WEST OCEAN CITY- Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials last week confirmed a 1.2-pound, 13-inch white perch caught by a Berlin man last month is a new state record for the species.
On November 17, Berlin’s Finn McCabe was fishing in Ayers Creek just around sunset near the Assateague Rd. bridge when he landed the 1.2-pound, 13-inch white perch. McCabe said he was hoping to catch a striped bass or speckled trout when he caught the perch on a green twister lure and a quarter-ounce jig head.
McCabe put the perch on ice and took it the following day to Sunset Marina in West Ocean City for an official weigh-in. From there, McCabe took the perch to the DNR field office in West Ocean City where fisheries biologist Steve Doctor certified the species. However, it wasn’t until last week, following an extensive formal application and certification process, that the DNR was able to announce the catch as a new state record in the Maryland Atlantic Division.
When asked what he intended to do with the fish, McCabe told DNR officials “I’m thinking some butter and grilling it on the George Foreman.”