Award Categories

Records by Length

State Catch and Release Records for the catch and live release of the longest fish of a qualifying species from Texas public waters.

Catch and Release Water Body Records for the catch and live release of the longest fish of a qualifying species from a public water body.

• Rod & Reel - longest fish of a species caught by any method of rod & reel fishing.
• Fly Fishing - longest fish of a species caught by fly fishing methods using artificial flies.

Records by Weight

State Records for Public Waters

• Rod & Reel - largest fish of a species from Texas public waters by any method of rod & reel fishing.
• Fly Fishing - largest fish of a species from Texas public waters by fly fishing methods using artificial flies.
• Bow Fishing - largest fish of a species from Texas public waters by bow fishing.
• Other - largest fish of a species from Texas public waters by any other legal method, excluding nets.

State Records for Private Waters

• Rod & Reel - largest fish of a species from Texas private waters by any method of rod & reel fishing.
• Fly Fishing - largest fish of a species from Texas private waters by fly fishing methods using artificial flies.
• Bow Fishing - largest fish of a species from Texas private waters by bow fishing.

Water Body Records (public waters only)

• Rod & Reel - largest fish of a species from a particular Texas public water body by any method of rod & reel fishing.
• Fly Fishing - largest fish of a species from a particular Texas public water body by fly fishing methods using artificial lures.
• Bow Fishing - largest fish of a species from a particular Texas public water body by bow fishing.
• All-Tackle - largest fish of a species from a particular Texas public water body caught by any legal method, excluding nets.

Other Awards

First Fish Award - for the first fish caught by an angler of any age.

Elite Angler Award - a lifetime achievement award for catching five different trophy class fish in the freshwater or saltwater divisions

Big Fish Award - for catching a trophy class fish of a qualifying species.

Outstanding Angler - for a catch that does not meet the requirements of other award categories, but still deserves recognition.