record trout – Syndication Server

Angler catches record rainbow trout using a unique technique

A fisherman in Maryland landed a state-record 17.44-pound rainbow trout using a method most American anglers don’t know about.

A fisherman in Maryland landed a state-record 17.44-pound rainbow trout using a technique unique to most American anglers.

Jean-Philippe Lartigue caught the impressive rainbow on Feb. 10 in the section of Antietam Creek that runs through Devil’s Backbone County Park in Washington County, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Lartigue, who formerly worked as a fisheries biologist consulting with governments in Africa, used a 12-foot, crappie-style spinning rod with a reel loaded with eight-pound test. He put a small split shot on the line and a No. 8 hook baited with a worm.

“Lartigue is French and originally from Morocco, where he learned from his father the European style of fishing natural baits with long rods for trout,” the DNR stated. “The long rod helps control the drift and presentation of natural baits in swift stream currents.”

The fish, which measured 32 inches in length, was weighed on a certified scale at Ernst’s Country Market in Clear Springs. It was confirmed by John Mullican, DNR’s Director of Freshwater Fisheries and Hatcheries.

The old record was 14.2 pounds caught by Dave Schroyer on Oct. 21, 1987.

“I knew the fish was a very large trout, but I did not see how big it was at the beginning of the fight,” Lartigue said. “I finally saw the fish, and it made two very long runs to the opposite side of the creek and was hard to move. I also had to keep the fish away from some bridge abutments, which could have cut the line easily.

“After a very long 30-minute fight, I was able to tire out the fish and grabbed it by the jaw with my fingers since I did not have a landing net large enough.”

He dragged the fish onto a rocky bank, cutting his finger on the trout’s sharp teeth while doing so. It was a small price to pay for catching such a big trout.

“We are extremely impressed by the weight of the fish, which bests the old record by over 3 pounds, a record that many of us in the department thought would never be broken,” Recreational Fisheries Outreach Coordinator Erik Zlokovitz said.

Photo courtesy of Jean-Philippe Lartigue and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Angler releases potential record-shattering trout out of ‘respect’

A Northern California angler recently caught a rainbow trout so massive that it might have shattered the state record.

But Josh Giordano, who reeled the estimated 38.2-pound trout from a Feather River diversion pool on Dec. 7, chose not to kill the fish for the sake of a record.

(The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists as the state record a 27-pound rainbow trout caught at Lake Natoma in 2005.)

Giordano, 43, from Bangor, told the Stockton Record that he released the trout “because of the respect I have for them, but also in hopes that one of our young upcoming anglers has a shot at becoming a legend or even a record holder.”

Giordano, who would have had to find a certified scale to have a shot at the record, obtained his weight estimate using a tape-measure formula.

The trout measured 41 inches, with a girth of 27 inches. Both measurements are significantly larger than those associated with the state-record.

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Giordano declared on Facebook that catching the massive rainbow trout at the Thermalito Diversion Pool, after a marathon battle, “was one of the most amazing moments in my life.”

The angler was casting a swimbait tied to a 15-pound leader and 20-pound braid when the fish struck.

“When I hooked this fish I knew immediately how giant it was when it peeled off 150 yards of line in about 20 seconds,” he told the Stockton Record. “I have never seen the power of a fish like It. The fish continued to jump, tail walk and do things I’ve never seen fish do on the surface.

“I was starting to get nervous as the fish got closer but it never got tired. I was about to land him when he decided to do another 100-yard run and the battle was on again. In an hour and 10 heart-stopping minutes, I was able to get my two hands on his tail.”

–Images courtesy of Joshua Giordano

Girl, 4, lands potential world-record golden trout

Caroline May Evans, 4, was all smiles after landing a gorgeous 2-pound golden trout recently in Wyoming, and her catch is up for world-record consideration.

The International Game Fish Assn. announced the prospect Saturday via Twitter, stating that Caroline “recently submitted an application for this 0.92-kg (2-pound) golden trout to potentially set the IGFA Female Smallfry Record for the species.

“Caroline was fishing in Wyoming. After a quick fight and weighing, she was able to safely release the fish.”

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The IGFA has separate Smallfry categories for boys and girls age 10 or younger. They must abide by all IGFA international angling rules “with the exception that fish do not have to be weighed on land.”

The IGFA did not state whether there’s a current Female Smallfry record for golden trout.

For the sake of comparison, the IGFA’s overall world record for golden trout stands at 11 pounds. That fish was caught by Chas Reed at Cooks Lake, Wyoming, in 1948.

Woman lands record cutthroat trout; ‘I’m in the books boys!’

The wait is over. Madison (Madi) Nackos is the new Idaho catch-and-release record holder for cutthroat trout.

Nackos, 21, was fishing with friends at Priest Lake on May 29 when she reeled in a Westslope cutthroat that measured 24 inches – three inches longer than the existing record.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced her catch as a new record Tuesday, describing the trout as a “monster” in terms of its size.

Madi Nackos poses with record cutthroat trout. Photo: IDFG

Nackos, who is from Spokane, Wash., boasted via Instagram: “I am super stoked about this fish. I’ve waited nearly a month to post about it until it was official but I just received the email from IDFG confirming my STATE RECORD FISH!

“This beautiful post-spawn Westslope cutthroat measured at a hefty 24 in, shattering the previous record by 3 inches. I’M IN THE BOOKS BOYS!!!”

Madi Nackos releases record cutthroat trout. Photo: IDFG

She declined to reveal the type of lure she used when reached by For The Win Outdoors, but gladly shared her feelings about the catch, after a minute-long fight, aboard a 15-foot Gregor boat:

“Cutties have always been my favorite fish to hook even before this one because they are so beautiful and aggressive, and despite this fish being old and post spawn she was beautiful and in great condition.

“What shocked me the most was the size of its head. I’m still in shock from catching that fish back in May, and I’m sure I will be for a while.”

According to IDFG, Westslope cutthroat trout are native throughout much of the state’s Panhandle Region.

Idaho recognizes length catch-and-release records for each of the state’s four subspecies of cutthroat trout: Westslope, Bonneville, Yellowstone, and Lahontan.