Record Yellow Bass Caught on Table Rock Lake

One of the biggest yellow bass fish ever caught was snagged in the Lakes Region earlier this month.

The full release below is from Sara Karnes from the Missouri Department of Conservation:

 A lifelong angler is celebrating after a recent catch broke the state’s record for yellow bass.

Danny Naugle, of Cassville, ventured out May 13 with some friends for an early morning of fishing on Table Rock Lake when he reeled in a yellow bass that broke the state record previously set in 1995. Naugle’s latest catch weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 16.5 inches.  Just two ounces shy of the world record.

Naugle normally casts for crappie, using an ultra-light rod and lights to draw bait fish.

“I’ve got more fishing gear than most people should have,” Naugle said. “It’s something that I’ve done with my family since I was 4 or 5 years old. I’d take friends and introduce as many people as I can to fish that way. It’s a simple way to catch fish, and it’s easy to get people outside and enjoy it, too.”

This past year, Naugle realized he had been catching yellow bass that appeared to be bigger than the current record set in 1995 by a 9 ounce fish caught from a slough off the Mississippi River.

“We actually fileted a couple that would have been the state record because the previous record was only 9 ounces, and we had some that weighed a little over a pound that would have technically been the state record,” Naugle said. “I caught that one the other day, and it was around 16 inches. It’s like, ‘Holy moly, that thing’s significantly bigger than any that we’ve seen.’”

Once verifying the state record was still the 1995 catch on the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) website, Naugle had to wait a couple of hours for the Roaring River Fish Hatchery office to open so he could get the yellow bass onto a certified scale.

Naugle plans to get the yellow bass mounted, joking that he is accepting donations to cover the cost. His catch marks the first state record fish recorded for 2026.

Learn more about fishing for yellow bass and more at mdc.mo.gov/fishing/seasons/bass-white-yellow-striped-hybrids

Check out details about Table Rock Lake at mdc.mo.gov/fishing/fishing-prospects/areas/table-rock-lake

Missouri state record fish are recognized in two categories: pole-and-line and alternative methods. Alternative methods include trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, gig, bow, crossbow, underwater spearfishing, snagging, snaring, grabbing, or atlatl. For more information on state record fish, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZCp.