Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Department of Commerce Matt Born of Reedsville caught the new record length chain pickerel in Upper Deckers Lake in Preston County Oct. 13, 2019.

Record chain pickerel caught in Preston County

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. —A Reedsville man caught a state record 27.87-inch, 4-pound chain pickerel on Oct. 13 at Upper Deckers Lake in Preston County, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

Angler Matt Born used an in-line spinner to catch the chain pickerel, which is a state record in length only. The previous record was a 27.75-inch fish caught by Steven Demma at Tuckahoe Lake in 2001.

Anglers who believe they may have caught a state record fish should check the current records in the fishing regulations at wvdnr.gov. Procedures for reporting a record catch also are included in the regulations.

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