James J. Beres, of Lorain, caught the 26.63-pound fish on Dec. 1 in Lake Erie in Lorain County, using a JT Custom Crank Bait, by trolling with 20 lb test braided line. Beres’ Lake Trout is 38 inches long and 25.5 inches in girth.
His catch replaces the previous state record lake trout which was caught in Lake Erie by Tom Harbison on April 20, 2000 weighing 20.40 pounds and measuring 34 inches long. Ohio’s record fish are determined on the basis of weight only.
Ohio’s state record fish are certified by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio State Record Fish Committee with assistance from fisheries biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Fisheries biologist Matt Faust from the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Sandusky Fish Research Station confirmed the identification of Beres’ catch as a Lake Trout.
For more information on Ohio’s state record fish program, visit www.outdoorwritersofohio.org or contact Fred Snyder, Chairman, OWO State Record Fish Committee, 754 Co. Rd. 126, Fremont, OH 43420, by phone at 419-332-0777 or by email at [email protected]
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OHIO'S ALL-TACKLE STATE RECORD FISH
The following Ohio record fish list is maintained by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio State Record Fish Committee:
Hook & Line Division
Bass, Hybrid Striped- 18.32 pounds. 31.75" Deer Creek Lake. Richard Knisley, Washington Court House, on May 24, 2015
Bass, Largemouth- 13.13 pounds. 25 1/16" Farm pond. Roy Landsberger, Kensington, on May 26, 1976
Bass, Rock- 1.97 pounds. 14 3/4" Deer Creek near London. George A Keller, Dayton, on Sept 3, 1932
Bass, Smallmouth- 9.5 pounds. 23 1/2" Lake Erie. Randy Van Dam, Kalamazoo, Mich., on June 16, 1993
Bass, Spotted- 5.25 pounds. 21" Lake White. Roger Trainer, Waverly, on May 2, 1967
Bass, Striped- 37.10 pounds. 41 1/4" West Branch Reservoir. Mark Chuifo, Ravenna, on July 2, 1993
Bass, White- 4 pounds. 21" Gravel pit. Ira Sizemore, Cincinnati, on July 1, 1983
Bluegill- 3.28 pounds. 12 3/4" Salt Fork Reservoir. Willis D. Nicholes, Quaker City, on April 28, 1990
Bowfin- 11.69 pounds. 33 1/4" Nettle Lake. Christopher A. Boling, Montpelier, on May 9, 1987
Bullhead- 4.25 pounds. 18 1/2" Farm pond. Hugh Lawrence Jr., Keene, on May 20, 1986
Burbot- 17.33 pounds. 36" Lake Erie. Bud Clute, Chardon, on Dec.20, 1999
Carp (Common) - 50 pounds. 40" Paint Creek. Judson Holton, Chillicothe, on May 24, 1967
Catfish, Blue- 96 pounds. 54-1/2" Ohio River. Chris Rolph, Williamsburg, on June 11, 2009
Catfish, Channel- 37.65 pounds. 41 1/2" LaDue Reservoir. Gus J Gronowski, Parma, on Aug. 15, 1992
Catfish, Flathead- 76.5 pounds. 58 5/8" Clendening Lake. Richard Affolter, New Philadelphia, July 28, 1979
Crappie, Black- 4.5 pounds. 18 1/8" Private lake. Ronald Stone, Wooster, on May 24, 1981
Crappie, White- 3.90 pounds. 18 1/2" Private pond. Kyle Rock, Zanesville, on April 25, 1995
Drum, Freshwater (Sheepshead)- 23.5 pounds. 37 1/8" Sandusky River. James S. Williams, Fremont, on July 21, 2001
Gar, Longnose- 25 pounds. 49" Ohio River. Flora Irvin, Cincinnati, on Aug 31, 1966
Muskellunge- 55.13 pounds. 50 1/4" Piedmont Lake. Joe D. Lykins, Piedmont, on April 12, 1972
Muskellunge, Tiger- 31.64 pounds. 47" Turkeyfoot Lake. Matt Amedeo, Akron, on April 29, 2006
Perch, White- 1.72 pounds. 14 1/8" Lake Erie. Terry R. Patton, Galion, on January 29, 2011
Perch, Yellow- 2.86 pounds. 15 3/4" Lake Erie. David Berg, Mentor, on April 18, 2016
Pickerel, Chain- 6.25 pounds. 26 1/4" Long Lake. Ronald P. Kotch, Akron, on March 25, 1961
Pike, Northern- 22.78 pounds. 45" McKarns Lake. Troy Klingler, Stryker, on Sept. 24, 2016
Salmon, Chinook- 29.5 pounds. 42 7/8" Lake Erie. Walter Shumaker, Ashtabula, on Aug 4, 1989
Salmon, Coho- 13.63 pounds. 34 3/4" Huron River. Barney Freeman, Kansas, on Dec.1, 1982
Salmon, Pink- 3.06 pounds. 20 1/8” Conneaut Creek. Andy Janoski, Chagrin Falls, on Sept. 24, 2004
Sauger- 7.31 pounds. 24 1/2" Maumee River. Bryan Wicks, Maumee, on March 10, 1981
Saugeye- 14.04 pounds. 30 1/8" Antrim Lake. Roger Sizemore, Orient, on November 24, 2004
Sucker, Buffalo- 46.01 pounds. 42" Hoover Reservoir. Tim Veit, Galena, on July 2, 1999
Sucker, (other than buffalo)- 9.25 pounds. 27 1/2" Leesville Lake. Wayne Gleason, Wellsville, on April 3, 1977
Sunfish, Green- .99 pounds. 10 5/8” Farm pond. Timothy C. Hively, Bethel, on May 8, 2005
Sunfish, Hybrid- 2.03 pounds. 12 1/4" Champaign County farm pond. Ray Durham, Mechanicsburg, on July 21, 2003
Sunfish, Longear- 0.41 pounds. 8.0" Greene County gravel pit. Kevin Shanks, Bellbrook, on April 22, 2012
Sunfish, Pumpkinseed- 1.10 pounds. 10 1/2" Portage County farm pond. Scott Boykin, Uniontown, on June 12, 2009
Sunfish, Redear- 3.58 pounds. 15" Licking County farm pond. Bert Redman, Newark, on Oct 2, 1998
Sunfish, Warmouth- 1.32 pounds. 10 3/4" Mahoning County farm pond. Douglas Koenig, Salem, on July 19, 2009
Trout, Brown- 14.675 pounds. 27 1/4" Lake Erie. Robert D. Campbell, Dunbar, Pennsylvania., on July 14, 2012
*Trout, Lake- 26.63 pounds. 38" Lake Erie. James J. Beres, Lorain, on December 1, 2017
Trout, Rainbow (Steelhead)- 21.3 pounds. 38" Lake Erie. Jason Brooks, Tallmadge, on June 25, 2010
Walleye- 16.19 pounds. 33" Lake Erie. Tom Haberman, Brunswick, on November 23, 1999
Bowfishing Division
Bowfin- 9.20 pounds. 31" Mogadore Reservoir. Tim Makowski, Massillon, on July 2, 2016
Carp (Common) - 53.65 pounds. 45" Lake Erie. Patrick Johnson, Toledo on June 9, 2013
Gar, Longnose- 19.21 pounds. 53.1" Turkeyfoot Lake. Zachary Jared, Akron on May 12, 2011
Sucker, Buffalo- 40.80 pounds. 40.5" Lake Erie. Brent McGlone, Marysville, on October 11, 2013
Sucker, (other than buffalo) - 11.21 pounds. 31-1/2" Maumee River. Brent McGlone, Marysville, on May 18, 2007
