24.9kg brown trout is believed to have been caught, dwarfing previous record.
Eyewitnesses reportedly saw an angler land a 24.9kg brown trout in the Pukaki-Ohau, an alpine lake on New Zealand’s South Island. To compare this significance of the find, according to the International Game Fish Association the current record stands at 19.1kg, thanks to Otwin Kandolf who caught one in the same area in 2013.
NZ locals are now being asked for help in tracking down the fisherman down so that they can confirm the record, according to the wanakasun.
A near-by salmon farmer who helped the angler with keeping the monster fish cool with ice may hold the clue in identifying him.
Fish and Game field officer for the Central South Island region Rhys Adams told the publication that confirming the potentially world-record-breaking monster trout is proving difficult.
“Secrecy surrounds the catch and we want to solve the mystery,” he said.
“This is an amazing fish and we would love to confirm it but at the moment, the lucky angler is keeping quiet. Because of the international significance of the catch, we would like to hear from anyone who has more information or details.”
“Witnesses say the fish was landed after a two and a half hour fight,” F&G communications advisor Richard Cosgrove said. “Once he had the fish landed, the angler wrapped it in his shirt to keep it cool before getting ice from a nearby salmon farm and rushing it to a taxidermist. He also got it weighed on certified scales to confirm that this was the fish of a lifetime.”
High Country Salmon and Mount Cook Alpine Salmon are closest to the site in question and SalmonBusiness has approached them for comment.
