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