HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania teenager set a new state record when he caught a large white perch on a fishing trip with his father.
On the morning of Sunday, April 14, angler Christopher Barrett, 19, and his father, Craig, both of Berks County, left Ridley Township Municipal Marina in Delaware County on a 20-foot center console fishing boat.
The pair entered the Delaware River and began fishing just below the Commodore Barry Bridge near Chester, Delaware County.
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.
Around 11 a.m. Barrett reeled in a particularly large perch that caught the attention of both anglers.
"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," said Barrett. "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, Barrett contacted the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Southeast Region Office and Waterways Conservation Officer Derek Norman arranged to meet the angler where a certified scale was located.
With the WCO present, the White Perch officially tipped the scales at 2 pounds, 1 ounce, beating the previous state record, also caught in the Delaware River in 2008, by five ounces. While only weight is considered for state record certification in Pennsylvania, the fish measured 14.125 inches long with a girth of 12.25 inches. An inspection of the fish was also conducted, including an examination of the contents of its stomach, which appeared normal for a large female white perch.
“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.”
"I’m so grateful for this record, but even more excited that I got to share this experience with my dad," said Barrett. "We go fishing all the time together and it’s our favorite thing in the world to do. We’ll never forget this."
He said that following the certification of the new state record white perch, he planned to give the fish to a taxidermist to preserve the memory of the catch.
Anglers who are pursuing a state record, or think they have caught a state-record fish, should follow these guidelines:
- Obtain a copy of the Pennsylvania State Record Fish Application, which is available online.
- Comply with all rules, including having the fish weighed on a scale that is certified by the state or county. Stores that sell products by weight are required to have a certified scale. Locations such as feed mills or agriculture stores often have scales capable of weighing large fish.
- Fish may only be released after PFBC staff have examined the fish and approved the application.
- The completed form, including color photographs, must be notarized and sent to the PFBC.
- The PFBC will review the application upon receipt.
- The PFBC reserves the right to further investigate the methods used in catching a fish and the accuracy of weight and measurements.
- The PFBC reserves the right to reject any application.
- Anglers catching a new state record fish will receive a certificate from the PFBC and be listed on the PFBC website.
- A list of current Pennsylvania State Record Fish, official rules and application can be found at Fishandboat.com.
