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Now that’s a trout worth bragging about.
A New Hampshire man “shattered” the state’s record after catching an enormous lake trout while ice fishing in West Stewartstown, officials said.
The previous record had been set in 1958, making the occasion several decades in the making.
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New Hampshire Fish and Game shared an image of Thomas Knight’s record-breaking fish on its Instagram page, explaining, “After a lengthy battle, Knight was able to bring the fish onto the ice and marvel at its size. An experienced lake trout angler, Knight knew that the prevailing record was 28 pounds and his fish seemed to be much bigger. After a few phone calls to some close fishing buddies, Knight made his next call to Andy Schafermeyer, a Fisheries Biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. In order to certify a fish’s size as a state record, it must be inspected and verified by a biologist. The two met and began the process of measuring the characteristics that would certify this fish as the largest lake trout ever caught in New Hampshire.”
“I’m not sure who was more excited,” Schafermeyer told New Hampshire Fish and Game. “I knew the fish stood a very good chance of breaking the record.”
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When they placed the fish on a scale, it exceeded the device’s maximum weight of 30 pounds. According to Schafermeyer, that’s when both men realized they had “a new state record.”
The two men then went on a “quest” for a larger, certified scale. Once they found one, they were able to confirm that the trout weighed 37.65 pounds, making it a state record.
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“Most state records, when bested, are done so by only a few ounces. Knight’s fish shattered the old record by over 9 pounds. This fish is now the largest lake trout caught in all of New England. I’m glad he got it, this couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” Schafermeyer explained.
According to the post, “The fish measured over 40 inches in length with a 27-inch girth. Schafermeyer estimated the fish to be between 50 and 60 years old.”