Record trout the latest lunker record set in NNY
Last week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced a new state record brook trout was reeled in by Benjamin L. Ferguson, a dedicated brook trout angler from Lowville.
He caught a 22-inch, 6-pound, 3-ounce "brookie" at the St. Regis Canoe Area on July 5, edging out the 2013 state record by 3 ounces. The fish was caught while slow trolling a Lake Clear Wabbler — a classic spoon-type lure that has a long tradition in the Adirondacks. The Lake Clear Wabbler, according to the company, was introduced in 1920. Lakeclearwabbler.com explains: "The original Wabbler was cut out of a headlight bezel with a pair of tin snips by H. Robare, a French Canadian fishing guide at Clear Lake in the Adirondacks. He was looking to improve his odds, and that, he did. News of his success soon got around and Mr. Robare started making more of these lures and christened them, 'The Lake Clear Wabbler.'"
"This new state record brook trout is particularly special given our commitment to advancing the conservation of this iconic species," DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a news release. "Benjamin's record-setting catch further highlights this unique resource, which only the Adirondacks can provide."
Ferguson submitted details of his winning catch as part of DEC's newly revamped Angler Achievement Awards Program, which tracks state record fish and recognizes anglers that catch any of the 40 eligible fish species that meet or exceed the minimum qualifying lengths established for that species. Anglers with qualifying catches receive official recognition, along with a species-specific sticker commemorating their achievement.
The program's three categories: Angler Award; Youth Angler Award and State Record.
Northern New York waters have caught on to the program.
On May 3, Dylan Kampnich of Dexter caught the first record-setting fish of the year in the state when he caught a 37-pound 9-ounce channel catfish from Black River Bay in Jefferson County. Kampnich's record-breaking catch surpassed the previous state record catfish caught in 2022, also from the Black River, by 13 ounces.
On May 13, Alex Pidhorodeckyj, an investment adviser who lives in Peekskill, Westchester County, caught a record fallfish while angling with a buddy and a guide on the St. Lawrence River near Massena. Pidhorodeckyj's fallfish, 20 1/4 -inches in length, weighed in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce. The previous state record for one was 3 pounds, 9 ounces, set in 2009.
In August, Charles "Chuck" W. Zimmerman of Hilton, Monroe County, caught the first state record fish of 2024 with a 53-inch, 15-pound, 14-ounce longnose gar he caught on Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County. His catch surpassed the previous state record of the species, caught in Lake Champlain in 2018, by 1 pound, 4 ounces. Gar, which have been described as "living dinosaur," have lived in North American waters for 50 million years.
As part of the Angler Achievement Awards Program revamp, anglers are now able to submit entries for qualifying catches from the convenience of a smart phone through an online entry form. For official program rules, eligible species, and associated minimum qualifying lengths, visit the Angler Achievement Awards webpage at tinyurl.com/DECanglerachieve.
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