Roll Back Thursday
World Record Brook Trout
My Quest started in 1979 when I talked too a old guy at the far end of Maligne Lake while fishing Rainbow and Brook Trout
..we had taken the Fisherman's Special that day which was a boat ride down to Fisherman's Bay which was 8 1/2 miles down lake on left hand side where there is a remote campsite and a dock where they had boats they rented or they would tow yours .. the day started with a few 1# to 2 # fish which we had put on our stringer as we trolled with our electric motor further down the lake as we were fishing I would look across the lake with my bino’s and watch the other green canoe that had went south .. we had only got another couple of fish by the time the day was done about 5pm as that was when the boat would come and get us at Fisherman’s Bay to head back down lake .. as we were chatting to the old guy and his son he asked how we did so we showed him our 5 or 6 fish between the 2 of us .. he commented that we had some good eats there so I asked how they did ..he said they had there limit and opened and fish box filled with snow and showed us some beautiful Brook Trout and Rainbows some reaching the 5# range ..I think I said they were about the biggest in lake but he replied that there were way bigger than that in lake ..when I asked how big were the biggest Brook Trout ..he replied over 10# Brook Trout and that he had fished the lake for over 40 years ... he also stated that the key to fishing those big fish was that most people would not land them and that you would only get 1 or 2 maybe 3 chances in your life time but they were there .. when I questioned him a bit more he went silent as I think he felt he had given me enough information and I didn’t believe him .. little did I I know that the info he past on too me that day was what all Anglers dream of
The Year of the Brook Trout was 1984 for me
June 12 1984 five years later the ice had just came off that day to allow us to head down too the first narrows and past ..so my self and 2 buddies' head down the lake too fish around the two narrows .. on the way down my one friend had got 5 trout on a Mepp’s spinner .. myself and friend switched too Mepp’s too and I...in one of my favorite bays we got 38 more Rainbows and Brook Trout .. on the way home we had 15 Trout over 3 # to 3 1/2# but nothing bigger ..the limit was 5 trout each so we had released the rest
June 13 1984 my 29th birthday and traveling day for a 4 night 5 day camp out at Fisherman’s Bay .. first I had too carry my 12ft aluminum boat on my back and put it on top of cruise boat along with 2 Cat Deep cycle batteries and 2 r27 battries and all our camping gear for the stay ..myself and my fiancé with her nephew had booked in for a adventure of a life time .. the cruise boat took us too Spirit Island and dropped us off .. as we trolled back too campsite we already had supper with a couple fine trout.. the next couple days were filled with catching trout & enjoying the beauty of Maligne Lake ..what a awesome 4 nights and 5 days ..on the last day it started to have a weather change about 4 pm as we headed back for Fisherman’s Bay too get picked up by the maintenance boat and towed back to home bay as it was cold my fiance and nephew were cold so he quit and she said to put her rod in hand hold’s on back of boat ... the lines had just been put out when I looked over at one rod to see if the tip showed the Wobbler was working right then I looked at my rod and I saw a hit so I grabbed it and put the rod tip back giving some slack and got another bite so I set the hook and past it to my fiancé while I brought in her rod really fast as I was bring in her rod I looked over at her fighting the fish and saw and heard what I had been hoping for the last 5 years ..wow the line was peeling out and the rod was bent right over and not coming up .. did I reel fast then ..her rods in and I asked for my rod back ..she smiled and said she would catch it as she new too it was the biggest fish she had felt !!! .... I knew that it was a huge trout and most likely a Brook Trout as it had not jumped yet .. the runs to the boat were amazing and there were 6 major runs where the gear ratio of my Robi reel could not keep up .. as she fought it would make that line and reel sing !!! I was standing and looking at it as it came up from the deep at front of boat where my nephew was ..as all I could see was a big dark shape I asked him if he could see it and he answer yes ..I asked if there was weeds or a branch with it as the shape looked very big.... he answer no it just was a very big one .. when i asked how big I said like 1 or 2 times as big as he had seen with me and he said no 3 to 4 times as big .. wow I knew then that we had a fish of a life time on .. 15 minutes later he came up on left side of boat and we all got a sight that we will never forget a 28” male Brook Trout in spawning colors with the kype nose and jaw ...wow what a sight ..then boom back to the bottom and another run number 4 .. about 45 mimnutes into the fight and on the 6th run my fiancé's arms were burning and she was done fighting the Brook Trout and maybe had lost it as the line was slack ..when she past my rod back to me I was praying that it was still on .. as I reeled in I could see the line start to tighten up and rod tip bend .. I was ecstatic.. wow he was still on .. 