Tyler Halley, of Maryville, Missouri, is the proud holder of the new state record for yellow perch after he caught this 1-pound, 14-ounce fish from a private pond in Nodaway County on Jan. 24.
The previous Missouri state record for yellow perch has stood since 2009. It weighed 1 pound, 11 ounces.
Halley was fishing with his uncle and family friends when he felt something give his line a good tug.
“I literally dove into the water and gave the fish a bear hug so it wouldn’t get away,” recalled Halley. “It was freezing! I had to go sit in the truck to warm up after that.”
Halley said the plunge into the water was worth it to hold a state record. MDC staff verified the fish’s weight using a certified scale.
“It feels pretty nice to have a state record,” said Halley. “I’m going to get a replica made of it. We kept the fish alive in an aerated cooler because we wanted to get it certified. We ended up releasing it back into another pond.”
“Missouri is on the very southern range for the yellow perch,” said MDC Fisheries Programs Specialist Andrew Branson. “So, new records for this species are not very common.”
The IGFA all-tackle world record for yellow perch may be one of the longest standing records ever. It weighed 4 pounds, 3 ounces and was caught in New Jersey in 1865.