ATHENS – Anglers across Texas set fishing records through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Angler Recognition Program (ARP) in 2024.

Joan Swartz of Austin enjoyed one of the most notable catches, setting multiple fly-rod records on Oct. 15.

Swartz, president of Texas Women Fly Fishers, reeled in a smallmouth buffalo on the Brazos River that weighed 27.95 pounds and measured 34.25 inches long. She earned a Big Fish Award, Water Body Record, State Catch and Release Record and a Water Body Catch and Release Record.

“Seeing Joan smiling and holding her amazing catch, wearing her Texas Women Fly Fishers hat, really made my day when her application came across my desk,” said Grace Simms, TPWD Angler Recognition Program coordinator. “There is such a poetry to fly fishing, and it inspires me to see her participating in the sport and helping other women to do the same.”

Participation in the ARP is growing as anglers received more than 957 official records or awards for their catch. Anglers set a combined 58 new state records and 500 waterbody records during the calendar year. State and waterbody records are awarded in overall and junior angler categories for public and private freshwater fisheries along with saltwater fisheries in the state. The program also officially recognized 286 Big Fish, 26 First Fish and 87 Outstanding Angler awards.

A few other notable catches entered into the program in 2024:

• Ernst update: Ernst Toepfer V of Corpus Christi, the program’s youngest Elite Angler, used a jug line to catch a record-breaking alligator gar out of the Nueces River Sept. 22. The gar weighed 90.06 pounds and measured 73 inches. Ernst picked up a Big Fish Award, Junior Water Body Record and Junior State Record for this catch.
• While fishing with her dad Feb. 23, Rayleigh Crews caught a 14.85-pound blue catfish out of Bob Sandlin on a rod and reel.  She earned an Outstanding Angler Award and a Jr. Water Body Record for her catch. She received her certificates for her catch on her birthday.
• Antonio Montoya from Medanales, New Mexico caught a red drum Nov. 27 out of the Lower Laguna Madre using  a mullet as bait. The fish weighed 27.7 pounds and measured 43.31 inches long. Montoya garnered a Big Fish Award and a Junior Water Body Record for his catch.
• Cassandra Tutt of Abilene caught a 8.4-pound freshwater drum out of Hubbard Creek reservoir on May 25 using shad as bait.  Tutt received a Water Body Record and Outstanding Angler Award for her catch.
• Jamie Meaux from Brenham has participated in ARP for more than a decade and has more than 200 catches in the program. One of his catches, a 15.2-inch white bass from Jerdelle Creek, earned Meaux a Water Body Catch and Release Record and a Big Fish Award.
• Oliver Pope of Austin caught a common carp out of Lady Bird Lake March 9 using a rod and reell.  The fish was weighed on the angler’s personal certified scale and checked in at a whopping 39.2 pounds with a measurement of 37.5 inches. Pope earned a Big Fish Award, Junior State Record, Junior Water Body Record and a Water Body Catch and Release Record for this massive catch.
• On Sept. 2, Kian Feizy of Plano caught a 5.48-pound bowfin out of Lake Athens using a rod and reel, earning the Junior Water Body Record.  On Oct. 13, he caught a 6.76-pound bowfin out of the same waterbody, breaking his own Junior Water Body Record and also earning the overall Water Body Record.
• Jarrett Jenkins earned his Saltwater Elite Angler Award in record time in 2024. In just over a month, he earned a Big Fish Award for a southern flounder, gafftopsail catfish, black drum, sheepshead, and a red drum, all caught from Galveston Bay.

“I am always amazed by the number of records being broken and the endearing stories that go along with them,” said Tom Lang, Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center director. “These records speak volumes about the tremendous work of TPWD staff and partners to manage and conserve the fisheries resources of Texas and the importance of these resource to the people of our great state.”

The ARP, housed at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens, features multiple award categories, including rod and reel, fly fishing, bow fishing and the new state record all-tackle category. The all-tackle category recognizes records for largest fish by species caught by any legal means. In June 2021, this category replaced the state record/other methods category.

Records are registered based on weight or length at the state level as well as for individual waterbodies. The ARP accepts length-only record applications for the catch and live release of selected species in Texas public waters. This record provides an opportunity for conservation-minded anglers who don’t have a certifiable scale available to weigh a record fish before returning it to the water. A fish must meet or exceed the minimum qualifications of a Big Fish Award to be eligible for a catch and release record.

Anglers can also earn a First Fish Award and an Outstanding Angler Award. The First Fish Award acknowledges the first fish caught by an angler of any age. The Outstanding Angler Award is a catch that does not qualify for any other type of award but still deserves recognition and serves as a great way to commemorate a memorable time on the water.

“Unless a catch is found to have broken the rules, every catch will receive a record or an award, even if they do not set any records or qualify as a big fish,” said Simms. “Every catch that is submitted to us is special and represents fond memories and a joyful experience. It therefore deserves recognition.”

Anglers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with program rules and how to submit their catch prior to heading out to the water. Anglers are advised to pay close attention to the requirements for proper weighing and length measurements along with photos to accompany the application. Fish must be weighed on certified or legal-for-trade scales within three days of the catch date. However, anglers may also weigh their fish on their own personal scale and then get that scale certified within 30 days of the catch date.

Fish are sometimes measured incorrectly, so if you would like clarification on how to measure your fish before hitting the water or have any other questions regarding the ARP, please email anglers@tpwd.texas.gov.

Once the ARP application is complete with all supporting documentation, it must be submitted within 60 days of the catch date. The application and documents can be emailed to anglers@tpwd.texas.gov or sent via mail to Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM-2495, Athens, TX 75752.  Applications are processed in the order in which they are received.

Each angler who submits an application to the program has a chance to be featured as the “Catch of the Month.” One interesting catch will be selected by TFFC staff, and the photograph and description of their fish will be showcased on the ARP website. Photos must be submitted in conjunction with an ARP application for any of the award categories. Photos may be mailed or emailed along with the application form but must be high quality and clear.