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‘Monster trout’ caught in Idaho shatters state record. See the ‘unique’ catch

An angler caught a massive tiger trout in the Montpelier Reservoir in Idaho, beating the past state record for weight, wildlife officials said.
An angler caught a massive tiger trout in the Montpelier Reservoir in Idaho, beating the past state record for weight, wildlife officials said. Andrey Trusov via Unsplash

An angler reeled in a “monster trout,” crushing the previous Idaho state record, wildlife officials said.

Kody King of Montpelier caught a tiger trout in Montpelier Reservoir, Idaho Fish and Game said in a May 30 news release.

When King saw his catch, he had a feeling it would break a record, so he didn’t release it, officials said.

The 29-inch tiger trout ended up weighing 8.47 pounds, nearly double the previous record of a 4.8-pound fish caught by Gatlynn Mayes from Becker Pond in 2020.

Kody King of Montpelier, Idaho, is shown holding his massive tiger trout. He caught the fish from the Montpelier Reservoir, and it broke the state record for its weight, officials said.
Kody King of Montpelier, Idaho, is shown holding his massive tiger trout. He caught the fish from the Montpelier Reservoir, and it broke the state record for its weight, officials said. Idaho Fish and Game

King’s massive fish now holds the state’s “certified weight” record, officials said.

Tiger trout are “unique-looking” fish that are a hybrid of brown trout and brook trout, officials said. They are created in hatcheries and put in a “select few waters” in the state.

“They are (occasionally) stocked as predators to help take advantage of overpopulated smaller fishes such as yellow perch or shiners,” wildlife officials said in the release.

Montpelier Reservoir is in southeast Idaho.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2023 at 12:43 PM with the headline "‘Monster trout’ caught in Idaho shatters state record. See the ‘unique’ catch."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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