Chuck Main of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania caught the state record yellow perch weighing a whopping 3.02 pounds.
This fish was caught on Lake Erie and appears to be the largest ever caught in the state of Pennsylvania. Chuck Main landed this fish off Presque Isle on a jig fitted with a Strike King skirt. The fish was weighed on a certified scale at Reddi Bait in Bridgewater, Beaver County.
While this yellow perch is technically the biggest ever caught in the state of Pennsylvania, it will likely be considered a tie.
On April 9, 2021, a yellow perch was caught around Sunoco Cribs on Lake Erie by Kirk Rudzinski . Kirk caught this record setting fish on an emerald shiner and had an official weight of 2.98 pounds. According to the Pennsylvania’s Record Fish Application Rules, a fish’s weight is rounded up to the nearest ounce. The rules also state that in order to beat the previous record it must exceed it by at least 2 ounces.
Rudzinski’s 2.98-pound catch was rounded up to 3.0 pounds, exceeding the previous record by 2 ounces. Although Chuck Main’s Perch is technically bigger than Rudzinski’s, it doesn’t surpass the previous record by 2 ounces, ultimately resulting in a tie.
