The biggest fish caught off the Texas coast according to Texas Parks and Wildlife

PHOTOS: The biggest recorded fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico

Learn about the biggest fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife statistics.

Click through for some fishing motivation... less PHOTOS: The biggest recorded fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico

Learn about the biggest fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife statistics.

Click through for some fishing ... more Photo: DEVON RAVINE, Associated Press Photo: DEVON RAVINE, Associated Press Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close The biggest fish caught off the Texas coast according to Texas Parks and Wildlife 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Click through the slideshow above to learn about the biggest fish caught off the Texas coast, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife...

With warmer weather finally here, it’s time for Texas’ fishing fanatics to begin leaving their families and making work excuses (cough, cough) to get more time out on and in the waters of the Lone Star State.

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife website keeps tabs on the biggest recorded fish caught in the state of Texas. For this story, we have singled out the best records from the Gulf of Mexico.

Remember, these are the ones that have actually been submitted with evidence. Those of you who spend a whole afternoon fighting with a fish “this big” can begin feeling jealous right about now.

According to the TPWD site, fishermen must make the catch in Texas waters, measure it, have it weighed at an official weigh station, take plenty of photos and fill out the Angler Recognition Award application and submit that within 60 days of the catch date.

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If all goes well, you should get a certificate within 6 to 8 weeks from TPWD and have something to hang on the wall next to the preserved fish, unless you decided to eat the award-winning catch.

You should check the website’s current list of records before going to all this trouble to make sure you have something of merit. Experienced fishermen (and fisherwomen) will likely know when they have truly caught something special.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.