One Pennsylvania teen is holding his head high after breaking a state record. The angler went fishing with his father and snagged a record-breaking catch.
Christopher Barrett, 19, went fishing with his dad back in April when he caught a massive white perch. The fish ended up weighing two pounds and one ounce, breaking the previous record by five ounces. The fish also measured 14.125 inches long and had a girth of 12.25 inches. In a press release, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) officially commemorated the accomplishment.
"After navigating Darby Creek, the pair entered the Delaware River and began fishing just below the Commodore Barry Bridge, near Chester," the statement explained. "Christopher and his father were using heavy duty spinning rods fitted with fish finder rigs and circle hooks baited with bloodworms to target striped bass and catfish but were also catching white perch. At around 11 a.m., Barrett reeled in a particularly large perch that caught the attention of both anglers."
Barrett instantly realized how big the fish was.
Teen Reels Record-Breaking Fish
"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," the teen explained. "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."
However, officials found the fish to be slightly lighter than that. It still broke the record though. "It was a large fish to begin with and it was full of eggs, which made it even heavier," the teen explained. "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."
The teen plans to preserve the fish and "the memory of the catch" by sending it to a taxidermist. "I'm so grateful for this record, but even more excited that I got to share this experience with my dad," Barrett said. "We go fishing all the time together and it's our favorite thing in the world to do. We'll never forget this."
