Lake Trout - New World Record?

[cadjh]

Alot of you fellows also fish for Lakers, so I thought you'd appreciate this - A truly incredible tale that ultimately led to what is apparently a new world record. This fish was caught on my favorite stomping grounds here in CA - Lake Tahoe. As I understand it, one of the local charter guys had known about a "sweet spot" in the middle of the lake that had never been fished. A sunken mountain surrounded by 1500 ft depths. In running over it, he saw many huge arches. The problem - it was 900 feet down! Over the winter he ordered a couple of those special Penn reels that the ocean guys use to fish 1000 ft+. Last week he went out on a calm day and using 100 lb. test Spectra, 8# lead ball on a weight release, a 2 ft long frozen mackeral as bait and 20/0 hooks, he had an amazing day of fishing. They had numerous breakoffs, but managed to land three fish - 52#, 59# and.. are you ready? 87#!! Took 2.5 hours to land the big one.

I'm going to try to book with him this weekend!!

[rpieske]

I'd love to see the Lake Trout that could break 100 lb. spectra. Have you got pictures or a link? I'd be happy to catch a 40 lb. Lake Trout.

[Bob G2]

I wonder how old those fish are.

[Bob J pool 12]

I wonder how many surive,after being pulled up 900 feet????????And 2.5 Hours of struggleing????????? JUST CURIOUS???????

[Gray Ghost]

A fish brought up from 900 feet will not survive. The fishermen undoubtedly knew this before they went after these fish. This was not catch and release fishing. Raises an interesting moral question: is it worth killing an ancient fish, which you probably won't eat (60 lb Lake trout, ick!), for a chance at breaking a record?

Probably will hang that record fish on his wall....

GG

[Bob J pool 12]

Fudge the records.I think this is BULL BRAGGING RIGHTS ON A FISH.There very old let them alone.

[Cliffy]

Great trolling present here.
:)
The picture of these fish would weigh 5lbs, no doubt!

Guarantee you could break off when using 1000+ feet of line, an 8lb weight, and you hookCalifornia.....or even Nevada with a 20-0 hook.
:)

[jddancer]

Alot of people have touched the surface....lake trout cannot survive in 900 feet of water!

[Laker]

Seems kind of far fetched. 85# lakers 900ft deep, something smells fishy.

[bigfish1965]

Is there even any oxygen at 900 ft of freshwater?

[Eyesrfn]

What's a huge arch in 900 feet of water look like? HMMMM

[EyeSlayer]

Yeah, and I just caught a new world record Muskie in the polluted pond behind my house.

Wow three fish in one day that all beat the CA state record and one being the new WORLD record!!!!! That's a good day of fishin'. C'mon, it's obviously not true. This happend this winter? Everyone knows that Lake Trout are much shallower in the winter than in the summer. What type of freshwater baitfish schools at 900ft?

The current CA record is:
37 lbs. 6oz., on 6-21-74, Lake Tahoe Robert G. Aronsen
The current WORLD angling record is:
72 lbs. 0oz., Great Bear Lake, N.W.T. 8-19-1995, Lloyd E. Bull
The largest known is:
102 lbs, 1961, Lake Athabasca, Saskatchewan, commercial fishery

I may be wrong, but Great Bear or another N.W.T. lake has the greatest potential for the next World record.

[Frank]

Reports are that this was an April 1 joke by the Auburn, Calif. newspaper.

[rpieske]

Here is the link to that story in the Auburn Journal.
http://www.auburnjournal.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=524&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=16&S=1

[walleye69]

All my years of fishing on the great lakes Ive seen some big fish
BUT anybody that can hold a 87lbs fish up by one arm in front
of them is one tough SOB. This whole story stinks!!!!

[Winnie]

I tell you what! Ol' Smoothy is one strong son of a ##### to hold an 87# fish up over his shoulder with one hand. I'm no expert, but that fish doesn't look like half of 87# to me.

[work2fish]

The hint is in the very last paragraph in that article:

"Just drop by Dock H at Lakefront Marina on the South Shore and go down to slip 38. Hopkins’ boat is green and has the name April Fool’s painted on the side in big white lettering...."

Ha ha.

Mike/CO

[rpieske]

Gotta read to the end of the article! Last line!!

[xxx]

I thinks someone bit a 20/0 hook? Or maybe a couple LOL!

[doc]

Heres the real story.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/destinations/article/0,13199,446288,00.html

[WAeyes]

You got to admit that is one fun story to read...I wonder when the movie is coming out?