O'Brien Outdoors: State Records

Anglers that frequent large bodies of water understand the importance weather plays; not only on the fishing, but safety as well. They also recognize how quickly conditions can change. Change that often affects fishing; sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. This scenario played out on March 25 of this year when Jeff Matts of Erie landed a new Pennsylvania State Record yellow perch.

Matts and his best friend Rob Lieder launched a 14’ v-bottom boat in Presque Isle Bay near Parking Lot #2. The craft was far from the high-tech bass boats common on the water today. Man-powered with only oars, the two tried a few spots, but after several hours their luck had only produced a few fish. That luck was about to change.

The two anglers noticed a shift in the wind. A one-foot chop was soon racing across the Bay pushed by a strong wind that had changed and was now coming from the east, the worst wind for Presque Isle Bay. Or is it? They noticed something else. All the other boats but one had departed the scene. Within a half hour another change took place- the fish turned on. It was non-stop action. “We caught northern pike, crappie, and largemouth bass, along with perch. The fishing was fast and furious; we limited out on perch,” said Matts.

Shortly after setting anchor at a new location, Matts lowered a jig tipped with an emerald shiner, a local forage fish. But this wasn’t your run of the mill jig. It was a Gemini by JB Lures, a Minnesota based company. “The red glow-in-the dark jig made the difference,” Matts said. “These jigs have been producing for me for a couple of years and worked better than other jigs by a long shot this winter.”

Matts reeled in the record-setting perch, thought nothing of it, and placed in a cooler filled with water, sort of a make-shift livewell. “We do that to keep the fish fresh,” Matts said. After arriving home the fish-cleaning process began. It was then he noticed the size of the one perch. It measured 15-3/8” in length. Curious as to its weight, Matts took it to a local tackle shop. The fat fish tipped the scales at a little more than the then state record, a perch caught in 2001from Beltzville Lake in Carbon County. He was informed that the fish had to be weighed on certified scales, and be examined and verified by Pennsylvania Fish&Boat Commission (PFBC) personnel. The fish would have to exceed the current record by 2 ounces to qualify as the new state record. PFBC certifies state records based on total body weight of fish.

The following day, thanks to Matts’ uncle, the mission was accomplished- the yellow perch officially weighed 2-lb. 11-ounce, the new state record.

Matts has received his certificate from the PFBC. When asked, “Did you eat it or mount it?” He was quick to reply, “I had it mounted.” Matts was to pick up the trophy mount in mid June.

Congratulations to Jeff Matts of Erie for setting the new Pennsylvania State Record for yellow perch. It was only a few hours of fishing, but the memory will last a lifetime.