Northern Michigan fly fisherman breaks state record with 'monster' white perch
April 25 started out as just another day of fishing for Adrian-based angler Scott Smith, but his day’s haul included a new state record.
A “monstrous” white perch weighing 2 pounds, 5.92 ounces and measuring 16.25 inches found its way to Smith’s line while he still-fished with a friend in St. Clair County recently. It was their final catch that afternoon on Lake St. Clair, the expansive freshwater basin that connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie.
Cleyo Harris, a fisheries biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, verified Smith’s catch, which bested Cindy Cordo’s 2015 find in Muskegon County’s Bear Lake. That one was 2 pounds and 13.57 inches.
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It’s not Smith’s first record—the experienced outdoorsman holds a whopping 53 world records in fly fishing—a mix of line-class and all-tackle—and has participated in fishing tournaments around the globe. His first world record came in 1996, landing in the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame for landing a rainbow trout.
“Sometimes you’re in the right spot at the right time, and sometimes you just get lucky,” Smith said.
“I’ve been fishing in Michigan for close to 65 years. I grew up fishing the Detroit River. We used to ride our bikes down there as kids, throw in a line with our bate and ‘ride’ the catch home.”
A dentist and fly-fishing guide, Smith has also been a fly-fishing instructor in northern Michigan for 35 years.
Amazingly enough, this is his first state-record fish.
Michigan's state-record fish are recognized by weight only. To qualify, fish must exceed the current listed state-record weight, and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist. View the current list of record-holders by species at Michigan.gov/StateRecordFish.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Monster' white perch lands Northern Michigan fisherman state record
