The 20 Biggest Fish Caught in 2021

Who doesn’t like a big fish story? Well, these are the biggest fish stories of 2021. Some truly impressive long-standing records were broken this year, including a 43-year-old Michigan state-record chinook and a 64-year-old Minnesota muskie record. There were also some lesser-known but equally impressive records caught—such as the bowfishing world-record paddlefish and a spearfishing world-record halibut. Out of the millions of fish caught this year, only 20 trophies made this list. These are the best of best.

1. The California Slab

In one of the first records to fall in 2021, California angler David Burruss boated an absolute slab of a black crappie in February. The 4-pound, 5.44-ounce black crappie toppled the previous record, which was a 4-pound, 1-ounce fish that had stood for 46 years. Burruss caught the fish in Northern California’s Clear Lake, which is known for its big largemouths,…