Teen Lands Iowa Record Yellow Perch

An Iowa teenager landed a state record yellow perch while fishing near the Mississippi River last week.

Travis Peterson, 18, of Dubuque, Iowa, was fishing March 13 at Mississippi River Pool 12 in Dubuque when he landed a 2-pound, 7-ounce yellow perch measuring 16 inches long, according to the (Dubuque) Telegraph Herald, beating the previous record by one ounce and one inch.

Peterson said he had been catching sauger, walleyes and northern pikes all day before the record perch hit his 1/8-ounce jig and twister.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor Mike Steuck, who verified the catch, said Peterson picked an excellent time to hit the Mighty Miss.

"This is an excellent time of year to fish below any of the Mississippi River dams," Steuck told the Telegraph Herald. "Many fish species are moving to or from their spawning areas and are concentrated below the dams."

According to the International Game Fish Association, the world record yellow perch was a 4-pound, 3-ouncer caught by Dr. C. Abbott on May 1, 1865, in Bordentown, N.J.