COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A Coeur d'Alene man secured a new catch-and-release state record when he pulled in a massive Westslope cutthroat trout on Friday.
Tom Weadick caught the 21-inch trout while flyfishing in the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. Idaho Fish and Game said that the angler had been hoping to catch a large trout, and had brought along a tape measure and camera to document his fish before letting it go.
Westslope cutthroat are native in tributaries to the Columbia River Basin ranging from central and North Idaho into British Columbia. The trout can be found in the Salmon, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, and Clark Fork rivers and have been introduced into alpine lakes around the state as well.
Weadick's fish beats the previous record of 19.5 inches, set by Dwaine Hasenoehrl in 2016 when the catch-and-release record program started, according to Idaho Fish and Game. Fish and Game noted that Weadick also holds a record for bull trout, which are often found in the same rivers as the Westslope cutthroat.
Fish and Game recognizes catch and release records for Idaho's three native cutthroat species - Bonneville, Westslope and Yellowstone - as well as the Lahontan cutthroat, which was introduced to the state' river systems.
For more information on Idaho Fish and Game's records, click here.
