27.95-inch, 5.65-pound fish caught at private Preston County pond in April
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) today announced that Matt Born of Reedsville, West Virginia, has caught a new state record chain pickerel.
Born landed the 27.95-inch, 5.65-pound fish on April 21 using a homemade spinner on a 4-pound test line while fishing at a private pond in Preston County. Born broke his own length record from 2019, when he caught a 27.87-inch chain pickerel from Upper Deckers Lake in Preston County. Steven Demma still holds the weight record with a 6.19-pound chain pickerel caught in 2001 at Tuckahoe Lake. The new state record was confirmed by WVDNR District 1 fisheries biologists Dustin Smith and E.M. Dean.
To learn more about state record fish categories, visit wvdnr.gov/fishing/state-records or consult page 24 of the West Virginia Fishing Regulations Summary.
Anglers 15 and older must have a West Virginia fishing license, which can be purchased at WVfish.com. Anglers are reminded that a trout stamp is required when fishing for trout.