Pennsylvania teenager catches record-breaking perch
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pennsylvania teenager caught a record-breaking white perch in the eastern part of the state.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said it certified the new state record, caught by 19-year-old Christopher Barrett of Berks County, who was fishing with his dad Craig in Delaware County. The fish weighed 2 pounds and 1 ounce, beating the previous state record by 5 ounces.
The Barretts were fishing in the Delaware River on the morning of April 14, using heavy duty spinning rods fitted with fish finder rings and circle hooks baited with bloodworms, the state agency said. They were hoping to get striped bass and catfish but were also reeling in white perch.
"We usually keep a few perch to eat, and when I went to put that one in the cooler, we both said that's got to be the biggest White Perch we've ever seen," Barrett said in a news release from the Fish and Boat Commission.
"When we got back to the dock, my dad looked up the state record for Pennsylvania, which was under two pounds. We weighed the fish on our own scale, and it was 2 pounds, 3 ounces. So, we started to get really excited at that point."
The next morning, the fish was weighed on a certified scale, and it beat the state record. And while only the weight counts for state record certification in Pennsylvania, it came in at 14.125 inches with a girth of 12.25 inches.
The fish was also inspected, including the contents of its stomach.
"It was a large fish to begin with and it was full of eggs, which made it even heavier," said Barrett. "We're pretty good at catching perch, so I guess it was a little bit of skill and luck combined with good timing to catch that fish at just the right time."
Barrett said he's grateful for the record and glad he got to share the experience with his dad.