My Largest Trout Ever

Due to our very mild winter and lack of ice cover on Lake Erie, we were able to begin the 2012 boating season nice and early! With that lack of ice and the warm temps, everything seems to be a couple to a few weeks ahead of schedule and the pre-spawn smallie and pike bites have kicked into gear. While casting suspending jerkbaits for prespawn lunker smallies, I hooked into this monster laker... and it just inhaled my lure. The net I had on board was not going to handle his fish and after a 10 min. battle and several attempts to bring her upstairs, by buddy was able to land her without the net!! After some quick measurements and a couple photos, it was back to the depths with her. It not only was this the biggest laker I have ever caught, but I believe this bruiser was a naturally reproduced fish to boot! Most of the lake trout I have caught from the Upper Niagara have been stocked fish, with their adipose fin's clipped. This fish's adipose fin is intact and clearly visible. A day for the record books!