An Idaho angler has been granted a state catch-and-release record after reeling a 36-inch rainbow-cutthroat hybrid trout from Henrys Lake.
Hailey Thomas of Rigby landed the gorgeous trout Oct. 4, despite the fish attempting to win its freedom by dashing for bottom cover.
“Hailey did a phenomenal job fighting the fish and keeping it out of the abundant weeds, notorious for knocking large trout off the line,” Shane Thomas, Hailey’s husband, told the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “After a stressful minute or so, I reached out and scooped up the fish. The net looked so small, as the fish barely fit in!”
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The trout was placed in a live well on the vessel so it could recover. It was then measured, photographed, and released.
The IDFG announced the new record Thursday in a news release, stating:
“Congratulations to Hailey Thomas on landing a new catch-and-release state record from Henrys Lake. Hailey hooked the 36-inch long monster rainbow/cutthroat hybrid while fishing with her family on the renowned east Idaho lake.”
The trout had girth of 21 inches and weighed between 17 and 20 pounds, the IDFG estimated. The previous catch-and-release record, a 30-inch hybrid, was set on the Snake River in 2018.
Henrys Lake, the IDFG added, is a blue-ribbon trout fishery that also boasts healthy populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and brook trout.
