Angler reels in huge whitefish weighing more than 9 pounds and shatters Indiana record
A lucky angler in Indiana managed to set a new state record after reeling in a massive whitefish, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports.
Fisherman Phil Duracz hit the jackpot when he hauled in a 9.34-pound whitefish earlier in March, beating the previous record set in 2019 by 1.65-pounds.
“Whitefish are usually caught by pier anglers using simple techniques, such as bottom fishing with a slip sinker rig with a short leader, small hook, and single salmon egg or piece of nightcrawler,” Lake Michigan biologist with the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife Ben Dickinson said in the news release. “As the ecosystem changes due to invasive species, whitefish are switching from eating mostly invertebrates to incorporate more small baitfish such as invasive round gobies. We’re also seeing more boat anglers targeting them successfully using jigging spoons or small swimbaits worked slowly on the bottom.”
Indiana state records for lake whitefish are “the most frequently broken” over the past decade, according to Indiana DNR. This marks the eighth time the record was broken since 2012.
The average commercial weight for a lake whitefish is two pounds with an average length of 15 inches, according to Fishing Info. A whitefish cracking more than 15 pounds is a rare occurrence. The world record is 14 pounds, Fishing Info said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Angler reels in huge whitefish weighing more than 9 pounds and shatters Indiana record."