Nice report taxi...love the pics. first time i ever saw perch eggs,very interesting. You sure have a wealth of knowledge about raising fish.
If you raised a state record would you enter it? just 3 more oz...LOL
I already did at 5 ounces over the state record.
Caught her ice fishing in the pond. I was told I followed all the rules but the fish could not be entered as my fish were on a 'feeding program." Granted I wouldn't enter one today but back then I just had a pond like anyone else and stocked it with yellow perch I bought from a fish farmer in Ohio. No hatching or other ponds at the time. Sure I fed them pellets but that's quite common in ponds now. 12 Indiana state records are from ponds btw.
What didn't help my case is a local outdoor writer decided to present the catch as a controversy and was biased against me entering it.
Haven't produced one 16 inches or over since. To imply feeding fish in a pond will automatically produce a record fish is silly. Record fish are anomalies. Everything has to be there and feeding and fast growth aren't the only factors. The catch 22 with fast growing fish is they have shorter lifespans.
No hard feelings though and I consider it a personal achievement. She's mounted in a glass case in an ice fishing scene.
This fish would have gone 3 lbs. or more if I would have harvested her in March or April vs. February.
