This fish might set multiple records.
An angler in West Virginia caught a record-breaking muskellunge fish last week. Since he decided to release the fish, however, it’s possible that the animal could continue to grow and another angler could break the record by catching the same fish.
Chase Gibson, a fishing guide in West Virginia, reeled in a musky that weighed 39.6 pounds and measured 54-inches-long, WFXR Fox reports. Gibson was reportedly fishing at Burnsville Lake near Clarksburg and Charleston at the time.
Gibson told the news outlet, "I was fishing a timbered cove with a lot of crappies suspended on the timber. I caught it on a Musky Innovations Dyin’ Dawg."
He continued, "She was barely hooked with one treble in the corner of her mouth."
Aaron Yeager, a biologist for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources responded to a call from Gibson to have the fish measured. In order to qualify for the record, the fish’s weight and measurements would have to be officially certified.
After confirming the animal’s stats, Yeager helped tag the fish and then re-released it into the water.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
"Think how cool it would be if another angler hooks that fish in the fall and sets a new state record," he said.
Yeager has reportedly worked the West Virginia DNR to develop fish habitats in the area where the record-breaking musky was caught.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The record is a testament to the habitat work we’ve done for that reservoir," he said, in regards to his efforts to expand the fish-holding areas in Burnsville.