A Pennsylvania teenager recently achieved the feat of a lifetime when he caught a fish that broke the state record, authorities said.
Christopher Barrett, 19, of Monton, was fishing with his father in April when he caught an unusually large white perch, a fish that weighed 2 pounds, 1 ounce, beating the previous Keystone State white perch record by 5 ounces.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced the catch in a press release on June 7. Officials explained that the father and son were on board a fishing boat when the record-breaking catch was made.
“After passing through Darby Creek, the pair entered the Delaware River and began fishing just below the Commodore Barry Bridge near Chester,” the statement explained. “Using heavy-duty spinning rods fitted with fish finders and circle hooks baited with worms, Christopher and his father were targeting striped bass and catfish, but they were also catching some white perch.”
Rare fish rarely seen by humans washes up on Oregon beach for the first time
Christopher Barrett, 19, of Pennsylvania, caught the record-breaking white perch in April. (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission)
“Around 11am, Barrett caught a particularly large perch that caught the attention of both anglers.”
According to officials, the perch was 14.125 inches long and had a girth of 12.25 inches. Father and son immediately noticed the size of the fish.
“We always keep a few perch to eat, and when we were putting one in the cooler, we both said that was the biggest white perch we’d ever seen,” the teen explained. “When we got back to the pier, my dad looked up the Pennsylvania state record for us, and it was just under two pounds.”
‘Very rare’: Colorado anglers help authorities crack down on giant invasive fish
“We weighed the fish on our scales and it was 2 pounds, 3 ounces, so at that point we started to get really excited.”
The white perch were loaded with eggs, making them even heavier. (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission)
Officials discovered that the fish was actually 2 ounces lighter but still broke the white perch record set in 2008. The boy told state officials that he and his father were “pretty good” at fishing.
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
“It was a big fish to begin with and it was full of eggs so it was even heavier,” Barrett explained. “We’re good at catching perch so I think it just took a bit of skill, luck and good timing to catch that fish at the right time.”
When authorities asked the boy what he planned to do with the fish, Barrett replied that he was going to send it to a taxidermist “to have a memento of the catch.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission verified state records. (Google Maps)
“I’m so grateful for this record, but even more excited to have my dad with me to share this experience,” Barrett said. “We go fishing together all the time. Fishing is our favorite thing in the world. I’ll never forget this.”
For more lifestyle stories, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
