New Arkansas State Record Cut Throat Trout

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New state record -- Cutthroat Trout weighing 10.02 pounds and measuring 26” length and 19” girth.

On September 29th, 2018, at approximately 12:30 PM, Mr. Mike Bowers from Abilene, Kansas, was fishing the North Fork River, just adjacent to Gene’s Trout Fishing Resort. Mr. Bowers was using a Bass Pro Shop ultralight spinning rod with 4 pound ultra-light green line, #14 bait holder hook, and salmon egg. (This was not in the Catch & Release Area)

Mr. Bowers then hooked onto something huge. His line started going out and he set his drag to about a 80% torque. Then his line went limp and seconds later a monster trout jumped out of the water. At first, it appeared to be a Brown Trout. The fight ensued and Mr. Bowers was able to reel the trout to the boat and capture it with his net. Once in the boat, he examined the trout and discovered it was not a Brown but a huge Cutthroat Trout. Knowing that the current Arkansas State Record for a Cutthroat Trout was 9.1 pounds, he immediately brought the Cutthroat back to the dock of Gene’s Resort.

Everyone gathered around and the trout was put on the scale and weighed. The arrow on the scale tipped all the way around and rested at 10.25 pounds. Mr. Bowers immediately put the Cutthroat in the Hospital Box for recovery. Attempts to recover this huge fish for over an hour failed and the Cutthroat eventually died. Mr. Bowers was very saddened as he sincerely wanted to release the Cutthroat back into the North Fork River, regardless of its size and possible state record status.

The Arkansas Game and Fishing Commission (G&F) was contacted and Mr. Bowers, along with Mr. Scott Sillence, Owner of Gene’s Resort, met with Game Warden Doug Small and Chief Fish Biologist Christy Graham at the G&F offices in Mountain Home. There, the Cutthroat Trout was officially weighed on a certified digital scale and it was announced that the Cutthroat weight 10.02 pounds. Christy Graham stated and declared that we now have a new Arkansas State Record Cutthroat Trout.

Within the next few months, the original Cutthroat Trout will be mounted for Mr. Bowers with 2 replicas being made. One replica will be sent to and on display at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s corporate office in Little Rock, and the other will be displayed in the office of Gene’s Trout Fishing Resort (next to the 5 pound State Record Brook Trout on display).

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