A state-record catch of a muskie in West Virginia is proving that environmental efforts in the state are effective.
Chase Gibson, who was fishing at Burnsville Reservoir between Clarksville and Charleston, hooked a 54-inch muskellunge that weighed 39.6 pounds, besting the former state record by a half inch.
“I’m still in shock,” Gibson wrote on a Facebook post about the catch.
At the time of the catch, Gibson, who is a fishing guide, realized he might have a record catch, so he contacted the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to certify the catch while keeping the fish submerged in his large net alongside his boat.
Biologist Aaron Yeager, who helps manage the fisheries at Burnsville Reservoir, responded and certified the Muskie as a record for length, then tagged and released it.
“The record is a testament to the habitat work we’ve done for that reservoir,” Yeager told WFXR-TV. “Think how cool it would be if another angler hooks that fish in the fall and sets a new state record.”
Photo: For The Win