Erie bait shop owner reels in record-breaking yellow perch

An Erie angler caught the heaviest yellow perch on record in the state, according to an announcement Friday by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Kirk Rudzinski, 63, of Erie, landed the record-breaking perch on April 9 in Lake Erie, Harborcreek Township, Erie County, near the Brevillier Village high-rise.

The yellow perch weighed in at 2.98 pounds, exceeding the current state record by two ounces, according to the commission. The previous state record yellow perch was caught in Presque Isle Bay in 2016.

The length of the fish was 16 7/8 inches, with a girth of 14 inches, the commission said. State record fish are judged only by weight and must exceed the previous state record by at least two ounces.

To verify a state record, anglers have to go through a strict process, said Mitch Parker, commission spokesman.

“We often hear from anglers who claim to have caught a fish equal to or larger than a current state record,” Parker said, “but they do not go through the verification process.”

The verification process checks that the fish was caught legally and ethically, Parker said.

Rudzinski kept the fish on ice until the day after his catch for commission Waterways Conservation Officer Matthew Visosky to verify the fish species, weight, and to reviewphotos taken throughout the initial weigh-in.

Rudzinski submitted an official state record fish application, which was reviewed and confirmed by the commission’s fisheries and law enforcement officials.

Rudzinski has been fishing in Lake Erie for 45 years and is the owner of East End Angler, a bait and tackle shop in Northwest Harborcreek, Erie.

Rudzinski was targeting yellow perch when he and a friend took a boat out on Lake Erie last month and anchored within sight of the high-rise, according to the commission.

There was a really strong current on the bottom of the lake that day. The anglers cast into the current, a technique that Rudzinski said was effective.

Rudzinski used live emerald shiners as bait on a casting rod with a 10-pound-test-braided line with an 8-pound monofilament leader and a pair of size 4 hooks, according to the commission.

When Rudzinski hooked the perch, he thought he had two fish on the line.

Rudzinski hooked the fish in the upper lip and reeled it in after a two-minute fight, according to the commission.

Rudzinski said he knew right away the fish was the largest he had ever caught.

“Oh, my gosh! This has to be a state record,” Rudzinski said at the time of his catch.

“It’s a thrill to know that there are big fish like this out there,” said Rudzinski. “Walleye fishing has been world-class on Lake Erie for several years now,” he said, “but the yellow perch fishing has been a challenge.

“It’s not only a thrill to have this record,” Rudzinski said, “but this big fish is a really positive sign of good things to come.”

Rudzinski plans to display his record-breaking perch at his bait shop.