specified in LOWA listing
- When
- Apr. 1982
The current LOWA rod-and-reel record book lists this 21.25-pound sheepshead as Louisiana’s #1 entry.
Southern Flounder
- Angler
- Gary Hargis
- Where
- West of South Pass
- When
- June 1998
A true doormat: Louisiana’s record southern flounder topped thirteen pounds.
Cobia / Ling
- Angler
- Garnett “Lucky” Caudell
- Where
- Grand Isle Block 69
- When
- May 1965
Nearly 150 pounds — one of the most startling Louisiana saltwater records on the page.
Red Snapper
- Angler
- Capt. “Doc” Kennedy
- Where
- South Timbalier Block 185
- When
- June 1996
A fifty-pound red snapper is a completely different animal from the fish most anglers see on a normal reef trip.
Greater Amberjack
- Angler
- Chris Legrand
- Where
- Horseshoe Lump
- When
- Jan. 2017
Amberjack are already famous for brutal fights; Louisiana’s current LOWA record fish pushed the category to 140 pounds.
Yellowfin Tuna
- Angler
- Cole Apeldorn
- Where
- Gulf of America
- When
- Feb. 2026
LOWA’s current record book lists this 272.25-pound yellowfin as Louisiana’s #1 rod-and-reel entry and the 2026 LOWA Fish of the Year.
Dolphin / Mahi-Mahi
- Angler
- Robert Prest IV
- Where
- Not specified in LOWA listing
- When
- June 1976
Fast-growing, brilliantly colored and capable of reaching true monster proportions offshore.
Louisiana's Top 10 Largemouth Bass
The official LOWA list shows just how dominant Caney Lake has been — while Bussey Brake has placed two modern fish in Louisiana's top ten.
| Rank | Weight | Angler | Water | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 15.97 lb | Greg Wiggins | Caney Lake → | Feb. 1994 |
| #2 | 15.87 lb | Regina Womack | Valentine Lake → | May 2010 |
| #3 | 15.82 lb | Adam Oliver | Black Bayou Hosston → | Mar. 2009 |
| #4 | 15.78 lb | John S. Wilde | Bussey Brake → | Mar. 2024 |
| #5 | 15.54 lb | Tommy Foster | Caney Lake → | Feb. 1993 |
| #6 | 15.53 lb | Fred Kennedy | Caney Lake → | Oct. 1993 |
| #7 | 15.42 lb | Bryan Smith | Caney Lake → | Mar. 1993 |
| #8 | 15.38 lb | Thomas J. Robertson | Baton Rouge University Lake | June 1992 |
| #9 | 15.36 lb | Robert Rush | Bussey Brake → | Feb. 2023 |
| #10 | 15.33 lb | Johnny Harper | Caney Lake → | July 1996 |
Source: Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association official Louisiana State Fish Records, current through August 16, 2026.
How Louisiana fish records work
Louisiana's record program is more than one list. LOWA maintains separate freshwater and saltwater records, with rod-and-reel and fly-fishing divisions, plus a separate pond division.
Catch an eligible species
The species must be listed in the current LOWA record book. Different divisions and categories maintain their own rankings.
Follow the current weighing rules
LOWA requires the catch to be weighed and documented according to the current application rules before it can be considered.
Document the catch
The application calls for the angler's signature, two witnesses to the weighing, photographs and fish-identification information.
Submit it on time
LOWA currently requires applications within 60 days of the catch, along with the completed materials and processing fee.