Here's the new Utah state record lake trout, caught in May.
'Tis the season for fishing records to fall, and the latest comes out of Utah's Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Matt Smiley caught and released this 48-inch lake trout, giving him the new catch-and-release record for the species.
The state DWR says weight is not a factor in these types of record measurements, so we aren't sure of the thing's total heft. Nonetheless, 48 inches has got to translate to a lot of pounds.
Check this thing out:
Smiley's lake trout is technically longer than the state's previous overall record, which was not catch-and-release. Curt Bilbey caught that fish in Flaming Gorge as well, and it weighed 51 pounds, 8 ounces and measured out to 45 and 1/8 inches.
The world record lake trout, according to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), is a 72-pound monster caught in Canada's Great Bear Lake. As long as Smiley went about it correctly and took the proper steps, he could be in line for the IGFA all tackle length record, which sits at 108 cm, or about 42 and a half inches.
If anglers want to get in on the kind of record fish action that produced this megamouth last month, now would be a good time to try. As the summer months heat up, fish finish spawning and start to lose weight. If there's a record-breaking catch in your future, it's probably going to happen within the next month, otherwise you're probably waiting until the fall.
NEXT: 83-POUND NETTED LAKE TROUT IS A MERCILESS TEASE FOR SPORT ANGLERS
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