Until a couple of years ago, anglers who hoped to make the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s record book wound up killing the state’s grandest fish, based on a requirement that weights of all record-setters be confirmed on a certified scale.
But Boise sportsman Dylan Smith likes knowing the state-record lake trout he recently caught in Payette Lake, located near McCall, is still out there for someone else to reel in.
In 2016, Fish and Game launched a new program enabling anglers to receive recognition for the whoppers they catch and measure, but then toss back. To qualify for a catch-and-release record, an angler must submit a photograph of a trophy fish beside a clearly visible tape measure. A statement from a witness is also preferable, and objects of verifiable length can be used for comparison in lieu of a tape measure.
Smith’s record lake trout, caught on July 21, was 41.5 inches long — 2 inches longer than the prior catch-and-release lake trout record, set by Tom Henson.
Smith, a 27-year-old engineer who graduated from Rexburg-based Brigham Young University-Idaho, said he always releases his catches, unless they’re an undesirable species, such as carp. Smith believes the catch-and-release program is wise, given the pressure of Idaho’s rapidly growing population on its fisheries.
“I think this program is fantastic because it promotes catch-and-release,” Smith sad. “We have really, really good fishing here — some of the best in the nation — and I believe we’ve got to protect that resource that we have.”
Fish and Game has continued keeping records for fish that are harvested and weighed. Martin Koenig, the department’s sport fishing coordinator, said the record lake trout by certified weight was caught in 1971 out of Priest Lake in Northern Idaho, weighing 57.5 pounds and measuring 49 inches long.
Koenig said some of the earliest certified-weight records date back to the early 1900s, and the program was “going in earnest” by the 1940s.
However, many certified weight records have become static, as the state has implemented restrictions on harvesting species such as bull trout, white sturgeon, wild chinook salmon and wild steelhead trout.
In addition to opening the door to “fresh records” on fish species governed by harvest restrictions, Koenig said, “There are a lot of anglers who would love to have their names in record book but haven’t been able to participate because they would rather release trophy fish than have to kill it and weigh it on a scale.”
The list of catch-and-release records is linked to the department’s web page, idfg.idaho.gov. Rather than replacing old records with new record fish, the department maintains the full history so visitors to the site can see the progression toward larger trophies.
Certified-weight records are printed every three years when the state’s fishing regulations are updated. Koenig doubts the next regulations pamphlet, scheduled for release in 2019, will include catch-and-release records, which are changing too frequently.
Koenig said Eastern Idaho fisheries — especially American Falls Reservoir, reaches of the Snake River, Bear Lake and Henry’s Lake — have been hotbeds for trout records.
Smith landed his record lake trout while fishing with a friend and his brother, from the new boat his wife recently bought him as a birthday gift. They’d moved to deeper water to fish near the lake’s bottom amid the mid-day heat, when a large mass appeared on the fish finder. The hulking trout struck his brother’s bait first. Twice, his brother failed to set the hook before the fish ultimately “snarfed up” Smith’s lure. The fight lasted about 15 minutes.
“About 30 feet down, I could see as it was coming up,” Smith said. “Everybody on the boat started freaking out because it was so much larger than expected.”
Smith was poised to release the largest lake trout of his career when his brother suggested it could be a record and advised that he take a quick photo and measurement. Smith admits he packed a tape measure that morning as an afterthought.
Smith plans to frame a photograph of the trout, along with a certificate he’ll soon receive from Fish and Game.
“The main thing was the memory I made catching that fish with my brother and my friend,” Smith said.
