Teen catches 45-inch muskie in Schuylkill
Kevin Rodenbaugh had what many are calling an impressive catch-and-release last month.
Rodenbaugh with the help of a fishing buddy reeled in a large muskie, estimated to be about 45 inches long and weighing 30 to 40 pounds, on July 17. Rodenbaugh, 20, of King of Prussia, sent the photo to Schuylkill River Greenways NHA, which was then shared on their Facebook page this past Friday. The photo went viral and currently has a reach of about 197,000 people.
Rodenbaugh said he was shocked with how popular the photo is and how many times it was getting shared.
“That’s actually the first muskie I’ve ever caught,” he said.
The Muskellunge, also known as a muskie or musky, is one of the largest and fastest-growing fish in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. The state record for the biggest muskie stands at 54 pounds.
Rodenbaugh is keeping the exact fishing location to himself but did reveal he was on the Schuylkill River near Norristown.
While fishing, he and his friend saw a muskie in the water that looked to be about 25 inches long. They were using light fishing poles at the time and weren’t prepared to catch something large-scale. Rodenbaugh ended up throwing a big spinner bait in the water which the muskie took. He didn’t have a leader on the line and was afraid the large catch would snap it.
Rodenbaugh said he and his friend were lucky. After some time and effort, they were able to bring in the fish with a net even though it was only big enough to hold the head of the muskie.
“He was jumping out of the water like a tar pit. It took like 15 minutes to get him in,” Rodenbaugh said and added that is wasn’t without a few battle wounds.
When he picked up the muskie by reaching his hand under the gill, his finger was sliced open by the gill plate. This is why Rodenbaugh is seen without a life vest in the photo because he took it off so that he could use his shirt as a bandage.
The photo of the catch was extremely popular on social media with many people tagging friends and family so they could see the evidence themselves. Even with a photograph, there were several commenters that doubted the authenticity and claimed the picture was photo shopped. Rodenbaugh said he wasn’t surprised by this reaction.
“As soon as I showed it to my mom, my mom asked me that exact same question,” he said.
To prove the naysayers wrong, he posted a video of the catch to his personal Facebook page which is now available on the Schuylkill River Greenways’ Facebook page.
Rodenbaugh has been fishing in that area of the Schuylkill River for about three or four years. He said he usually gets good catches there, including a catfish he weighed that turned out to be 58 pounds.