Pennsylvania Teenager Breaks State Record with Massive White Perch Catch
A Pennsylvania teenager has made headlines after reeling in a fish that shattered his state’s record for white perch. Christopher Barrett, a 19-year-old from Mohnton, caught a two-pound, one-ounce white perch while fishing with his father back in April.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced the impressive catch in a press release on June 7, revealing that Barrett’s catch surpassed the previous state record by five ounces. The father and son were on a fishing boat on the Delaware River near Chester when the record-breaking catch was made.
Barrett and his father were using heavy-duty spinning rods with fish finder rigs and circle hooks baited with bloodworms to target striped bass and catfish, but they ended up catching the massive white perch instead. The fish measured 14.125 inches long with a girth of 12.25 inches, making it a truly impressive catch.
“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,” Barrett shared. “When we got back to the dock, my dad looked up the state record for Pennsylvania, which was under two pounds.”
Despite the fish being two ounces lighter than initially thought, it still broke the 2008 white perch record. Barrett and his father are experienced anglers, but the teenager admitted that a bit of skill, luck, and good timing all played a role in the record-breaking catch.
Barrett plans to send the perch to a taxidermist to preserve the memory of the catch, but he emphasized that the best part of the experience was sharing it with his dad. “We go fishing all the time together, and it’s our favorite thing in the world to do,” he said. “We’ll never forget this.”
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission verified the state record, solidifying Barrett’s achievement as a lifetime milestone. For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
