Trophy Lake Trout Was World Record Size

A trophy lake trout caught in Canada would have been a world record if it had been caught with rod and reel, according to media reports.

By Game & Fish Online Staff

When you need to use two arms to hold up a fish, you know you've got something huge.

That was the case with a recent catch on Canada's Great Bear Lake that has been shared multiple times on social media.

The 83-pound lake trout that was caught by members of the Deline First Nation tribe in the Northwest Territories would have been a world record, according to many media accounts, if it had not been caught with a gill net (the anglers were legally sustenance fishing).

A guide for Plummer's Arctic Lodges, which is located on Great Bear Lake and specializes in hunting and fishing trips, posted info and photos on the fish March 11 on Facebook. Brandon Isaac posted on Facebook, "83-pound lake trout. Blows my mind even typing that."

Isaac added the anglers tried to revive and release the fish, but were unable to resuscitate it.

"83 lb lake trout. Blows my mind mind even typing that, as the official world record (with rod and reel) is 72 lbs. This was netted by the Deline First Nation on Great Bear Lake, NWT (sustenance fishing). The fisherman tried reviving it but it was already dead (gill net).

Their community is 150 miles away on the opposite side of the lake from our lodge. I've been privileged to visit them twice. Amazing people and stewards of the land.

This fish is part of the reason why I love guiding in the arctic. Every morning, every guide launches their boat thinking "today could be the day". The new world record is cruising around there somewhere. And since we're a catch & release lodge - the 50 pounder caught 10 years ago is potentially still alive, but 20-30 pounds bigger." —   Plummer's Arctic Lodges guide Brandon Isaac on Facebook.

The current rod-and-reel world record, also caught at Great Bear Lake (in 1995), weighed 72 pounds, according to the International Game Fish Association.