A Lexington man is now the proud owner of a new Virginia fishing record.
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Jerry Hall reeled in a new record fallfish weighing 3 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring nearly 20 inches.
Hall landed the record-breaking fish in the Jackson River near Covington.
It surpassed the previous record of 2 pounds, 12 ounces caught by Danny Arbogast last year from the Cow Pasture River. Apparently, this isn’t Hall’s first time in the record books; he has held the fallfish state record before.
Ever since the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) added fallfish to the Virginia Online Angler Recognition Program (VARP)state record list, the agency said anglers have been catching new state records every few years. This spring, Jerry Hall celebrated the four-year anniversary of his 2022 state record fallfish by going fishing at the same hole on the Cowpasture River.
According to DWR, Hall, nicknamed the “Push-Button Slayer,” caught the fish using the same Zebco push-button reel he fishes with consistently with a Joe’s Fly tied onto 6-pound test.
“To have two state records, that’s pretty good,” Hall said. “I don’t know what words can describe it. It’s a good accomplishment.”