15 minutes later after many runs and me horsing him and slapping net on water to tire him out with his ever shorter runs I felt that he was ready too net ..why I did the following is still a nightmare too me !!! I tighten up the drag a bit and held him at the surface well with in netting range ..as I slowly put the net down he want to swim down so I dropped the rod tip I had held high and he went 2 feet down ..with me letting the pressure off a bit I saw the Green Doc Spratley floating away from his mouth ..OMG he didn’t even know he was off and was so tired he floated there before a wag of the tail slow move him further down ..June 17 1984 I have too say I am not smarter than a 28 inch Male Brook Trout :-{
June 28 1984 .. we took the Fisherman's Special again down to Fisherman’s Bay at 8:30 am and started what was to be a Epic Day ... my same friend and a different friend (late) headed down to try our luck .. the day was a bit over cast with a few small storm hitting us and both of them had trout on stringer and I had shaken off a couple small one’s ..they were laughing at me as they were kicking my butt .. all I said all day is that I only want one fish and it had to be the kind that make’s your rod bend over and won’t let it bounce back up .. your not going too get any then was their reply .. we were heading back towards Fisherman’s Bay and coming up a point when my friend that was on the outside got hit which got off so I grabbed my rod out of the hand grips on back of boat and almost instantly felt a bite so I put the rod tip back and waited for another bite when it did I set the hook and rod tip bent and it didn’t come back up ... the line was peeling out like it did for the Male 11 days earlier as I got her under the boat I started to try too get her to surface so I could see her I thought that the 8# line would break or the rod .. my one friend said I have a snag and laughed ..I said snags don’t take line and kept the pressure up 20 minutes later I got her up enough to see her ...wow what a female Brook Trout . the same friend said it’s a Rainbow which I knew it wasn’t as it was at the back of boat right in front of me 10 feet down ..bam down she went never too be seen until the last 10 minutes .. I had to lead her out from shore 3 times back into 120 feet of water and had her run across the boat forcing me too put my whole rod into water and pass it too my left hand the tip of rod to stop the line from touching the boat while keeping pressure on the line
.. what a fight I was shaking as my nerves were frazzled .. when she was up top at the end my buddy said he would net her but I firmly stated that I would be the only one too net her .. if I lose her it my fault if you lose her wow... as she turned on her side I slipped the net under her and lifted it to capture my trophy of a life time.. as I did I let out a Prime Evil yell that could be heard in Jasper 40 miles away!!!!!
I had a hand spring scale which I put on her and got a reading of 14# just over may-be 2 oz or so .. took her off scale then did it again showing my buddies .. rather than put her on the stringer with the other guys 2 n 4 fish I kept her in the boat and said too the guys is it ok if we call it a day as it was sprinkling they said yes lets go .. it took us quite a while too get back to Spirit Island dock and then asked for them(tour Boat) too radio for the speed boat to come get us.. they said they would but couldn’t till through the first narrows which would be about 25 minutes .. as the passenger unloaded a older gentleman came out of boat and asked if we got any I told him that we had 7 they had 6 and I had one big Brook Trout which he asked too see .. I lifted her up his excitement was plain to see and he exclaimed that it was huge and could I wait till he got his camera out of the boat he ran back into boat and came back out quickly with his camera too take picture (Bill Ruddy)..in picture you can see I broke her gills and she bleed out.. he had work at Maligne Lake boat house and cruise boats for years when younger and was there with wife for a wedding anniversary.. as he was talking too me he mentioned that I should keep her wet as I was losing weight ..I replied that I didn’t want too lose her but yes
about 40 minutes later the speed boat came and got us and took us back to home bay and the boat house we then weight her but the scale wasn’t working proper so we took her too Jasper and weight her in at 12#13oz after 3 –4 hour out of water and broken gills that cause her to lose blood
She is recorded in the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward Wisconsin as a 8# line class World Record and is the second biggest in the World Record books with her being 1 oz under the Alberta Record which was never record in the World Record books
is there bigger Brook Trout in Maligne ...... if you put me under oath I would have too say yes
enjoy
David... :-}
