A Georgia angler got confused hooking a fish, thinking it wasn’t a bass because it was fighting funny.
But when Emerson Mulhall saw its color, the species at the end of his line became clear. It was a yellow perch, and a big one at that.
“I was confused when I hooked the fish because it didn’t fight like a bass, which I usually go after, and then [I was] I was surprised when I saw the yellow color,” said Mulhall of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. “But [I] We were really excited when we realized it was a big perch.”
Mulhall was fishing on Lake Burton on Sunday when he made the colorful catch.
“I called my dad, who taught me to fish, and he got me to go down to the lake and get weighed on a certified scale.”
So that’s what he did.
The 16-inch yellow perch weighed 2 pounds, 9 ounces, and tied the state record for the species. A typical yellow perch weighs about 1 pound.
“I bet having a state-record tie is a great motivator for Emerson, and all anglers, to take advantage of the amazing angling opportunities across the state and try to get that next record,” said by Scott Robinson, Chief of Fisheries for the Wildlife Resources Division.
Mulhall added, “I like to say there is no ‘bad’ day on the lake, but some days are better than others. This was definitely one of those days.”
Photos courtesy of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Emerson Mulhall.
The story originally appeared on For The Win
