Bonaparte tiger trout likely state record

FISHING – An 18.49-pound tiger trout caught May 5 from Bonaparte Lake near Tonasket is a pending state record.

Kelly Flaherty, 53, of Priest River hooked the lunker 10 feet from shore on what he said was going to be the last cast of a long day of slow fishing.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale an measured by Washington Fish and Wildlife  staff at 32.5 inches long with a girth of 21.75 inches, but officials said Friday the record had not yet been officially processed.

If approved, Flaherty’s fish will top the 15.04-pound state record set in 2012 at Roses Lake in Chelan County.

A tiger trout is a cross between a brown trout and brook trout. The hybrid is a sterile trout that’s fond of eating forage fish.  Tigers are stocked in lakes where they can help control prolific sunfish, perch and other forage fish.