Scott Enloe from Colorado has likely broken the record for the biggest lake trout caught last month. The previous record was 72 lbs. and was caught in Great Bear Lake. Enloe’s catch was 73.29 lbs.
According to an article published by Field and Stream, Enloe and his son, Hunter, were fishing at Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado, which is a hotspot for anglers. They spotted the fish on their sonar but thought it had to be two fish, until it bit their line.
A battle ensued and after 13 minutes, the anglers were victorious. The fish did not easily fit into their net, despite it being the biggest one Frabill manufactures. After weighing and measuring the fish (47 in. long and a girth of 37 in.) they released it back into the water.
Knowing the near impossibility that they would top the catch, they reportedly headed home for the day. On a normal day, they would catch 30 to 40 lb. lake trout.
Paul Vecsei, a local fisheries biologist, said that he wasn’t surprised by the record since it was in the upper size slot that lake trout typically get in any body of water that’s well suited for them.
He said that the body of water they were fishing in was artificial, and the large stock of kokanee salmon and warm water helped the lake trout to thrive and grow.
Despite his lack of surprise, he pointed out the goodness in Enloe’s story.
“In this day and age where anglers are supposed to be more conscious of the preciousness of nature, the fact that someone catches such a large lake trout and is more concerned about its welfare rather than getting the trophy for his living room, that says a lot,” he said.
Yellowknifer asked how fish in Great Bear Lake get so big — Vecsei said that there are different morphs of lake trout, some of which are smaller and have evolved to eat insects on the bottom of the lake and others have evolved to take advantage of the large number of white fish.
He added that the bigger morph of lake trout used to be called colossus, and they also cannibalize other lake trout.
Vecsei said that the fish do not need to get very old to be large. The biggest fish he’s seen was 66 lbs. and was only 36 years old, and he has yet to see a fish over the age of 50. He also said that they usually die in their early 40s.