BOISE, Idaho — A Georgia angler has set a new Idaho catch-and-release record for brown trout after landing a 30.5-inch fish on the South Fork Snake River, according to Idaho Fish and Game.
In a press release, Idaho Fish and Game said Caroline Langdale caught the record-setting trout May 30 while fishing with guide Ed Emory of South Fork Lodge during a multiday trip on the South Fork Snake River.
Langdale hooked the fish while drifting a fly through a deep hole and spent nearly 10 minutes bringing it to the boat.
After measuring the trout and submitting photos to Fish and Game, agency officials verified the catch as a new state catch-and-release record.
"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," Langdale said.
Fish and Game said brown trout measuring more than 30 inches are exceptionally rare in the South Fork Snake River.
Since 1986, fisheries surveys have recorded more than 57,600 brown trout in the river, but only four have measured longer than 30 inches.
Martin Koenig, Fish and Game's sportfishing program coordinator, said the largest brown trout are often difficult to capture during electrofishing surveys because they often inhabit areas that are difficult to sample.
Fish and Game said even brown trout longer than 25 inches are uncommon.
Surveys have documented only 30 fish exceeding that length over nearly four decades of monitoring.
While biologists believe more trophy-sized brown trout likely exist than surveys indicate, the department said Langdale's catch remains an exceptionally rare accomplishment and a new entry in Idaho's catch-and-release record book.
