36+ lb Brown Trout

[severus]

A fellow angler to the north of me caught a state record brown trout yesterday AM while trolling Lake Michigan. Newt and Jan got a 3 or 4 lb brown last October while fishing with me - try to imagine the size of this one before you look, Newt. It's a hog. I'm nearly positive it's a brownie; it has a square tail. What a beautiful fish.

 

Note: lest anyone complain that he didn't release the fish, the DNR aggressively plants brown trout smolts here, paid for from licensing fees. The lake is loaded with brown trout.

 

HERE IT IS

[lutra]

Looks more like a Salmon to me!

[bluerinse]

Im sure this is a salmon, brown trout have spots below the lattrel line, (as do sea trout) I do not see any on the photo

[Ian FG]

"It will be a state record in either case," Kalash said. "It is two pounds heavier than the existing brown trout record and over four pounds heavier than the state-record Atlantic salmon."

 

So the brown trout record is 2lbs more than the salmon record? Bizarre.

 

It will be interesting to see what the scientists decide it is. I know for sure that some large waters in the UK produce silver coloured brown trout, but nothing this size. Imagine trying to land that on a single-handed fly rod!

 

Whatever it is, it is the fish of a lifetime.

 

.....and I don't have a problem eating fish.

[Vidar6]

Looks more like a Salmon to be honest

 

However, a 36Ib Brown Trout is not impossible by any means

 

The Norwegian rod caught Brown Trout record is 15.3kg/33.7Ib, and fish to well over 10kg/22Ib is caught every year.

[ColinW]

I defy anyone to identify a fish like that from a photograph.

Compare a fresh run sea trout, hill tarn brownie and a ferox and you'll see the problem.

[Guest tigger]

I defy anyone to identify a fish like that from a photograph.

Compare a fresh run sea trout, hill tarn brownie and a ferox and you'll see the problem.

 

 

I agree it's pretty much impossable to tell what it is from that photo. If it is a trout the spots may be very faded or may fade away completly on a fish of that size and age.

[Newt]

If a fisheries biologist could not tell from a visual exam of the fish then us doing it from a photo is just for fun with a 50/50 chance of being right.

 

Helluva fish though Severus, regardless of which species. I was right proud of the one we caught and this one could have eaten ours as a light snack.

[FishyFraser]

A fellow angler to the north of me caught a state record brown trout yesterday AM while trolling Lake Michigan. Newt and Jan got a 3 or 4 lb brown last October while fishing with me - try to imagine the size of this one before you look, Newt. It's a hog. I'm nearly positive it's a brownie; it has a square tail. What a beautiful fish.

 

Note: lest anyone complain that he didn't release the fish, the DNR aggressively plants brown trout smolts here, paid for from licensing fees. The lake is loaded with brown trout.

 

HERE IT IS

 

You are right it is a truly fantastic fish...it has a very salmon like mouth to me though, but it's hard to tell.

[peter mccue]

Difficult to be sure with that one, trouble is Brownies can alter their appearance so much to suit their surroundings. Perhaps you'd need to see definate Brown trout from that water to help the ID.

 

One thing I noticed though is the eye position looked forward of the maxilliary edge which is a strong Brownie trait, but the rest of it looks like a Salmon !