It’s a possible record

Brad Stout

So there I was, reading my emails last week and I came across one from the RGJ about a young girl who caught a big fish, and it’s a possible record. Included is a phone number for more information. So what are the possibilities: a new bluegill or other sunfish record, maybe a yellow perch or even a crappie? Those particular state records are all four pounds or under, about the size of fish I figured a child could wrestle into shore. Boy, was I wrong.

I got in touch with Brad Stout, the proud father of Katie, an eight year old angler “…who has been fishing from the time she could walk,” Stout told me. And it was not a suspected state record she had broken, it was a world record in the International Game Fish Association’s listing of big fish caught by “smallfry” anglers, those 10 years of age and younger.

The preliminaries out of the way, I asked Brad the big question, “So, which species are we talking about here?” He answered, and that’s when my jaw dropped to the top of my desk, making a thud clearly audible throughout the house. This eight year old had hooked and landed a 30 pound mackinaw trout at Donner Lake. Her fish, caught off her dad’s boat April 3, surpassed the existing smallfry record by 10 pounds that was caught in 2005 at Lake Superior, Michigan.

I am certainly happy for the little fisher-person, but I must admit, I am a bit jealous–no, a lot jealous. I have been fishing for mackinaw, for the most part at Lake Tahoe, since 1973, and the largest mackinaw I have landed was an 18 pounder some years ago. I feel I have worked hard during the past 36 years and at least deserve just one fish over 20 pounds, not that a 30 pounder wouldn’t be nice. It just doesn’t seem fair. Then father Brad hit me with his next piece of information. Last year the fishing duo took eight fish over 20 pounds, with Brad’s largest mack weighing in at about 29 pounds.

Now I’d call him on this hard to believe statement (more honestly, an “I didn’t want to believe statement”) if he hadn’t quickly added that he has pictures of all of their big fish and he urged me to stop in at his place of business and take a look at them. He said that without the pictures, no one would believe his fish stories, so he always makes sure pictures are taken. Now there’s a problem I wouldn’t mind having.

So my next question was going to be, “Just how does an eight year old girl land a 30 pound mackinaw?” Before I could form my words as to not offend him, he explained that she uses a fighting belt apparatus that he has modified for her small body frame, the type used by adult anglers to land big game fish like sailfish, marlin and big tuna. In addition, he purchased a special 8 ½ foot slow action “noodle rod” for Katie that bends more than 180 degrees, acting effectively like a big shock absorber. The reel he chose is a super fast retrieve type that with every rotation of the handle, 22 inches of line comes onto the reel.

“I tighten the drag on the reel to where the fish cannot take any line and rely on the noodle rod to allow the fish to make short runs and fight, but not prolong landing of the fish,“ Brad said. “This is done to lessen the work my daughter has to go through to land the fish.” He added that he believes it is necessary for a child to get the fish in as soon as possible since the fun quickly wanes if it takes too long and they get tired of the fight. “We have had a few stubborn fish and I have seen the look on the face of the child and they are not having any fun if it takes too long to land the fish,” he added.

                                  

Brad admits that his technique is not perfect, especially if a big fish fights really hard. “We have lost a fair number of fish before they got to the boat, but I’d rather do that than burn the kids out.” Katie’s big fish was rather sluggish, he said, and was landed in less than five minutes.

After landing the fish, and a few quick pictures were taken, Brad says Katie asked if they were going to keep the fish and eat it. Brad told her no, due to the suspected age of the fish and the fact that since the fish was so old, it probably wouldn’t be very good to eat. Katie replied, “If we can’t eat it, we let it go, right?” And that’s what they did.

The paperwork has been completed and submitted to the IGFA, and once accepted, Katie will be one of the youngest world record holders in the book. Congratulations, Katie. By the way, you are my new hero.

                                                                                                       By Dave Rice