37-Year-Old Trout World Record Falls

Following up an earlier story I posted on the blog, Saskatchewan’s Adam Konrad has officially been granted the world record for his ginormous rainbow trout caught in the summer of 2007. While few media outlets have followed up on this story, Konrad’s catch on June 5 at Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, weighing in at 43 pounds, 9.6 ounces, was officially listed as the all-tackle world record for the species, according to the International Game Fish Association.

Konrad's catch breaks 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 trout – caught on a lure – was listed as the new world record despite the fact that it was likely a triploid, meaning it may have been genetically altered to carry an additional set of chromosomes that leads to an abnormal growth rate. Many have suggested the fish escaped from a nearby fish farm.

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