Indiana Angler Reels in Record-Breaking 'Jumbo' Yellow Perch
An Indiana state record that stood for 43 years was surpassed last month when angler Blas Lara reeled in a colossal yellow perch weighing 3 pounds and 2 ounces during the Mayor's Fishing Derby on Lake Michigan in Hammond on April 21, as announced by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) earlier this week.
The previous state record for the species, caught by Roy W. Burkel Jr. in 1981 from a gravel pit in Vigo County, weighed 2 pounds and 8 ounces.
According to DNR Lake Michigan fisheries research biologist Ben Dickinson, despite a decline in the yellow perch population from its peak decades ago, there remains a robust fishery for large perch, with many anglers catching jumbo perch in the 14- to 17-inch size class over the past two years.
Dickinson further noted that perch growth rates have increased over the past few years, with many reaching substantial trophy sizes at younger ages than in the past.
Yellow perch, native to Lake Michigan, are favored among anglers due to the relative ease of catching them, as stated by DNR.
Lara's record-breaking catch is the second long-standing fishing record to fall in Indiana this year, following Rex Remington's catch of the state's largest smallmouth bass on March 3, which broke a 32-year-old record.
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