Angler Reels In Record-Breaking Catch From Colorado Reservoir
When a father-son duo set out for their first fishing trip of the season at Colorado's Blue Mesa Reservoir at the beginning of May, they probably never expected to reel in a record-breaking catch - but amazingly enough, that's exactly what occurred.
According to Fox 31 News, on May 6, Scott and Hunter Enloe were aboard their fishing boat in the scenic Gunnison reservoir when they felt a (very big) bite on the line.
It took 13 minutes for the men to get the fish from the water into the boat, but that's because the trout on the eldest Enloe's line weighed 73.29 pounds and measured nearly four feet long. This trout is believed to be about 60-years-old, and could possibly be one of the reservoir's original fish, which were added to the body of water around 1966.
While the actual title is still pending, Scott Enloe will likely end up holding the world record for the largest lake trout ever caught.
One caveat that comes with attaining world-record status is the fact that the Enloe's released the giant fish back into the reservoir once they were done measuring it. Apparently, the World Record Association prefers the fish to be dead in these types of scenarios. Regardless, Enloe shared that he's okay with having possibly hindered his chances of appearing in the official record books, and is happier knowing that the fish swam way after being released back into the water
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The trout lured in on May 6 also broke the state record, which was a 50-pound Colorado lake trout, caught by Donald Walker in 2007. Prior to Enloe's epic catch, the largest lake trout on record was a 72-pounder reeled in by Lloyd Bull in 1995.
Enloe had previously caught a 36-pound lake trout which is impressive, but nothing compared to this beast.