State Record Catches Reported in Maryland, N.D.

Maryland and North Dakota reported new state record catches this month.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources confirmed a new white perch nontidal state fishing record was set April 7 by George Venker of Baltimore, a retired Bethlehem Steel worker.

Venker caught a white perch weighing 1.9 pounds at Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County. He said fishes at the reservoir regularly and used a bottom rig and a nightcrawler to bring in his record catch, which measured 14.75 inches in length.

"At first I thought it was a catfish," Venker said. "I'm really proud. I'm going back to see if I can an even bigger one."

The catch broke the previous record of 1.6 pounds held by James Stiars of Bel Air (August 2016).

Venker's record perch was weighed on a certified scale at seafood wholesaler Mr. Fish Inc. in Baltimore. Natural Resources biologist Erik Zlokovitz officially confirmed the species.

The department maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions — Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal and Invasive — and awards plaques to anglers who achieve record catches. Fish caught from privately-owned, fee-fishing waters are not eligible for record consideration.

New State Record Carp

North Dakota Game & Fish said in a news release that Derek Barnick set a state record with his 31-pound, 9-ounce common carp taken from Lake Etta-Alkaline with a bow and arrow.

It's the first state record broken so far on 2017, according to the news release.

The 36-inch fish broke the old record of 31 pounds taken by Austin Loberg of Thompson from the Sheyenne River in 2003.

---