Mississippi Sportfishing Record Rules

• Fish must be hooked, fought, and brought to net or gaff by the applicant with no help from any person, except that another person may operate the net or gaff. Catches on hand lines or other non-sporting equipment will not be considered.
   
• Conventional Records: Fish must be legally caught in a sporting manner on rod, reel and line or pole and line, and hooked with any legal hook or lure.
   
• Fly Fishing Records:  Fish must be legally caught on a rod, reel, and line using conventional fly fishing tackle. The lure used must be a recognized type of artificial fly. Treble hooks are prohibited. The use of any other type of lure or natural bait, either singularly or attached to the fly is prohibited. The fly used must be submitted with the application.
   
• Two (2) color photographs should be submitted with each application:
  1. One (1) of angler and fish.
  2. One (1) showing a clear, close-up side view of the fish.
     Photos become the property of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
     
• Fish MUST be weighed on certified scales or scales legal for trade, i.e. grocery store scales, etc. The weighing must take place in the presence of two (2) witnesses other than the applicant, who MUST sign the application form or a separate statement attesting that they witnessed the OFFICIAL weight. NO provision for weight loss will be allowed. The actual weight of the fish AT THE TIME OF WEIGHING will be the OFFICIAL WEIGHT. It is also desirable to include signature(s) on the application form of the witness(es), if any, to the actual catching of the fish. Witnesses to the weight and catch CANNOT be the same persons. Rodeo entries are considered valid and acceptable weights.
   
• Length of the fish must be measured in a straight line from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail AND from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.
   
• Girth of the fish will be measured around the thickest portion of the body.
   
• Applications for saltwater species SHALL be positively identified AND verified by a Professional Fisheries Biologist and/or a Rodeo Weighmaster.
   
• Only fish caught in Mississippi waters or fish caught in adjacent waters and landed in a Mississippi port will be considered.
   
• The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources reserves the right to further check fish identification or verification of witnesses and to refuse any application that is questionable. It will be considered “Just Cause” for disqualification of current application and any previous records established by anyone who knowingly falsifies a Record Application. All rules will be strictly adhered to. The decision of the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources will be.