TWRA Reports Three New Fishing Records

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has reported that three new state fishing records have recently been established. The records are for gizzard shad, silver redhorse, and lake trout.

Roy Hawk is the new record holder of the gizzard shad he caught while fishing on the South Fork of the Holston River. Hawk, from Knoxville, caught a 3 lb., gizzard shad that was 17 3/4 inches long on April 3.The previous record was set by Hawk’s good friend, W. Powell Patridge Sr., from the same stretch of the river just six days earlier and this fished weighed 1 lb., 13 oz.

Jimmy A. Filson, from Dickson, is the new record holder for the silver redhorse. Filson caught a 4 lb., 8 oz. silver redhorse that was 37 inches long on the Harpeth River above the Highway 70 bridge in Cheatham County on June 21. The old record 3 lbs., 7 oz. was set by James E. Moore on Nolichucky River in 2002.

The lake trout was by Jack Forbes on Watauga Lake in Carter County. Forbes, a resident of Elizabethon, landed his 22 lb., 2oz. trophy that was 37 inches in length while trolling the lake near Big Island on July 3.  The previous record was 20 lb., 1 oz. on the same reservoir in 1994.

The criteria to be considered for a state record fish along with the new record application and instructions, state records and fishing license information are in the 2008 TWRA Tennessee Fishing Guide. Information is also available on this Web site by clicking on “Fishing”, located on the left side of this page.