East Idaho man catches record-breaking cutthroat trout

Congratulations to Nate Burr of Rexburg on setting a new state record by landing a remarkable 31-inch Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

Burr and a fellow angler had been fly fishing the Snake River for three days and looking for big trout without much success. As evening set in on the third day of slow fishing, their luck changed as a huge trout smashed Burr’s fly.

Burr grew up in Tetonia and has began his career as a fly-fishing guide at age 18. In recent years, he’s focused more on catching larger trout and less on catching big numbers of fish.

“It was one of those brutally slow days,” Burr said. “Hunting big trout on streamers means a day on the water can go from zero to 100 in a split second. That was exactly the case with this fish.”

After chasing the hooked trout for nearly half a mile downstream in a drift boat, the pair managed to finally scoop the fish with a landing net. After taking a quick photo and reviving the fish, Burr released the huge trout back into the Snake River, securing his name in the record books.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout over 30 inches are exceedingly rare — especially in river systems where they do not grow as quickly as in large lakes. Even more remarkable is that this fish just barely beats the 30.5-inch monster Yellowstone cutthroat trout record set in August by Sam Hix, also from the Snake River.

The catch-and-release record program began in 2016 as a way to recognize anglers that wanted to release the trophy fish they caught.

Anglers: It’s illegal to transport live fish

With the warming weather, it’s time to head to the lake and catch some fish! Spring is a great time to harvest crappie, bass or trout for the dinner table. While most anglers know the bag limits for each species, some are unaware it is illegal to transport live fish in Idaho without a permit, which are only issued for special circumstances.

Live wells, minnow buckets and coolers can be a source of trouble for anglers who aren’t aware of the rules about moving live fish. Here’s a few tips about transporting live fish to keep in mind:

  • Fish must be killed or released before leaving: Using your boat’s live well, a bucket, cooler or other container to store live fish while on the water is fine and legal. However, transporting live fish away from the lake, reservoir or other body of water when you leave is illegal. If you plan to take fish home, you must kill them first.
  • Bag/length limits apply to fish kept in a live well: Fish that don’t meet the minimum length, or are not in season or otherwise cannot be possessed cannot be kept in a live well. For example, let’s say the bass rules allow a six-fish limit with 12-inch minimum length. That means an angler can not put more than six bass in the live well, or any bass less than 12 inches long. All harvest and possession rules apply to fish kept in a live well!
  • Drain your live well before leaving the lake: Draining your live well helps reduce the spread of invasive species. Unwanted invaders like milfoil, mud snails, unseen diseases, or zebra mussels can ride in your live well to another lake. It’s best to drain your live well at the lake before you leave!

Many fishing boats have excellent live well systems that can help keep fish alive while on the water. However, you can be cited for transporting live fish. Besides, if you plan to keep fish for eating, the quicker they are dispatched and stored on ice, the better they taste on a plate.

The transport law is setup to discourage anglers from illegally moving unwanted fish species to new locations. Illegally introduced fish can cause major problems and can potentially ruin good fisheries for everyone. Please do your part and remember to kill or release all fish before leaving the water.

You can find more about possession and transporting fish on Page 47 of the current fishing rule book under “General Information.”