LIST: Record-size fish caught in Northeast Tennessee waterways

CREDIT TO: MURRY LEE, WJHL, AUGUST 10, 2022.

Northeast Tennessee is riddled with rivers and lakes, most of which are brimming with fish. The region offers a wide selection of freshwater fishing options, with some of the catches being the largest in the state.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) keeps an updated list of all the Tennessee State Fish Records. Each species is listed along with the date, location and angler who caught the record-holding fish.TWRA: Man pulls in record-setting fish on Cherokee Lake

The TWRA divides Tennessee into four regions. East Tennessee is also known as Region 4 and features 11 lakes and reservoirs in addition to the rivers that flow through it.

Not all of Tennessee’s 315 species of fish can be found in the East and Northeast areas. As a result, some record fish were caught exclusively in other regions.

Below are Tennessee’s record fish that were caught in Northeast Tennessee waterways using sportfishing methods:

Cutthroat Trout (1 lbs, 10.5 oz) – Caught in the South Fork Holston River on July 27, 2022
Ohrid Trout (14 lbs, 5 oz) – Caught in the Watauga Reservoir on March 28, 1986
Lake Trout (22 lbs, 2 oz) – Caught in the Watauga Reservoir on July 3, 2008
Northern Pike (24 lbs, 8 oz) – Caught in the South Holston Reservoir on March 28, 1995
Redbreast Sunfish (1 lb, 5 oz) – Caught in the Holston River on June 22, 1974
Warmouth Sunfish (1 lb, 12 oz) – Caught in the Nolichucky River on May 26, 1984
Orangespotted Sunfish (5 oz) – Caught in the Nolichucky River on May 30, 1982
Black Redhorse (3 lbs, 1 oz) – Caught in the South Holston River on February 16, 2009
Golden Redhorse (2 lbs, 15.5 oz) – Caught in the South Holston River on March 28, 2008
Silver Redhorse (4 lbs, 10.4 oz) – Caught in the Holston River on March 8, 2020
Paddlefish (120 lbs) – Caught in the Cherokee Reservoir on April 14, 2022
Gizzard Shad (3 lbs, 3 oz) – Caught in the Holston River on December 13, 2008
Quillback Carpsucker (6 lbs, 5 oz) – Caught in the South Holston Reservoir on February 10, 2019
Northern Hogsucker (2 lbs, 9 oz) – Caught in the South Holston River on February 16, 2009

Other record fish were caught in Northeast Tennessee using methods other than sportfishing, such as jugs, trotlines, spearguns and archery.