Brian Dvorak caught this 9.61-pound white catfish in Maryland. (Photo courtesy of Maryland DNR)
June 13, 2018
By Game & Fish Online Staff
Maryland has two new state records for fishing with the reports of record white catfish and warmouth being caught this month.
In the early hours of June 3, Brian Dvorak caught a 9.61-pound white catfish while night fishing near the mouth of the Elk River, according to one Maryland Department of Natural Resources press release.
The catch broke the previous Chesapeake Division state record (8.27 pounds) set last year. It was weighed on a certified scale and confirmed by a state fisheries biologist.
Maryland angler Brian Dvorak with his state-record 9.61-pound white catfish. (Photo courtesy of Maryland DNR)
Advertisement
"I can check this off my bucket list," Dvorak, an avid night angler, told the DNR in the news release .
The white catfish is one of two native catfish species that are found in Maryland's brackish tidal and fresh waters. >>Must Read: Biggest Catfish Records All-Time
Advertisement
Last year, Jacob Vosburgh of Lexington Park caught a 8.27-pounder on June 1 in the southern Potomac River to set the first recognized state record for the species.
On June 11, Dezi Collins of Mechanicsville, Md., broke the state record with a 10.72-ounce warmouth caught at Gilbert Run Lake, according to a second news release.
Dezi Collins reeled in his record 10.72-ounce warmouth June 11 at Gilbert Run Lake. (Photo courtesy Maryland DNR)
The record fish bit a Senko-style plastic worm while Collins and friends were bass fishing. It broke the previous record of 9.76 ounces set in 2009.
DNR confirmed the catch, which was weighed on a certified scale at Thompson's Seafood.
The warmouth, or lepomis gulosus, looks similar to a rock bass and is a member of the sunfish family. Collins kept the fish alive and planned to release it.
Maryland tracks state records for sport fish in four divisions — Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal and Invasive. Fish caught from privately owned, fee-fishing waters are ineligible.
If you think you've caught a Maryland record, fill out a state record application and call 443-569-1381 or 410-260-8325.
More State Record Stories
