Baltimore County Angler Catches New State Record Yellow Perch in Chesapeake Division

Angler fishing the lower Susquehanna River breaks a record held since 1979 

Thomas Dembeck Jr. with his state record yellow perch. Photo by Lee Haile, used with permission by Maryland DNR.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recognizes Thomas Dembeck Jr. of Hydes as the new state record holder for yellow perch – Perca flavescens – in the Chesapeake division.

Dembeck caught the 2.3-pound, 16-inch fish on February 7 while fishing in the tidal waters of the lower Susquehanna River. He was deep jigging in about 50 feet of water using a double-jig rig, which consisted of two small 1-inch plastic paddletails on ⅛-ounce leadheads rigged on dropper loops above a 1-ounce sinker. He was using a light spinning rod with ten-pound test braided line. Dembeck’s catch bested the long-standing record of 2.2 pounds, caught by Niles Pethel on November 21, 1979. 

The fish was weighed on a certified scale at Gibby’s Seafood in Lutherville, and the species was confirmed by DNR recreational fisheries coordinator Erik Zlokovitz.  

Dembeck has fished for yellow perch since the 1960s and catching a state record fish has been a lifetime pursuit. On the day he caught the record, he had been catching mostly small yellow perch. When he felt a slightly heavier weight on his line, he first thought it was just a double-header of two small fish. 

“I was nonchalantly reeling the fish towards the surface and even took time to watch an eagle fly by,” Dembeck said. When he looked down, he saw a perch that looked like a big “yellow submarine” and yelled for his friend Lee Haile to net the fish. Haile, the current state record holder for chain pickerel in the nontidal division, realized they might have a state record yellow perch in the boat. After approximating the fish’s weight on a hand scale, they took it to a certified scale for an official weight. 

The Department of Natural Resources maintains state records for sport fish in four divisions: Atlantic, Chesapeake, Nontidal, and Invasive. Anglers who think they have a potential record catch should download and complete a state record application and call 443-569-1398. The department recommends the fish be immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be checked, confirmed, and certified.