I know, I know…it looks like I got a little creative with Photoshop on this one, but this picture is legit. What you’re looking at is the largest brook trout anybody has laid hands in at least 90 years and, perhaps ever.
The massive brookie was taken in the fall by Tim Matheson of Serridon, Manitoba in Manitoba’s Lake Barbe. The really cool part of the story is the fish didn’t end up on the barbe…
Matheson hooked the monster while trolling a No. 13 chartreuse jointed Rapala. Before the monster bit, he’d already boated and released a 27 3/4-inch rainbow and his buddy, Doug, put the hooks to a 29-inch bow (this lake sounds sick, by the way!).
After a wicked battle, Doug was able to net the fish, which measured out at 29 inches, with a 21-inch girth. Matheson, a true sportsman, said he got just as much joy out of watching the fish swim away when he released it as he did catching thing thing.
Using various fish weight formulas, the brookie probably weighed in the neighborhood of 16 pounds, which would break the all tackle world record by almost 2 pounds — a record set back in 1916!
Apparently, the fish would have had to been killed for it to qualify for a world record through the International Game Fish Association, so it may not ever be recognized as the planet’s largest brookie.
For what it’s worth, Tim, you’ve got our vote…
Read more about the catch at www.anglingmasters.com
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