12-Year-Old Girl Breaks NY State Fish Record with 29 Pound Catch

A 12-year-old girl from the Adirondacks caught a record breaking freshwater drum in Essex County in June, the NY Department of Environmental Conservation announced.

The fish was 36.5 inches and 29 pounds 14 ounces. This is more than three pounds over the state record set in 2014, according to the NY DEC.

The freshwater drum, also known as the sheepshead, grows on average to be 20 plus inches in lengths and ten pounds. They live in rivers and lakes and are the only North American freshwater fish that have planktonic eggs that float and drift with currents.