Just two months after one Idaho Falls angler made a record-breaking catch, another angler pulled out a 44-inch lake trout. Both of these record-breaking catches came from Payette Lake.
Dylan Smith caught a 43.25-inch laker on May 2. On July 8, Kim Anderson made his 44-inch lake trout catch.
Lake trout were introduced to Payette Lake in 1955. Idaho Fish and Game says that by the early 2000s, there was an overabundance of lake trout, leading to fewer food resources and thin, undernourished lake trout. In 2014, fisheries began reducing the number of smaller lake trout to help boost the population of kokanee, which is the lake trout’s main diet. Instead, they released more trophy-sized fish into the lake.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Anglers have broken 17 catch-and-release records in Idaho so far this year
Since 2018, Idaho Fish and Game says staff have removed approximately 3,100 lake trout from Payette Lake - about 445 fish per year.
Payette Lake has now produced six catch-and-release state records since 2016.
To learn more about record-breaking fish in Idaho and learn how to apply for a catch-and-release record, click here.
