An angler from Georgia traveled to the world famous South Fork Snake River in Idaho for some late Spring trout fishing when she landed a new state fishing record. Caroline Langdale battled the would-be Idaho state record for brown trout before measuring it and releasing it back into the river.
Brown trout are among the largest of the trout subspecies, only trailing Lake Trout and Taimen in overall size. They are voracious eaters and though they are non-native to Idaho they are still commonly caught throughout the state.
New Idaho State Fishing Record For Brown Trout
The Gem State maintains two sets of state fishing records: catch and release and certified weight. This one falls into the former as the fish was released back into the South Fork Snake River after it was measured, giving it a chance to be caught again and/or give life to the next generation of enormous trout.
Caroline Langdale was fishing on the South Fork Snake River on her trip from Georgia back on May 30th when she hooked up with the record-setting fish. She would later tell Idaho Fish and Game “I never dreamed when I started my day of fishing with Ed Emory of South Fork Lodge that God was going to bless me with a fish of a lifetime.”
Check out this absolute beast of a brown trout that has become the new Idado state record for catch-and-release:
Once she reeled in her new Idaho brown trout record, Caroline got a measurement of 30.5″ on it. The fight took her 10-minutes as she was drifting with Ed Emory of South Fork Lodge.
Initially, the fish was so big she thought she had snagged the bottom and gotten hooked on a root. Measurements and pictures were submitted to Idaho Fish and Game who certified the catch last week.
Brown trout in Idaho measuring over 30″ are extremely rare. Her 30.5″ fish isn’t the first though as Idaho Fish and Game conducts regular tests through electrofishing to check the local stocks. Back in 2016, Idaho Fish and Game officers pulled up a 33″ brown trout while electrofishing. So there are still some massive ones out there!
In its press release, Idaho Fish and Game said they have measured over 57,600 brown trout dating back to 1986 and during that time, “only 0.007% ever exceed 30 inches” that they are aware of. They do stipulate that the largest and potentially record brown trout likely live in areas that are not accessible by electrofishing but still, this fish is in the 0.007% category. Unreal.
For a full list of Idaho state fishing records including the recent brown trout record, you can visit Idaho Fish and Game’s website. Furthermore, for added context, the IGFA fishing world record for brown trout is a 44 lb 5 oz fish caught in Ohau Canal, Twizel, New Zealand back in October, 2020. The all-tackle length world record is 97cm, a fish that was caught in Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin in 2011. That’s just a hair over 38″.
According to David Strege of For the Win, the previous Idaho state catch-and-release record for brown trout was caught just 30 miles away from where she caught this new record. That was a 30″ brown trout caught and released by angler Chase Newton back in October 2016.