The flathead catfish weighing 56 pounds 3 ounces and measuring 50 inches long that Jonathan Pierce pulled from the Schuylkill River on May 24 has been certified as the largest flathead catfish ever caught in the state by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
It’s also the largest of any fish species on record for the state.
Pierce, 34, of Philadelphia, was fishing from the bank of the Schuylkill River at East Falls on May 24, using a brown trout head as bait on an 8/0 circle hook and casting a heavy duty, 10-foot 6-inch surf rod lined with 50-pound braided fishing line and 20-foot, 60-pound test monofilament leader into approximately 12 feet of water.
"The best way to describe it is like a torpedo," said Pierce, who was accompanied by his girlfriend, Angelina Wilson, who witnessed the catch. "In all the years I've been fishing for flatheads, the fish did something I had never seen. It surfaced, and then ran away from me into a pile of rocks and just stuck there. It was panic mode."
After roughly three minutes of being unable to move the fish from the rockpile, Pierce eased tension on his rod and released several feet of slack from his line, hoping the fish would believe it had been freed.
"It worked and the catfish started swimming again," recalled Pierce.
After a five-minute fight, Pierce landed the catfish with Wilson helping to net the fish and lift it onto the river wall.
On May 25, Pierce took the fish to Blue Marsh Outdoors in Berks County where it was officially recorded as weighing 56 pounds, 3 ounces. While the fish measured 50 inches long with a girth of 28.875 inches, Pennsylvania state record fish are judged only by weight, and must exceed the previous record by at least two ounces.
As is required for state record consideration, Pierce contacted commission law enforcement officials and arranged for an in-person identification and examination of the fish. Waterways Conservation Officer Troy Merrell and WCO Cadet Aaron Steager conducted the inspection and verified the weight.
A completed state record fish application including color photographs was reviewed by commission officials and confirmed.
After completing the process, Pierce returned the fish alive to the Schuylkill River.
"I consider it the catch of a lifetime," said Pierce. "I do think the record will be broken again soon, probably from the Susquehanna River. The one piece of advice I would give to others going after the record is to have a plan once you catch the fish. It takes a lot of work and it's stressful, but it was worth it."
The commission advises anglers pursuing a state record or thinking they have caught a state record fish to follow these guidelines:
- Obtain a copy of the Pennsylvania State Record Fish Application, which is available online.
- Comply with all rules, including having the fish weighed on a scale that is certified by the state or county. Stores that sell products by weight are required to have a certified scale. Locations such as feed mills or agriculture stores often have scales capable of weighing large fish.
- Fish may only be released after commission staff have examined the fish and approved the application.
- The completed form, including color photographs, must be notarized and sent to the commission.
The commission will review the application upon receipt. Anglers can expect to be notified a few days after the agency has reviewed the application.
The commission noted that it reserves the right to further investigate the methods used in catching a fish and the accuracy of weight and measurements, as well as the right to reject any application.
Anglers catching a new state record fish will receive a certificate from the commission and be listed on the commission website.
A list of current Pennsylvania state record fish, official rules and application can be found at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website.
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