Cleveland angler sets Tennessee state record for northern hogsucker on the Ocoee

Heath Jordan of Cleveland, Tenn., now holds the Tennessee state record for northern hogsucker. His fish weighed 2 pounds, 10.4 ounces, beating the old record of 2 pounds, 9 ounces. WTVC NewsChannel 9 outdoors reporter Richard Simms reported the catch.

Jordan caught it Oct. 8 a few miles below Ocoee Dam. He was sight fishing for spotted bass with his twin sons, Fisher and River, using a small piece of shad on a 1/64-ounce Crappie Magnet jig head and 4-pound line. TWRA's Joey Root and Josh Bean verified the record. Jordan already holds Tennessee's Class B record for spotted sucker.

His advice to other anglers is to keep TWRA's state record list handy and know where to find a certified scale, in case an unusual fish turns out to be a record.

Photo: Heath Jordan with his state-record northern hogsucker. Credit: Photo courtesy Heath Jordan, via WTVC NewsChannel 9.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: WTVC NewsChannel 9 — Cleveland angler catches new Tennessee state record fish on Ocoee River (Oct. 27, 2026).