If you’re looking to enter a state-record fish, Otter Creek is a great place to start. Just make sure it’s a species you can get to a certified scale. 
The lower reaches of the river recently produced yet another colossal catch. Hot on the heels of a huge muskellunge caught by Ben Cosabic of South Burlington on May 27, Aaron Schondube of Waltham boated a giant sheepshead on June 8.
Both anglers believe their fish weighed more than the existing state record. But one is almost sure to make it into the book, while the other literally swam away unverified.
The difference? Schondube’s sheepshead could be harvested and was weighed on a certified scale, while Cosabic’s muskie had to be released and could only be weighed on a handheld angler’s scale.
Vermont’s record fish program requires all entries be weighed on a scale that is annually certified for commerce by a government agency, such as what you find at a deli, grocery or post office. But because muskie fishing has been restricted to catch-and-release since 2008, the best Cosabic could do was weigh it on a hand-held angler’s scale.
Certifiable scales tend to be large, expensive and not very portable. You have to bring the fish to them. But in order to transport a fish overland, it must be killed. Vermont law prohibits moving live fish away from a water body to deter the spread of aquatic nuisance species, and state fishing regulations require that all muskies be released “immediately.”
Which meant Cosabic was out of luck. But the rules are in place for a reason, according to state fisheries biologist Shawn Good, who administers the record-fish program. Read more….