Oct. 12 (UPI) — Wildlife officials in Florida said a state record was broken by a Hialeah man who reeled in a butterfly peacock bass that tipped the scales at 9.11 pounds.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Felipe Prieto was fishing in a Broward County lake one day after work when he reeled in the 23 5/16-inch fish.
The butterfly peacock bass weighed in at 9.11 pounds, breaking the record of 9.08 pounds, which had stood since 1993.
“The butterfly peacock bass is colorful, a lightning-fast striker and a hard fighter,” FWC Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto said in a statement. “Anglers from across the country travel here to catch a peacock bass, which only adds to the tremendous economic impact fishing has in Florida. This unique game fish is just one of the features that makes Florida, truly, the Fishing and Boating Capital of the World.”