River monster is the new largest fish on record in Pennsylvania

A likely new Pennsylvania record for flathead catfish – a monster weighing 56.3 pounds – was pulled from the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia area on Sunday night.

Jonathan Pierce, a 34-year-old father of four from Roxborough, connected with the fish while casting trout heads as bait. He regularly uses parts of trout he has caught as bait for flatheads.

When certified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pierce’s flathead will top the existing record by almost 6 pounds. That 50-pound 7-ounce fish was caught in the Susquehanna River, near the Muddy Creek public access in York County, on April 6, 2019, by Jeff Bonawitz, of East Lampeter Township.


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Pierce intended to release the monster back into the river from the moment he set the hook, as he does with all his flatheads, including more than 10 this years, several weighing more than 20 pounds.

“I wanted to release this fish alive in the worst way,” he explained, noting that he and Wilson hauled three 45-gallon totes of water along with the fish as they left the river.

That extra water came in handy as they first transferred the fish from their vehicle to the backyard and then back into the vehicle for transport to Blue Marsh Outdoors in Berks County, where it was officially weighed at 56.3 pounds on Monday afternoon. While making the various tranfers, even a kiddie wading pool was called into service.

After the official weigh-in, Pierce returned the new state record to an undisclosed location in the Schuylkill River.

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/05/river-monster-is-the-new-largest-fish-on-record-in-pennsylvania.html


Great Pictures at Link




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The Schuykill River was a DEAD river in the 1950s until it was completely dredged. The river has slowly recovered and was one of the inspirations for the Clean Water Act. This is a story of nature's ability to regenerate, when humans care enough to help.