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The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said Christopher Barrett's catch topped the previous state record for white perch, set in 2008.
Barrett and his dad Craig, both of Mohnton, set out in a 20-foot center console fishing boat from the Ridley Township Municipal Marina on April 14 and headed up the river, officials said in a release.
They ended up just below the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester County and were using heavy-duty spinning rods fitted with fish finder rigs and circle hooks baited with bloodworms, angling for striped bass, catfish, and white perch.
Barrett made the historic catch around 11 a.m., he told the Commission.
"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 said.
"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 day, the pair called the PFBC's Southeast Region Office and met a representative at the Bowmansville Post Office. There, on a certified scale, Barrett's perch officially weighed in at 2 pounds, 1 ounce.
It was 14.125 inches long with a girth of 12.25 inches, officials noted.
"It was a large fish to begin with and it was full of eggs, which made it even heavier," the 19-year-old said.
"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."
Barrett also submitted a state record fish application including color photos and details about the catch, which were verified and confirmed by the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management.
He told officials he plans to have the catch taxidermied.
"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."
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