Loudon resident Howard Ford has enjoyed more than a little success in his pursuit of rockfish.
On June 22 at an undisclosed location somewhere in Loudon County, Ford reeled in a 27-pound rockfish.  Within 15 minutes of that catch, he and his brother Everett pulled in an 18-pounder and a 17.5-pounder.

Howard Ford wouldn't open up about where he caught the fish, however.  "All I'll tell you is Loudon County," he said.
Ford said he catches the large rockfish with regularity, with the largest he's ever pulled in being a 34-pound fish.  "It's pretty regular at certain times each year - like this time of year," he explained.
Ford said he uses shad as the bait for them and then just waits them out.  
His average catch in the winter is right around 25-pounds.

"I've got one mounted in my house that's 34 pounds," he said, adding that he also caught a 33-pound rockfish that same day.

Ford hasn't quite reached the state record, however.  The largest rockfish ever caught in the state of Tennessee, according to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), was a 65-pound, 6-ounce fish caught by Ralph H. Dallas on May 1, 2000.  He caught the fish in Cordell Hull Reservoir.