West Virginia Pumpkinseed Sunfish Record Falls Twice in Three Weeks

West Virginia’s pumpkinseed sunfish record did not just get set this summer. It got set and then broken again less than three weeks later.

Ken Neer of Morgantown put the first mark on the board June 25 with a 9.09-inch, 0.60-pound pumpkinseed from Fairfax Pond at Rehe Wildlife Management Area in Preston County. He caught it on red worms with 4-pound test, and a District 1 fisheries biologist certified the record.

Then Sierra Adamson of Beverly beat it July 14 with a 9.13-inch, 0.62-pound pumpkinseed from the Tygart Valley River in Randolph County. She caught that fish on a nightcrawler and 10-pound test, and the record was certified at the Elkins Operation Center.

Some people only care about giant predators, offshore money fish, or whatever looks best in a hero shot. That misses half the fun of fishing. State record categories for species like pumpkinseed, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, black crappie, and redhorse sucker give regular anglers a reason to pay attention to the fish right in front of them. A farm pond, WMA water, or local river can still hand you a record if you know what you are looking at.

West Virginia reminds anglers 15 and older that they need a valid fishing license, and trout anglers need a trout stamp. That is the trade: public fish, public records, public management, and a license system that helps keep it going. Big or small, a legal fish caught the right way is still part of the outdoor life.