Idaho Records Caught

Fishing

A fish pulled in by a Glenns Ferry angler not only is an Idaho record for mountain whitefish, but also it’s the largest ever captured anywhere.

Robert K. Hall caught a 5-pound-14 ounce whitefish at Island Park Reservoir Aug. 26. The fish was 22 inches long with a girth of 14 inches.

Officials from the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis., confirm the fish has established the current world record.

The old Idaho record also could have been a world record. The 5-pound-4 ounce whitefish was taken from the South Fork of the Payette River 56 years ago. The angler’s name was not recorded.

Another Idaho record fish came from a beaver pond in Custer County. Boyd Burnett of Moore caught an 8-pound-8 ounce brook trout-brown trout hybrid, also on Aug. 26. The fish was 24 inches long and 16-1/2 inches in girth.

The hybrid at first was thought to be a pure brook trout, but later DNA testing showed it was a combination of species. Brook trout belong to the char family of fish, despite the trout name.