A state record for rainbow trout was established April 30 by Eric Files Sr. of Martinsburg, West Virginia, who pulled the 33.11-inch, 19.40-pound specimen from a private pond in Berkeley County.
The catch set a new West Virginia record for weight and length, according to a press release disseminated today by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources. Files caught the record rainbow using a nightcrawler while fishing for sunfish.
The previous weight record for rainbow trout was a 17.31-pound fish caught by Tony Corbin from the same pond in 2013. The previous length record length was a 31.7-inch rainbow caught by John P. Arnett in 1993 at Stonecoal Lake near Weston, West Virginia, in Lewis County.
Anglers who believe they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the 2014 Fishing Regulations brochure. The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting the catch. This information also is available online at www.wvdnr.gov.
This is the second record catch confirmed in 2014 in West Virginia, according to the division. On April 26, Austin Hoffman, of Milton, caught a record 47.75-inch, 52.95-pound blue catfish on the Ohio River near Apple Grove.
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