Pennsylvania teenager catches record 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 Christopher Barrett, 19, of Berks County, who was fishing with his father Craig in Delaware County. The fish weighed 2 pounds, 1 ounce, breaking the previous state record by 5 ounces.

The Barretts were fishing in the Delaware River the morning of April 14, using heavy-duty spinning rods equipped with fish-finding rings and circle hooks baited with bloodworms, the state agency said. They were hoping to catch striped bass and catfish, but they were also picking up white perch.

“We usually keep a few perch around to eat, and when I went to put this one in the cooler, we both said it had to be the biggest white perch we had ever seen,” Barrett said in a statement. Press release from Fish and Boat Commission.

“When we got back to the dock, my dad looked for the Pennsylvania state record, which was under two pounds. We weighed the fish on our own scale, and it weighed 2 pounds, 3 ounces. So we started to really weigh in excited at that point.

The next morning, the fish was weighed on a certified scale and it broke the state record. And while only weight matters when certifying the state record in Pennsylvania, it stood at 14.125 inches with a girth of 12.25 inches.

The fish was also inspected, including its stomach contents.

“It started out as a big fish and it was full of eggs, which made it even heavier,” Barrett said. “We're pretty good at catching perch, so I guess it took a little skill and luck, combined with good timing, to catch this fish at the right time.”

Barrett said he was grateful for the record and happy to have been able to share the experience with his father.