CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — A 62-year-old Fayette County man has a fish story to beat all others, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).
Richard Nicholson, of Connellsville, hauled in a record-setting Walleye on the evening of October 28, the PFBC said on its website.
Tipping the scales at 18 pounds, one ounce, the giant fish caught pulled out of the Youghiogheny River by Nicholson measures 34 inches long, with a 21.5-inch girth.
It broke the 41-year-old state record set by angler Mike Holly of Bradford, Warren County, who hauled in a 17-pound, nine-ounce Walleye from the Allegheny Reservoir in 1980.
In accordance with PFBC State Record Fish Application Rules, state record fish are recognized only by weight, and must exceed the previous record by at least two ounces., the PFBC said.
Nicholson caught the fish while angling with his son, Richard Nicholson Jr. The Nicholsons live near and frequently fish from a section of the Youghiogheny near the Crawford Street Bridge in Connellsville.
The elder Nicholson was targeting Walleyes using a spinning reel equipped with 6-pound test and a live creek chub attached to a number two hook, weighted down with bb-size split shot and a slip sinker.
"We were fishing the bottom along the edge of a sandbar, just having a nice time being on the river," Nicholson told the PFBC. "Conditions were good, and we were catching fish right away. Before we knew it, we landed a big Sauger and then a 27-inch Walleye that weighed about nine pounds. It turned out it was only the start of the best day ever."
Nicholson said he continued to fish the same hole, when at around 6:45 p.m., his son yelled to alert him that something was tugging hard on his fishing line.
"I looked over and the rod had really taken a bend, so I grabbed it and just started reeling," Nicholson said. "I knew right away it was something big, and I thought maybe it was a musky. It fought me for about 25 minutes before I got it up on the bank and my son got it in the net, and we could see it was a Walleye. It was so big that it actually broke the net."
Nicholson said he was thinking more about fish filets than the record books when he put the large Walleye into a five-gallon bucket with some water in an attempt to keep it alive until he could get it home.
The fish survived a short drive to his residence, where Nicholson placed the Walleye into his spring fed live well normally used to keep minnows, or to hold fish overnight after a late night of fishing, before cleaning them the next morning.
"We had the fish home when my son looked up the state record, and said, Dad, we better get this thing weighed," Nicholson said.
By the next morning, the Walleye had expired, and Nicholson took the fish to a nearby grocery store where he had it weighed on a certified scale.
He then contacted Waterways Conservation Officer Scott Opfer, who met Nicholson at his home to conduct a visual inspection of the fish to verify the species, weight, and measurements.
Nicholson completed an official Pennsylvania State Record Fish Application and submitted it to the PFBC for review, and the record was verified.
"It's really unbelievable that with so much big water all across this state, including the big rivers and Lake Erie, that this fish was right here in the Yough," Nicholson said. "There's a lot of pride in that, and I'd bet there are a lot more records in that river if people would fish it harder.
"I like to eat fish, so I wasn't after the record, but if this inspires somebody else to get out there and fish, then it's all worth it to me," he continued. "We need more people out there fishing. That's what it's all about."
Nicholson said he will keep the fish frozen until a taxidermist can produce a molded replica of his record catch, and that he intends to share the meat with friends and family.
