In May 2022, West Virginia impoundments produced two state record catches for dedicated anglers.
On Saturday, May 7, Ayden Minick of Mt. Pleasant, PA, caught and released a new state record common carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in Nicholas County.
Minick’s record fish was 41.2 inches long and weighed 45.2 pounds. The trophy carp surpassed the previous West Virginia length record of 41.0 inches caught in 1988 by Charles Cook at Stonecoal Lake.
However, Minick’s fish did not beat the current weight record of 47.0 pounds caught in a Preston County farm pond by Gary Johnson in 1998.
The catch was measured by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, Aaron Yeager.
Summersville Lake is the largest lake in West Virginia, with 2,700 acres of water and over 60 miles of shoreline.
West Virginia waters also continue to yield a number of trophy blue catfish, including one angler who caught the new state record for the species.
On May 25, Steve Price of Lancaster, OH, caught and released an impressive blue catfish that broke the state record for both weight and length. Price’s record fish was 50.7 inches long and weighed a whopping 67.22 pounds.
Price was fishing from a boat on the lower section (R.C. Byrd Pool) of the Kanawha River between Buffalo and Point Pleasant. Price caught the massive blue catish using cut shad for bait.
The trophy catfish eclipsed the weight record of 61.28 pounds held by Cody Carver for only seven weeks and also broke the length record of 50.15 inches held by Justin Goode since 2021.
Price’s state record catfish was measured by WVDNR Hatchery Manager Ryan Bosserman.
source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources