Lake City man catches giant 8.9 pound brook trout, breaks Colorado brookie record

A Colorado man has broken the state record for the largest brook trout ever reeled in. Matt Smiley, of Lake City, caught the fish last month in Hinsdale County.

Officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife sent out a news release on Tuesday with a photo of Smiley with the fish. It weighed in at 8 pounds and 9 ounces and was 26.25 inches long and had a girth of 16 inches.

Smiley caught the fish in Waterdog Lake, which is on the east side of Lake City in the Uncompahgre National Forest at an elevation of just above 11,000 feet. The longtime fisherman described the "experience of this catch" as surreal. He said the fish put up quite a fight, including jumping out of his net at one point.

"She pulled and rolled and was doing crazy things," he said.

After he caught the brook trout, Smiley hiked back to Lake City with it in his backpack and soon after had it weighed by a CPW aquatic biologist and the new state record was certified.

"The toughest thing for me with this whole deal was deciding to keep the fish. I've released so many over the years, but it was one of those deals where I made a quick decision and wanted to give this fish the recognition it deserves," he said in a prepared statement.

This is the third time in 2022 that the state's brook trout record has been broken. The record had previously held for 75 years. One of the previous record breaking catches was also made at Waterdog Lake.