What is the record white perch in Pennsylvania?

A Berks County angler has broken the Pennsylvania white perch record.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced the new state record caught by Christopher Barrett, 19, of Mohnton on Friday.

The agency reports that Barrett was fishing April 14 with his father Craig near the Commodore Barry Bridge on the Delaware River in Chester County.

They used sturdy casting rods rigged with fish-finding rigs and circle hooks baited with bloodworms to target striped bass and catfish, but also caught white perch.

Around 11 a.m., Barrett brought in a particularly large perch that caught the attention of both fishermen.

“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. “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 this point.

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Waterways Conservation Officer Derek Norman met the fisherman at the Bowmansville post office, where a certified scale was located. With OMD’s presence, white perch officially tipped the scales at 2 pounds, 1 ounce, surpassing the previous state record, also caught in the Delaware River in 2008, by five ounces.

Although 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 carried out, including an examination of its stomach contents, which appeared normal for a large female.

“It started out as a big fish and it was full of eggs, which made it even heavier,” Barrett told PFBC. “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.”

In addition to recording the certified weight and in-person inspection by Norman, Barrett completed a State Fish Registration Application that included color photographs and detailed catch information, which were reviewed by the Division of fisheries management of the CBFP and confirmed.

Barrett plans to give the fish to a taxidermist to preserve the memory of the capture.