WATCH: 30-Pound Muskie Caught In Schuylkill River Near Norristown

NORRISTOWN, PA — Conditions have been ripe for fishing in the Schuylkill River this summer, and one local angler reeled in a massive haul.

A 45-inch muskellunge - commonly referred to as muskie - was caught near Norristown in July by 20-year-old King of Prussia resident Kevin Rodenbaugh.

"He was jumping out of the water like a tar pit," Rodenbaugh told the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

The catch weighed somewhere between 30 and 40 pounds. Rodenbaugh was using lighter tackle at the time and wasn't prepared to haul in something quite that size. The muskie hit on a big spinner bait.

After around 15 minutes of battling with the muskie, he was able to land him. He sliced his hand open on the fish's sharp gill plate as he brought him aboard.

While some expressed disbelief at the size, and even at the authenticity of the picture itself, fish of that size are not unusual in the Schuylkill. Both muskie and other species of fish of similar size have been caught in various parts of the river this year and in past years.

A 30-pound carp was reeled in down by the Schuylkill Banks in Center City last summer. Flathead catfish of similar weight have been caught as well, with several hotspots between Phoenixville and Valley Forge. Rodenbaugh said he's caught a flathead in the same spot in Norristown that weighed 58 pounds.

The photo of Rodenbaugh's catch has reached nearly 200,000 people on Facebook since it was posted Friday.

Elaine Paul Schaefer, executive director of the Schuylkill River Greenways NHA, said that the thriving fishing opportunities along the river are a sign of both the river's health and the work of nonprofits to maintain the corridor.

"The improvement in water quality up and down the Schuylkill River has been remarkable over the last twenty years," she said. "The Schuylkill River is now healthy enough to support a robust recreational industry, including kayaking, boating, and fishing."

The Pennsylvania state record for muskie is 54 pounds and three ounces. It was caught in Conneaut Lake in Crawford County in 1924 by Lewis Walker Jr., according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Image courtesy Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area