A New Record on Payette Lake
A 44-inch lake trout caught on Payette Lake on July 8 has set a new Idaho catch-and-release record. The fish was caught by Kim Anderson, who pulled it from the same lake where Dylan Smith of Idaho Falls had set the previous record of 43.25 inches on May 2. Officials with Idaho Fish and Game confirmed the record was broken just a few months after Smith's catch.
The record is the sixth time a record fish has been pulled from Payette Lake since 2016, and Anderson's fish is the third record in the last two years.
A History of Management
Lake trout, which are long-lived predators that can survive for more than 40 years, grow beyond 40 inches in length and can exceed 50 pounds. They were introduced into Payette Lake in 1955. By the early 2000s, lake trout abundance had increased dramatically, leading to thin and undernourished fish that still reached decent lengths but more closely resembled eels than trophy freshwater fish. The abundance also meant big declines in the kokanee population, the lake trout's main diet, officials said.
By 2014, fisheries managers recognized that action was needed. They began reducing the number of smaller lake trout to lessen predation on kokanee, while releasing trophy-sized fish. Since 2018, staff have removed approximately 3,100 lake trout from Payette Lake, averaging roughly 445 fish per year, ensuring a healthy fish population that has consistently led to record catches.
"Payette Lake is arguably one of the premier lake trout fisheries in the state of Idaho," officials said in a statement in May.
Record Requirements
Idaho anglers pursuing catch-and-release records must document their fish with photographs alongside a measuring device and submit an application within 30 days of the catch.