New Fish Record Set In Vermont

Vermont fishing record confirmed. 10-year-old Grayson Carey, left, with his grandfather. Photo courtesy Vermont Fish & Wildlife, background photo Tom Richardson.

A massive fish caught in Vermont last year has been confirmed to be a new state record.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials announced on Tuesday, February 24, that a freshwater drum caught in 2025 has been officially certified as a new Vermont state record.

In June 2025, 10-year-old Grayson Carey of Colchester landed the record-setting fish while competing in the Lake Champlain International Father’s Day Derby with his father and grandfather.

The freshwater drum, also known as “sheepshead,” weighed 28.5 pounds and measured 37 ½ inches long with a 29-inch girth. It beat the previous state record set in 2016 by three pounds.

Grayson’s father, Jason Carey, said the catch was no accident.

“We’ve been targeting drum during the derby for years,” Carey said. “They’re big, they fight hard, and they’re a blast to catch. If you’re fishing the right areas at the right time, you can absolutely catch them on purpose.”

Jason would certainly know. In 2018, he set an LCI Father’s Day Derby record with a 24.97 pound Freshwater Drum—a derby record that stood until his son broke it in 2025 while also establishing a new all-time Vermont state record.

Grayson’s catch earned first place in the LCI’s Extraordinary Category, the first-place team prize, the Junior Warmwater Grand Prize, and multiple bonus awards. Combined with setting new derby and lake records, the fish netted him more than $26,000 in prize winnings.

“Not bad for a native fish species that many people still consider to be a ‘trash fish’ and not worth fishing for,” said Shawn Good, fisheries biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and administrator of the State Record Fish Program. “In recent years, anglers have increasingly been targeting many of our under-appreciated native sport fish species such as bowfin, gar, burbot, fallfish, suckers, and more. It’s exciting to see these species getting the recognition they deserve.”