FRANKFORT, Ky. — The waters of Cave Run Lake surrendered another state record muskellunge when Sarah Terry caught a 47-pounder Nov. 2.

Terry, a 14-year old freshman at Montgomery County High School, and her stepfather, Scott Salchli, went through the proper steps to make sure her catch was certified as the official state record. If you catch what you think is a potential state record fish, you must follow the correct instructions to insure your fish makes the official state record fish list. This list is on page 33 and 34 of the 2008 Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide.

First, you must catch the fish by pole and line. Fish taken by commercial gear, trotlines, gigging, snagging, limb lines, hand grabbing or bow fishing are not eligible for state records.

Secondly, a fisheries biologist must verify the catch. “We have a fisheries biologist verify the fish to make sure it is identified correctly,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We have 14 fishery biologists and several research biologists.”

The phone numbers for the fisheries biologists are listed on page 33 of the current fishing guide.

Next, you must have the fish weighed on scales certified for trade by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and witnessed by three other people. The three witnesses must sign the application for a Kentucky State Record Fish. Official applications should be supplied by the fishery biologist or you may print an application from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s web page at fw.ky.gov.

Anglers who catch a state record often want to release the catch. It is not necessary to kill the fish, but can be difficult to follow all of the steps to certification and keep the fish alive.

“If they can keep it alive while taking photos, having a biologist identify it and weighed on certified scales, then more power to them,” Buynak explained. “It is not a short process. The chances of the fish dying are pretty good.”

Salchli knows how tough it can be. “It was a three-hour ordeal,” he said.           They took the record muskellunge to a grocery store, but the scales weren’t big enough for such weight. “Then, someone contacted Southern States and the manager drove from the other side of Flemingsburg to Morehead on a Sunday evening,” he said.

It is possible, although difficult, to keep your record alive. Bruce Midkiff released his 104-pound Kentucky state record blue catfish after he caught it in 1999.

So, if you catch a potential state record, follow these steps and bask in the glow of catching a rare state record fish.

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.