News  Find bigger fish

Are you looking for information on where to go to catch more trophy-sized fish? Have you ever wondered if a fish you caught has broken a record? Do you appreciate recognition after a great accomplishment?  

Since the early 1960s, MassWildlife’s Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program has helped foster the joy of angling by recognizing people who catch exceptional freshwater fish. You can win awards for more than 20 different species.  

Summer is a great season to catch fish that thrive in warmer water such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, crappie, chain pickerel, and yellow perch. If you catch a fish that meets minimum length or weight requirements, you can win a bronze pin. If your fish is the largest or longest in its category, you can win a gold pin and a plaque. For catch-and-release, just snap a picture of your catch against a measuring device, such as a common tape measure.  For catch-and-keep, just bring your fish to a certified weigh station. Over the past six months of the 2022 license year, we have already issued more than 1,000 pins to anglers across Massachusetts! 

To find more big fish and catch locations, check out our 2022 leaderboard or best bets by species. Choose between adult catch-and-release, adult catch-and-keep, or youth catch-and-keep categories. Review the full catch-and-release rules or full catch-and-keep rules, and take a look at some of your current competition below!  

Adult Catch-and-Release Leaderboard Highlights  

• Chain Pickerel: 28”, Billington Sea, Plymouth  

• Yellow Perch: 16”, Denison Lake, Winchendon 

• Sunfish: 11.5”, Springfield Reservoir, Ludlow  

Adult Catch-and-Keep Leaderboard Highlights  

• ​Largemouth Bass: 8lb 10oz , Singletary Pond, Sutton 

• Smallmouth Bass: 4lb 15oz , Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown 

• Crappie: 2lb 12oz, Wachusett Reservoir, West Boylston 

Youth Catch-and-Keep Leaderboard Highlights 

• Brown Trout: 3lb 2oz, Stockbridge Bowl, Stockbridge  

• Shad: 3lb 7oz, Merrimack River, Lawrence 

• Walleye: 5lb, Connecticut River, Chicopee 

Gold pins are awarded after each license year closes.  Visit our gold pin page to see the winners from 2021.