Indiana angler Blas Lara has a whopper of a tale to tell after reeling in a new state record yellow perch! The monster fish, weighing in at a whopping 3 pounds, 2 ounces, shattered the previous record that stood for over four decades.
Lara snagged this trophy perch during the Mayor’s Fishing Derby in Hammond, Indiana, casting his line on the shores of Lake Michigan. The giant perch nearly doubled the weight of the previous record holder, a 2-pound, 8-ounce fish caught in 1981 from a Vigo County gravel pit.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), while yellow perch populations in the lake have declined somewhat in recent years, there’s been a surprising upside: an increase in trophy-sized fish.
“We’ve seen perch growth rates accelerate in recent years,” said IDNR Lake Michigan fisheries research biologist Ben Dickinson. “This means more perch are reaching impressive sizes at a younger age. In fact, anglers have been reporting a rise in ‘jumbo’ perch, typically measuring 14 to 17 inches, over the past two years.”
Lara’s record catch isn’t the only one to make a splash in Indiana this year. Back in March, angler Rex Remington shattered the state record for smallmouth bass while fishing Monroe Lake near Bloomington.
Congratulations to both Lara and Remington for their record-breaking catches! These whoppers are a testament to the healthy fishery resources Indiana has to offer.
Image/Source: Field&Stream
