ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. — A fisherman from Adrian is the happy owner of a new state record for white perch.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Scott Smith, 65, was on a trip with a friend fishing Lake St. Clair on Thursday, April 25 when he reeled in what he called a "monstrous" white perch.
Lake St. Clair is an expansive freshwater basin that connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and it's considered a world-class fishing destination.
It was the last catch of the day, and it ended up being a record-breaker, beating out the previous holder out of Muskegon County.
Cindy Cordo caught the previous white perch record at 2 pounds, 13.57 inches in 2015 in Bear Lake in Muskegon County.
Smith’s fish was verified by Cleyo Harris, a fisheries biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“I’ve been fishing in Michigan for close to 65 years,” Smith said. “I grew up fishing the Detroit River. We used to ride our bikes down there as kids, throw in a line with our bait and ‘ride’ the catch home.”
Smith is a dentist and a fly fishing guide, so he's no novice out in the water.
This isn't Smith's first record fish, either.
He caught a world-record rainbow trout in 1996, landing him in the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Smith now holds 53 world records, a mix of line class and all-tackle awards in fly fishing.
He enjoys taking part in fishing tournaments all over the world.
“Sometimes you’re in the right spot at the right time, and sometimes you just get lucky," Smith said.
Michigan's state record fish are recognized by weight only.
In order to qualify, the fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, and a DNR fisheries biologist verify the fish.
You can check out current record-holders here.
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