Breaking down the world record trout

Earlier this summer, Saskatchewan’s Adam Konrad landed a monster rainbow trout that is on tap to break a 37-year-old world record set by David White on June 22, 1970. White’s mythical rainbow trout weighed in at 42 pounds, 2 ounces and was landed at Bell Island, Alaska. Konrad’s catch on June 5 at Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, weighed an eye-popping 43 pounds, 9.6 ounces, and will likely break an International Game Fish Association record many thought was untouchable.

Now here’s the catch, the trout – caught on a lure – was likely a triploid, meaning it was genetically altered to carry an additional set of chromosomes that may have led to its abnormal growth. The mutant fish, as some have called it, may have escaped from nearby CanGro Fish Farm, a local newspaper reports. Konrad’s catch raises many questions.

First of all, should fish that are raised in a pen be considered for world records by the IGFA. Share your opinions in the forum. Here’s a complete list of how the IGFA’s freshwater records stand at the time of this post.

My next question would be, what’s the biggest trout that can be had on a fly rod? If you’re interesting in fly fishing for football-sized rainbows, this DVD on the Kern River has some useful tips for landing such lunkers.