A 13-year-old boy from Kemmerer, Wyoming, has made headlines after catching a record-breaking tiger trout at Viva Naughton Reservoir, setting a new state record. Jaxon Krall reeled in a massive 12.77-pound trout, measuring 31.25 inches in length and 16.75 inches in girth, according to a press release from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD).
Krall used a Thomas Buoyant lure to catch the trout. The previous state record for tiger trout was 11.93 pounds, also caught at the same reservoir.
„I fish for anything that will bite, but when I caught it, I knew it was big,“ Krall said, as quoted in the release.
Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid of brown trout and brook trout. Krall’s father, Robert Krall, told Fox News Digital that his son was „extremely excited when he caught the fish and even more excited when he found out he was the record holder for tiger trout in the state of Wyoming.“
Jaxon Krall expressed his desire to return to the same reservoir to try and catch another tiger trout, but he intends to release the next one, as stated in the news release.
„Viva Naughton has a large population of Utah chub, and Game and Fish hope that by stocking tiger trout, it will help reduce the number of Utah chub in the reservoir and provide diversity in the fishery,“ said a WGFD official.
Robb Keith, the wildlife and fisheries supervisor in the Green River region, mentioned that he was not surprised by the appearance of tiger trout at Viva Naughton.
„We provide a small number of tiger trout to give anglers the opportunity to catch an exceptional fish from time to time,“ Keith said in a statement.
Keith hopes that the reservoir will continue to grow exceptional fish in the future.
„We mostly see them near the shore up to depths of 25 feet above the water. They are found near structures. They feed on chub and Utah fish, so anglers should choose bait, flies, and lures that resemble these green fish,“ Keith added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to WGFD for additional comments on the record-breaking catch.
