A 13-year-old boy from Kemmerer, Wyoming, caught a tiger trout from the Viva Naughton Reservoir to break a state fishing record.
Jaxon Krall reeled in the 12.77 pound fish that stretches 31.25 inches long and has a girth of 16.75 inches, according to a press release from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department (WGFD).
Krall caught the fish using a Thomas Buoyant lure. The previous state record for tiger trout was 11.93 pounds and the fish was caught on the same reservoir.
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“I was fishing for anything that would bite, but I knew when I hooked it that it was big,” said Krall, according to the release.
Jaxon Krall set a new state record in Wyomying for a tiger trout. (WGFD)
Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid of the brook trout and brown trout.
Krall’s father, Robert Krall, told Fox News Digital that his son “was very excited when he landed the fish and even more excited when he found out he is the new Wyoming state record holder for tiger trout.”
Jaxon Krall said he’s anxious to return to the same reservoir to try and catch another tiger trout, but he wants to release the next one, according to the press release.
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“Viva Naughton has a large Utah chub population, and Game and Fish hoped stocking tiger trout would help curb the numbers of Utah chub in the reservoir and provide diversity to the fishery,” said WGFD officials.
Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid of the brook trout and brown trout, according to the WGFD. (TravisLincoln)
Robb Keith, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Green River Region, said he’s not surprised with the performance of tiger trout in Viva Naughton.
“We stock small numbers of tiger trout to provide an opportunity for anglers to catch an exceptional fish from time to time,” Keith said in the release.
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Keith said he expects the reservoir to continue to grow exceptional fish.
Robert Krall of Wyoming told Fox News Digital that his son, Jaxon Krall, “was very excited when he landed the fish and even more excited when he found out he is the new Wyoming state record holder for tiger trout.” (WGFD/TravisLincoln)
“We see them predominantly close to shore down to 25 feet of water. They are found close to structures. They are eating shiners and Utah chubs, so anglers should choose lures, flies and baits that resemble these forage fish,” Keith said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the WGFD for additional comment.