The smallmouth bass, distinguishable by it’s connected dorsal fins and an upper jawbone that extends to about the middle of the eye, can weigh in at almost 12 pounds but for anglers looking to land one of these large fish, catching a smallmouth bass even half of that weight is an impressive feat.

On May 2, Polson’s Jacob Fowler set the record for biggest smallmouth bass caught in Montana at 7.4 pounds and 21 inches long. The previous record, held by Melvin McDanold since August 2013, was 6.7 pounds and 22.5 inches long, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.