Official records & recognized catches

Real, sourced fishing records — Virginia freshwater and saltwater state records, archery-category records, and notable documented catches — cited to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission's Saltwater Fishing Tournament program, and other named authorities. This is not an unofficial Charted Waters record program — every record here cites an existing authority's own determination. Learn how official certification actually works →

Water

Status

Record class

More filters: species, authority, Hampton Roads connection

Species

Authority

Local connection

11 of 11 records shown

Striped Bass — 74 lb (2012)

Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterStriped Bass74 lb2012-01-20

Atlantic Ocean off Cape Henry, Virginia Beach

Caught in or near Hampton Roads waters

Striped Bass — 73 lb (2008)

Former Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterStriped Bass73 lb2008-01-23

Angler is a Hampton Roads resident

Cobia — 109 lb (2006)

Virginia Saltwater State RecordTournament Record

SaltwaterCobia109 lb2006-06-10

York Spit, Chesapeake Bay

Caught in or near Hampton Roads waters

Cobia — 104 lb 8 oz (2002)

Former Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterCobia104 lb 8 oz2002-07-07

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Caught in or near Hampton Roads watersAngler is a Hampton Roads resident

Swordfish — 597 lb (2020)

Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterSwordfish597 lb2020-09-25

Off Virginia Beach, along the southern edge of the Norfolk Canyon, in roughly 1,000 feet of water (approximate area, not a precise location)

Caught in or near Hampton Roads watersAngler is a Hampton Roads resident

Swordfish — 466 lb (2019)

Former Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterSwordfish466 lb2019-08-16

Angler is a Hampton Roads resident

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna — 708 lb (2020)

Former Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterAtlantic Bluefin Tuna708 lb2020-02-16

Roughly 80 miles SSE of Rudee Inlet, at a spot known locally as "the Tuna Hole" (approximate area, not a precise location)

Caught in or near Hampton Roads watersAngler is a Hampton Roads resident

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna — 832.6 lb (2026)

Virginia Saltwater State Record

SaltwaterAtlantic Bluefin Tuna832.6 lb2026-01-10

Off the Eastern Shore of Virginia

Weighed or certified at a Hampton Roads location

Blue Catfish — 143 lb (2011)

Virginia Freshwater State Record

FreshwaterBlue Catfish143 lb2011-06-18

Buggs Island Lake (John H. Kerr Reservoir), near the Goat Island section

Blue Catfish — 68 lb 14 oz, Archery (2022)

Virginia Archery State Record

FreshwaterBlue Catfish68 lb 14 oz2022-10-20

Rappahannock River

Striped Bass — 41.5 lb, Western Branch Reservoir (1995)

Notable Documented Catch

SaltwaterStriped Bass41.5 lb1995-01

Western Branch Reservoir, Suffolk

Caught in or near Hampton Roads waters