May 11, 2011
Update: this record was broken by
Ed Ames
Topeka, Kansas — What can a brawny rainbow trout do when
confronted with the skill and determination of a seasoned angler?
Not much, as it turns out. Angling skill conquered brawn when Bob
Lorson hooked his dream rainbow trout in the waters of Lake Shawnee,
Topeka. Lorson, a Topeka resident and fervent Kansas fisherman,
caught an 11.02-pound rainbow on Saturday, April 2, and the fish has
been certified by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)
as an official state record. The fish measured 29 inches in length
and 16.5 inches in girth.
Lorson
and fishing buddy Paul Hottman launched their boat at about 7:30
a.m. intending to catch big fish. According to Lorson, “If you want
to catch the big ones, you’ve got to be prepared for them.”
So he loaded his fishing rod with a silver/blue Kastmaster lure on
the business end of a spool of 8-pound test line. It was a chilly
morning, though Lorson’s fishing would heat up long before the
afternoon high reached the mid-70s. The duo had been fishing only
about 45 minutes, and Lorson was on the fourth fish of a five-fish
limit when the big trout attacked his lure. He quickly realized he’d
hooked a big one but didn’t appreciate just how big it was until
later. During the 15-minute struggle, the embattled fish
tail-danced, jumped a few times, and made a run at the boat.
Hottman, as any respectable angling partner would, cheered his buddy
and shouted, “Don’t horse him!” Lorson gave the monster plenty of
line, not wanting to jerk the hook from its jaws or break the line,
which turned out to be a wise tactic. When the battle came to a
close and the tired fish was in the net, the lure fell from its
mouth.
Lorson initially guessed the fish’s weight at 8 to 9 pounds. He
learned this was a considerable underestimate when other friends
fishing nearby who had witnessed the struggle pulled their boat
alongside Lorson’s and offered up a spring-scale to weigh the fish.
When it showed 11 pounds, Lorson knew he was on to something.
Checking the KDWP website on his smartphone, he looked up the list
of state records and confirmed that he might have a state-record
rainbow trout.
Before a fish can be certified as a state record, anglers must
follow a specific procedure, and Lorson carefully adhered to the
process he read on the website. He first took his catch to Herman’s
Meat and Deli in Topeka for an official weigh-in on certified
scales. The fish had to be weighed and measured before it was
frozen. Engulfed in an admiring group of onlookers, Lorson proudly
looked on as the deli staff weighed his fish on two different
certified scales, and both instruments reached the same conclusion —
11.02 pounds.
The following Monday, Lorson took the fish to KDWP Region 2
fisheries supervisor Chuck Bever, who confirmed that it was a
rainbow trout. If the species had been suspect, tissue samples would
have been taken for further analysis. (Sometimes, a potential record
fish turns out to be a hybrid or not the species it was originally
thought to be.) With a certified weight, measurements, and
confirmation of the species, Lorson was ready to submit his
application for a state record. He sent the application to KDWP’s
Operations Office in Pratt where it was held for 30 days in case
evidence was offered that his story or the catch was not as it was
presented. That wasn’t the case, and Lorson’s catch was certified as
a new state record on May 4. The previous record was a 10.29-pound
trout caught at Shawnee Mission Park Lake a little more than a year
ago.
Lorson plans to have a taxidermist craft a replica of the fish and
then display the mount for all to admire. Grinning proudly, he
admits that he still hasn’t come to terms with his accomplishment.
Lorson, who has been fishing “like a crazy man” since he was 16, is
not a newcomer to big fish, however. He makes it a point to angle
for the largest specimens and enthusiastically recalls the big
walleye, smallmouth bass, and wipers he has hooked.
“I’ve caught a lot of big fish,” he said, “but I’m usually a catch
and release guy. I return catches to the water unless they’re worthy
of display or too worn out to live. But after the fight this record
trout went through, it was too exhausted to survive.”
Lorson is an energetic proponent of Kansas fishing. “There’s some
awesome fishing in Kansas,” he said. “It’s one of the state’s best
kept secrets.” He has fished many of the state’s lakes and numerous
private waters and has even won small tournaments at several
reservoirs. He likes Milford Reservoir and frequents Lake Shawnee in
Topeka and Coffey County Lake near Burlington, his favorite.
Lake Shawnee is seasonally stocked with rainbow trout with the help
of KDWP’s Community Fisheries Assistance Program (CFAP), which
improves fishing opportunities at community lakes across the state.
Under the program, KDWP leases fishing rights to the lake and
assists with managing the fish populations. The lease offsets the
local costs of operating and maintaining the fishery, and anglers
are charged no additional fees.
Lorson’s exciting story is one that many state record-holders can
identify with. If you think you’ve landed a record, consult the KDWP
website at kdwp.state.ks.us/news/Fishing/State-Record-Fish for
information and instructions on applying for a record certification.
Be sure to follow the instructions carefully. For example, freezing
a fish before it’s officially measured and weighed on certified
scales can change its natural numbers, jeopardizing an application.
It’s also important to have the fish examined by a KDWP fisheries
biologist who can verify the species.
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