SUMMERSVILLE, WV (WOWK) — A fish caught earlier this month beat Charles Cook’s long-standing record for the longest common carp caught in West Virginia.
According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Ayden Minick of Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania caught and released the record common carp on Saturday, May 7.
They say the fish was 41.2 inches long and weighed 45.2 pounds.
While Minick’s fish beat Charles Cook’s 1988 record by 0.2 inches, it did not beat the heaviest. WVDNR says that record is held by Gary Johnson. Johnson’s fish was caught in Preston County in 1998 and weighed 47 pounds.
Aaron Yeager, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, measured the fish.
Anyone who believes they may have caught a state record can find more information on the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources website.