Record-breaking 24 pound trout caught in Loon Lake

July 8, 2021 4:54 PM

Connor Sarles,

Posted: July 8, 2021 4:54 PM

by Connor Sarles

LOON LAKE, Wash. — Caylun Peterson caught a record-breaking 24-pound tiger trout from Loon Lake last month, Fish and Wildlife confirmed Thursday.

WDFW says this fish broke the previous record of 18 pounds, set by Kelly Flaherty in Okanogan County in 2015. Peterson caught the monster trout while fishing early in the morning to escape the Inland Northwest heatwave.

“[Tiger trout] fight really good, they eat excellent, they’re just a blast to catch,” said Peterson, who said he was fishing for them, specifically. “I hooked into that thing and he pulled drag for quite a while before it stopped.”

Peterson told WDFW when he first caught it, he knew it was big fish. He considered letting it go, since he figured it would grow even larger by next year.

The fish was unable to swim away on its own, so Peterson took it.

“Honestly, I was ecstatic, but tried to let it go because I was thinking in my head that if this thing is this big now, in a year it might be a record,” said Peterson. “Well, it turned out it was a record anyway.”