October 20, 2022
A Rigby, Idaho angler recently landed a new Idaho catch-and-release record cuttbow from the world renown Henry’s Lake. Hailey Thomas’s 36-inch hybrid bested the previous state record by a full six inches, and had a girth of 21 inches.
“Hailey did a phenomenal job fighting the fish and keeping it out of the abundant weeds, notorious for knocking large trout off the line,” Hailey’s husband Shane said in a press release. “After a stressful minute or so, I reached out and scooped up the fish. The net I usually use for chasing carp looked so small, as the fish barely fit in it.”
The fish was estimated to weigh between 17 and 20 pounds.
Cuttbows are hybrid rainbow X cutthroat trout. Cuttbows are actually stocked at Henry’s Lake, along with brook trout and pure-strain Yellowstone cutthroat trout, due to their fast growth and vigor.
Idaho catch-and-release records must be photographed next to a ruler/measuring tape or an object of verifiable length, must be released alive, and there much be at least one witness.
