David Hunsicker had the time of his life fishing in Pohopoco Creek, Pennsylvania, at the end of April. The cherry on top? He reeled in a rainbow trout that weighed 15 pounds – potentially enough to break the state’s record! But alas, he decided not to pursue it and miss dinner with his family instead.
The huge trout was weighed by Hunsicker on his own hand scale and unofficially weighed 15 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 31 7/8 inches with a girth of 20 1/8 inches. It would have been five ounces heavier than the state record for rainbow trout held for 37 years if the official scale had confirmed his measurement.
Hunsicker told local news outlet that it would have broken the record.
Using a four-pound test line and an ultralight rod, Hunter hooked the trout in one of the creek’s deep holes near a log. He lives in Palmerton, not 10 minutes from Pohopoco Creek. He added that he’s caught plenty of big trout in the same creek before, as well as other small creeks connected to Beltzville Lake.
It was a sight to behold, however, to see such a potentially record-breaking fish.
In some cases, it’s just a matter of taking a few casts at your local hole while you can. It takes over an hour to reach the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s office from Pohopoco Creek, so Hunsicker said he would have changed his dinner reservations if he took his record-sized rainbow in.
Instead, he enjoyed a delicious meal with his family, and his hefty hook will soon be mounted.
Sources: wideopenspaces
