30"+ Brown!!!

[itchmesir]

Reports said a 30" ~10lb Brown was pulled out of the Lanesboro Area.. Don't go hunting for it because it was kept.. who wouldn't keep a SE MN fish of a lifetime? It is/was real.. confirmed via Lanesboro Hatchery

**I'd post more but I was informed via another board so I will not post anymore info or pics without their permission.

[Scudly]

Well not my photo. Just revived a copy through the grapevine.

Steve Klots in Lanesboro Fisheries says fish is 30" and 12 lbs. Caught opening day on a worm with 10 lb test.

[DARK30]

Holy Cow! I wonder of it was above or below the dam.

[Ufatz]

Well ya just ruined my day. Hauling out that giant baby trout factory....on a $%#$# worm yet, and then dragging if off to plaster it on a wall is just sad.

Whatever.

[reinhard1]

that is a nice brown. good luck.

[Nate McVey]

I'm with Ufatz.........

[mark p]

I don't know if it's true or not, but I have heard that trout that old aren't very productive spawners.

[leech~~]

Well ya just ruined my day. Hauling out that giant baby trout factory....on a $%#$# worm yet, and then dragging if off to plaster it on a wall is just sad.

Whatever.

Um, what he said! It is hard to put back a fish of a life time although!

[reinhard1]

here is my take on it. would i have released it, sure i would. however the guy has a licence and can do what he wishes as long as it's leagal to do so. to him, as leech said it's a fish of a lifetime. to him its a memory he will always have right there at home. i had a friend who cought a 11 lb. king salmon some years ago on a foggy morning in front of the babtism river.

he took it home and mounted it. still has it to this day. was it to small to mount? perhapst, however the whole day was a special day for him and that salmon was part of it. we dont know how many browns this person has realeased but are quick to critisize one fish he kept. i say this was a special moment for him and congradulate him on his catch. good luck.

[Riverratpete]

Unfortunately it the narrow minded attitude of some anglers when it comes to CR that ruins it and makes it uncomfortable for most people. He paid for a license, caught the fish legally, did due diligence. Get off his back..Enjoy the moment and mount away my friend.

[goblueM]

bummer to see it taken out of the stream... I would have released it. But, its hard to be that upset - fish of a lifetime and probably nearing the end of its life anyways

[JIvers]

Obviously a huge fish, as the hatchery confirms, even if the photographer played some games with the lens and perspective.

On another site, someone posted the name of the stream (a small feeder creek) this beast was allegedly caught in; having fished that stream and others in the area for over twenty years, I suspect it didn't come from very far up the small stream named. In that feeder creek, an 18" brown is a big fish. This fish would have had its back out of the water in most pools there.

It's possible that this big trout used high water to move up a small creek, but I'm betting it came out of the Root itself, or the mouth of a stream very close to the Root. A huge fish, regardless.

[itchmesir]

Obviously a huge fish, as the hatchery confirms, even if the photographer played some games with the lens and perspective.

On another site, the name of the stream (a small feeder creek) this beast was allegedly caught in was given; having fished that stream and others in the area for over twenty years, I suspect it didn't come from very far up the small stream named. In that feeder creek, an 18" brown is a big fish. This fish would have had its back out of the water in most pools there.

It's possible that this big trout used high water to move up a small creek, but I'm betting it came out of the Root itself, or the mouth of a stream very close to the Root. A huge fish, regardless.

Yeah I'm willing to bet on it that it came in from the river during the high water... there is no way that beast would have been in there for that long any no one caught it before... with all the pressure it sees.. I got all the specifics too but im not gonna post anything that would seem hush hush to the OP's that I got it from

As for the people who are complaining that it was taken out.. 1) like others said.. he paid for a license.. he has all the rights in the world to take it home.. 2) That fish is OLD! That fish is probably in the 15-20yr age range.. that's 15 years of passing on solid genetics.. back to being old.. it's obviously not as fertile as it use to be... 3) According to the DNR... they shock a trout around this size every so often.. So don't worry.. there are plenty of monsters out there still.. oh yeah and 4) Who the cares what he caught it on.. he caught it.. don't be haters

[walleye365]

Congrats to this guy i couldnt be happier for him. Being jealous that you didnt catch it dont give you the right to attack him for keeping it Grow up.

[so haaad]

As a friendly reminder, please keep all posts well-intended and civil. Congrats to the individual who caught this monster! A 30-inch stream trout from SE MN or anywhere in this region is a fish of a lifetime. It always amazes me how different the big ones look.

[fishface]

That is a great catch!

The odds of getting it in on a 3 or 4 wt fly rod are ahhhh....

slim?

Who's going to use something bigger in a stream that size?

I've had 14" fish wrap me up good in the brush on the stream that giant was caught in.

But,

I've also seen a number of fish that would be wieghed by the pound,(not double digits though), in there.

If I had the $ I'd be very tempted to hang it up. He's done his genetic job,

for MANY years.

[fishface]

Same stream 3 years ago. think it's him?

[Driftless]

fish that old are shooting 85 percent blanks.

It planted its genetics for a decade. When they

make keeping a big trout against the law...I will

quit trout fishing.

Congrats Josh on your red worm caught monster.

I would have mounted it without a single second thought.

[Scudly]

A brooder reaches a certain size and age where it is no longer reproductive. This is known as a spent brooder. Steve told me they don't ever keep a brooder around to get this big, it would be a useless fish to them. Anyway I just want to point that out, not getting into another c&r debate here.

I believe this fish lived in the Root. When the Root gets high and muddy, trout retreat to the mouth of spring creeks or even go up a ways to relax while the Root clears. Do 30" fish live in spring creeks too? Yes but rare. Guessing that fish lived in a deep dark pool in the Root most of his life.

[itchmesir]

One of the biggest trout in minnesota was shocked in a tiny spring creek.. borderlining the 35-36" 15# range

@Len.. I've seen you and others make comments about how WI stream fishing just isn't up to par as MN this year... Do you think it has to do with the strict unnecessary regs? Does WI DNR work with landowners the same way they do here in MN? I asked this on another forum.. just wanna get thoughts on why WI is declining in quality production while MN is having record numbers of quality trout surveyed this year

[Driftless]

Wisconsin has traded quality trout for quantity of trout.

The c/r push here is really strong and many streams here are over populated.

Too many trout mean smaller trout. There is also a big drive for Improving Habitat here. HI....Lots of people call it Habitat Improvement. I call it Homogenizing Insanity.

Big trout don't like tapered banks and golf greens....They want cut banks and big trees over the hole to hide.

[itchmesir]

that 30"er was pulled out of some pretty heavily HI'd stream.. I really don't think HI or lack of HI is gonna have a complete over haul of what size trout you are gonna find in that stream.. WW, Trout Run, Hay, Vermillion.. the list goes on.. all have some big trout in them.. and plenty of HI $$$ put into them... There must be something else up... the heavy c&r mentality over there probably has a little to do with it.. but the same mentality is definitely found on this side of the border too...

Its got to be something else

[Driftless]

that 30 incher is out of the root following the white sucker spawn. It is eating spawn and suckers. This is exactly what Steve from Lanesboro told me. Bet when suckers aren't available he is snacking on some lunker bunker fish stick sized browns.

[Driftless]

all of the big browns Mark has been showing on DTA ...98 percent of them are from marginal water with NO HI and low populations of trout.

[oleWalter]

Sweet Jesus...

That is an awesome catch. Who cares if he caught it on a nightcrawler?? I applaud your catch sir.