I’d be the first to admit that when I go fishing, my intent is not to catch a record fish but rather to have fun doing something I really enjoy — fishing. That being said, it certainly is a nice surprise once in a while to catch a really nice fish, and the bigger ones, the better the day’s fishing. Like a lot of other fishermen, I have taken some nice-sized fish over the years, but I doubt any were real trophies. I was, however, going through some old fishing records of mine and was reminded of a real nice crappie that I caught at the PPL lake near Washingtonville back in 1999. The fish, by actual measurement, was 16 inches long and had a 14-inch girth. After measuring it, I returned the crappie back into the lake-I didn’t have the heart to keep it. Later that year, I found out that someone had taken a crappie from the same lake; although not a state record, it turned out to be the lake record. Obviously, there were a few good crappies to be had that year in that lake.

Finding that crappie catch in my old records piqued my interest, and I decided to check out Pennsylvania’s state record fish. Now just in case you hang into a record-sized fish, you may want to have some idea of what the rules are regarding how to register and report your catch.

First off, official state record fish are not measured by length but rather by weight. If you believe you may have a record fish and maybe even the next state record, have the fish weighed as soon as possible on a scale certified legal for trade. The longer you wait to weigh the fish, the more weight it will likely lose. The scale must display a valid seal with an identification. You should also obtain a receipt of the weight along with the signature of the person weighing the fish, and it must be someone other than the angler who caught it. I suspect heading to the nearest meat processor or grocery store would be a good place to meet the mentioned criteria. To be considered a new record, the weight must exceed the current state record by two ounces or more.

You should also know that the fish must be caught in Pennsylvania water that is open to the public without any charges, special permission, or membership. In addition, the fish must be caught following all legal regulations and by using legal methods. The fish must be hooked, caught, and played by the angler seeking the record; however, assistance is permissible when landing or boating the fish.

When I read through the listing of state record holders, I was a bit surprised, by the way, to find that there were a couple of fairly local people and locations listed. The state record sauger weighed four pounds and was taken from the Susquehanna River in Lycoming County by Tim Waltz in 2001. Vonda Ranck of Watsontown took the state record brook trout in 1996 from Fishing Creek in Clinton County. The state record crappie actually comes from Hammond Lake just north of here in Tioga County, and it weighed four pounds three ounces.

If you want to see more listings and more information regarding record fish in Pennsylvania, go to the commission website at fishandboat.com. In the meantime, I’m just going to have fun catching fish and, who knows, maybe even a few big ones.