Mystery surrounds potential world record trout catch
Fish and Game is trying to confirm reports of a giant trout – a potential world record – recently caught in the Mackenzie Country hydro canals.
Eyewitnesses report seeing an angler land a 24.9kg (55 pound) brown trout in the Pukaki-Ohau A canal.
Above Right: Anglers trying their luck in the Tekapo Canal fishery.
If confirmed, it would be a new world record for a brown trout.
According to the International Game Fish Association website, the present record is a 19.1 kg (42lb 1oz) fish caught in the same canals in 2013.
The canal fishery is in one of New Zealand's most picturesque spots.
But Fish and Game Field Officer for the Central South Island region Rhys Adams says confirming the potentially record-breaking monster trout is proving difficult.
“Secrecy surrounds the catch and we want to solve the mystery,” he says.
“This is an amazing fish and we would love to confirm it but at the moment, the lucky angler is keeping quiet.
“Because of the international significance of the catch, we would like to hear from anyone who has more information or details.”
Fish and Game communications advisor Richard Cosgrove says some details are starting to emerge.
“Witnesses say the fish was landed after a two and a half hour fight,” Richard Cosgrove says.
“Once he had the fish landed, the angler wrapped it in his shirt to keep it cool before getting ice from a nearby salmon farm and rushing it to a taxidermist.
“He also got it weighed on certified scales to confirm that this was the fish of a lifetime.
“We have been told the whole story along with photos will emerge once the trout has been mounted.”
The Mackenzie basin hydro canals have a well-deserved reputation in New Zealand and overseas for consistently producing huge trout.
The canals are easy to access, flow through spectacular high country scenery and are open all year round.
But it is the number of huge trout living there which attracts thousands of anglers every year, making the canal network the country’s most popular freshwater sports fishery.
According to Fish and Game’s latest canal harvest survey, anglers made approximately 43,800 daytime visits to the canal fishery during the 2015-2016 season.
Rhys Adams says those anglers are catching big trout.
“Rainbow trout have the most impressive seasonal catch figures.
“Around 30 percent of rainbows are trophy size, between ten and 20 pounds, with nine percent classed as ‘exceptionally large’ – that’s over 20 pounds.”
Rhys Adams hopes the monster brown trout catch can be confirmed.
“It’s much rarer to catch an exceptionally large brown trout – only about one percent of browns caught in the canals fall into this category , so it would be nice to make this official.
“The size of these trout just reinforces how good New Zealand’s trout fishing is. If we can confirm this brown trout record, then the next thing is setting a new world record for rainbow trout,” Rhys Adams says.
“The present record is 21.77kgs – 48 pounds – for a rainbow trout caught in Canada in 2009.
“It would be nice to challenge that but even if we can’t, anglers will enjoy trying.”
Categories
Archive
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- December 2013
- March 2013
- September 2012
- July 2012