An Adrian man has officially landed a "monstrous" state-record fish in Michigan's Lake St. Clair. Scott Smith, who according to the WWJ Newsradio, tipped the scales with a white perch weighing 2 pounds, 5.92 ounces and measuring 16.25 inches. His catch, hooked on April 25, was enough to snatch the title from Cindy Cordo’s 2015 record white perch, which was a lighter but longer 2 pounds, 13.57 inches caught in Muskegon County's Bear Lake.
Smith, an angler with a hook for setting records, is no fledgling to the fishing scene. As per a statement obtained by Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the fisherman now holds an impressive 53 world records.
The record-breaking catch was verified by Cleyo Harris, a Michigan DNR fisheries biologist. Michigan acknowledges state-record catches by weight alone and requires official verification, which Smith’s fish duly received. Smith, a dentist by trade and a seasoned fly-fishing guide and instructor for over three decades, described his lifelong relationship with the rod and reel, dating back to idyllic childhood days fishing the Detroit River.
Smith’s first world record was an 18.5-pound rainbow trout seized in 1996, a catch that set off a ripple effect in his career.“I’ve been fishing in Michigan for close to 65 years,” Smith told Michigan’s DNR. Anglers can view the current list of Michigan’s state-record fish by species at the DNR’s official website.
