Rainbow Trout State & World Records

Rainbow trout are one of the most popular trout species that anglers target. Below you will learn what makes a trophy rainbow and the state and world records.

World Record Rainbow Trout

The biggest rainbow trout ever caught weighted 48 pounds and was 42 inches long with a 32 inch girth. This world record was caught at Lake Diefenbaker in Canada by Sean Konrad in 2009.

Rainbow Trout Records by State

State	Weight	Location	Caught By	Year
Alabama	9 lbs 1 oz	Mud Creek, Tannehill Historical State Park	Otha Hamm, Alexandria	4/22/2006
Alaska	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Arizona	15.6 lbs	Willow Springs Lake	Harold Wright	9/29/2006
Arkansas	19 lbs., 1 oz.	White River	Jim Miller, Memphis, TN	3/14/1981
California	27 lbs	Lake Natoma	Palmer, Frank (Orangevale)	10/2/2005
Colorado	19.63 lbs	Morrow Point Reservoir	Lee Cox
Connecticut	14 lbs	Mansfield Hollow Reservoir	Michael V. Ludlow	6/20/1905
Delaware	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Florida	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Georgia	17 lb. 8 oz.	Soque River	Mark Cochran	5/1/2004
Hawaii	5 lbs 10 oz	Koke’e, Kaua’i	Mark I. Sueyasu	8/7/1991
Idaho	20 lbs	Snake River	Michelle Larsen-Williams	7/29/2009
Illinois	31 lbs 6.72 oz	Lake Michigan	Kyle C. Johnson	7/10/1993
Indiana	18 lb. 8 oz.	Clear Lake, Steuben County	Bill Bigger	6/10/1905
Iowa	19 lbs 8 oz	French Creek	Jack Renner	7/1/1984
Kansas	15.72 lbs.	Kill Creek Park Lake	Josh McCullough, Spring Hill, KS	2/23/2014
Kentucky	14 lbs., 6 ozs.	Lake Cumberland Tailwaters	Jim Mattingly	9/10/1972
Louisiana	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maine	13 lbs 9 oz	Quarry Pond	Timothy Kelley	6/4/2016
Maryland	14.2 lbs.	Savage River Reservoir	Dave Schroyer
Massachusetts	13 lbs	Wachusett Reservoir	Jeffrey Greco	6/21/1905
Michigan	26.50 lbs	Lake Michigan	Mark Johnson	5/28/1905
Minnesota	16 lbs 6 oz	Devil Track River		4/27/1980
Mississippi	2.96 lbs	Lake Whittington	William Tribble	3/21/2001
Missouri	18 lbs 01 oz	Roaring River	Jason Harper	8/14/2004
Montana	33 lbs 1.6 oz	Kootenai River – David Thompson Bridge	Jack G. Housel Jr.	8/11/1997
Nebraska	14 lbs 2 oz	N/A	Frank Aloy	3/18/1975
Nevada	16 lbs 4 oz	Lake Mohave	Mike Soskin	5/24/1905
New Hampshire	15 lbs., 7.2 ozs.	Pemigewasset River	Lance King	9/16/1996
New Jersey	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Mexico	31lb 12 1/2oz	Santa Cruz Lake	Peter Romero	6/21/1905
New York	31 lb. 3 oz.	Lake Ontario, Niagara Co.	Robert Wilson	8/14/2004
North Carolina	16 lbs 5 oz	N/A	Terry L. Gregory	12/20/1989
North Dakota	21 lbs. 4 oz	Garrison Tailrace		6/20/1905
Ohio	21.3 lbs	Lake Erie	Jason Brooks, Tallmadge	6/25/2010
Oklahoma	11 lbs 4.32 oz	Lower Illinois River PFHA	Paul Glover	4/4/2015
Oregon	35lbs 8 oz	Rogue River	Mike McGonagle	6/4/1905
Pennsylvania	15 lb 6 oz	Jordan Creek	Dennis L. Clouse	6/8/1905
Rhode Island	12lbs 9.12oz.	Barber Pond	J. Rogers – North Kingstown, RI	12/1/2020
South Carolina	11 lbs 5 oz	Lake Jocassee	Scott Coggins	6/15/1905
South Dakota	19 lbs 4 oz	Oahe Tailwaters	Tom Moore	7/4/1980
Tennessee	18 lbs 8 oz	Pond (Polk Co.)	John H. Morgan III	6/17/2016
Texas	7 lbs 12.32 oz	Guadalupe River	Rex Ludwick	2/19/1995
Utah	26 lbs 2 oz	Flaming Gorge Reservoir	Del Canty	6/1/1905
Vermont	13 lbs 12 oz	Lake Dunmore	Harry E. Hunt	3/14/2006
Virginia	14 lbs. 7 oz.	Greers Pond	Michael Lowe	6/28/1993
Washington	25 lbs 11.36 oz	Rufus Woods Lake	Dick Hill	1/8/2001
West Virginia	11.74 lbs	Stonecoal Lake	John P. Arnett	6/15/1905
Wisconsin	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wyoming	23 lbs	Burnt Lake	Frank Favazzo	5/22/1905

What state has the biggest rainbow trout?

Oregon is the state with the largest rainbow caught in the United States. It weighed 35 lbs 8 oz and was caught by Mike McGonagle on the Rogue River.

What is the average size rainbow trout?

The average size rainbow trout seen in the wild falls in the 1-5 lb range. This is much smaller than the world record of 48 lbs.

What size rainbow trout is considered a trophy?

Rainbow trout start to be considered trophy size at 20 inches long.