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A man from Idaho has broken the state’s 13-year northern pike fishing record with a catch that was more than half a pound heavier than its predecessor.
Thomas Francis reeled in a 40.76-pound northern pike from Hayden Lake in North Idaho, according to a press release and Facebook post shared by the Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG).
On Friday, March 24, the government-operated fishing and hunting agency, revealed Francis caught the record-breaking pike, which measured 49 inches in length and 26.5 inches in girth.
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Photos of Francis holding the record-breaking pike show the length of the fish is wider than his shoulders.
The record-breaking northern pike Thomas Francis caught from Hayden Lake in North Idaho on March 21, 2023, reportedly weighed 40.76 pounds. (Thomas Francis via Idaho Fish and Game)
Certified Weight Fish Records on the IDFG website say Francis caught his record-breaking northern pike on Tuesday, March 21.
"Pike is what I go after all the time," Francis told the IDFG, in a statement. "I spend almost everyday fishing for pike. As soon as the ice is off and until it comes back. "
Francis reportedly used an 80-pound test line and a lure to catch his record-breaking pike.
He told the IDFG that he used the same gear and practiced the same approach he usually does whenever he goes pike fishing.
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There was ice on the lake, so Francis had cast his lure to the edge of the ice instead of from the shore, he recalled to the IDFG.
"When my lure hit the water, I let it sink all the way to the bottom. As soon as my lure hit the bottom, I felt her hit." Francis told the IDFG. "She almost immediately started peeling drag, a lot of it."
"I immediately headed for the dock to try and find a boat with a scale and tape measure," Thomas Francis told the IDFG after catching a record-breaking pike from Hayden Lake in North Idaho on March 21, 2023. (Thomas Francis via Idaho Fish and Game)
"She pinned herself to the bottom and just kept going, peeling drag the whole time," he continued. "I knew that wasn’t normal, and I could tell it was something special."
Eventually, the pike changed direction and swam to the lake’s surface, which clued Francis into how "huge" the fish really was.
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Francis told the IDFG he suspected the pike could be a state record fish after he finally reeled the pike in.
"I immediately headed for the dock to try and find a boat with a scale and tape measure," Francis told the IDFG. "We found a boat with a scale, and the fish pegged the scale out at 30 pounds, so we knew we needed to find a bigger scale."
Francis went off to find a certified scale and when he did, he weighed the pike in at 40.76 pounds.
The IDFG confirmed the weight to be a new state record and made its formal announcement three days later.
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The previous northern pike record in Idaho was caught in 2010 from Lower Twin Lake in North Idaho, and it reportedly weighed 40.13 pounds and measured 50.75-by-22.75 inches.
Northern pikes are considered a carnivorous game fish, according to various fish encyclopedias.
The species can be found throughout North America. In the United States, the fish is often found in "upper mid-western states," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The fish can also be found in parts of Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Vermont, West Virginia, Kansas and the Great Lakes region, according to an invasive fish species profile published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Francis told the IDFG he enjoys pike fishing in North Idaho because "they are the biggest fish we can go after" in the area.
Northern pikes (also known as Esox Lucius) are a carnivorous game fish that can be found in various bodies of water in the U.S. (iStock)
"I like having pike around," he said. "I fish for them almost every day."
Fishing record hopefuls can submit certified weight record applications and catch-and-release record applications online, according to IDFG’s news release announcing Francis' catch.
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A staff member of the IDFG must sign off on the catch in order for it to be recognized as an official state record.
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