Erin Howard is on one heck of a hot streak when it comes to catching trophy fish.
If the start of this year is any indication, 2018 is going to be a memorable one for Salt Lake City's Erin Howard.
On Feb. 4, this accomplished angler landed the would-be Utah state catch-and-release tiger trout record. Her fish measured an incredible 29 5/8 inches, which would have eclipsed the current record of 29 inches, but as a means to protect the fishery, she turned her back on the trophy and decided not to claim the title.
Less than two weeks later, Erin is once again playing tug-of-war with another monster fish, but this time it's a splake.
As you're about to read in Erin's own words, there were more than a few hairy moments getting this fish up and through the hole!
"I almost catastrophically lost this fish. Rod arched down the ice hole to save my line from fraying, drag screamed with each run and head shake. This was day three of fishing from before sunrise to after sunset, and I knew I was not getting another shot at a fish of this caliber, not only for the trip, but more than likely months or years.
"Who knows what time will bring, but in that moment when she was finally at the hole my heart dropped to my stomach as I realized, she wasn't coming up head first— so tail it was! Then, disaster. All the way out of the hole and onto the ice; she was safe. Suddenly, with one swift flick she somehow found a way to squeeze back down. Frantically feeding line to let her run, I accepted that was probably the only time I was going to see her. Luckily, she gave me a second shot and top-side she came.
"So here she is folks! My new personal best splake at a smidge under 29.5 inches."
Talk about icing on the cake!
An absolute stunner of a fish, and two incredible trophies landed in the just the span of weeks. I've heard through the grape vine that Erin has another fish story to share, so keep your eyes peeled as we'll be the first to bring it to you.
For those that aren't aware, the splake is a hybrid of two fish species resulting in the crossing of a male brook trout (speckled trout) and a female lake trout. Splake reproduction is extremely rare and has only happened in a handful of cases.
Congrats on another giant fish, Erin. And yes, we're jealous.
Like seeing photos of awesome angling and big fish? Follow Erin on Instagram HERE.
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NEXT: 10 MUSKIE HUNTRESSES SHOW US SOME BIG FISH THEY'VE BATTLED
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