It Looks Like Montana Has a New State Record Smallmouth Bass

It appears that our state record ledger will once again have to be updated.

While there hasn't been the flurry of new records like there was a couple of years ago, there have been a couple pretty impressive ones recently, two different species, both from the same body of water, Fort Peck Lake. That includes the brand new one that was caught during the week of September 23.

The latest whopper is a smallmouth bass, taken by Joshua Johnson of Williston, North Dakota. And it sounds like everything is in order, with all of the preliminary requirements properly handled. While it usually takes some time for a new state record fish to be recognized, it looks like once Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks pounds the gavel, it will be official.

HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED

In Joshua's words, “We were fishing west of Hell Creek and we weighed it on the certified scale right at the Hell Creek Convenience Store with witnesses, signature, etc. Then we released her alive shortly after that. She weighed 8.4 pounds and was 22.4 inches long. Working with FWP on finishing up the state record application.”

According to the Montana FWP Record Table, which is always fun for us fishing nerds from time to time, the current record on the books that will be replaced is the 7.84 smallmouth bass, taken by Theron Thompson, also from Fort Peck Lake, in October of 2020.

The lake has been a hot bed for huge salmon this year, too. From a post that we shared recently, Jim Fauth of Malta MT became Montana's new Chinook salmon record-holder. His fish officially weighed in at 32.62 pounds, breaking the record of 32.05 pounds, landed by Greg Haug of North Dakota in August, 2020.

Congratulations, Joshua! And good on ya for the catch and release, letting her swim another day.