Boise State Public Radio reported the following. It’s a near-miss lunker. Jason Waidelich had the catch of a lifetime on the Boise River this month when he hooked a rainbow trout that weighed a whopping 19.25 pounds.
The 32-inch long monster was just shy of the state record held by Michelle Larsen-Williams, set in 2009. She hooked her 20-pound, 34.25-inch long rainbow on the Snake River in 2009.
Idaho Fish and Game biologist John Cassinelli agrees. “That’s pretty insane from the Boise River.”
Fish and Game officials don’t keep records for individual rivers or lakes across the state, but Cassinelli guesses, “If it’s not a record, it’s definitely in the top two or three,” for the Boise.
Similar-sized trout are spotted from time to time between Lucky Peak Dam and Diversion Dam, though – the exact area where Waidelich was fishing.
“[The trout] have more of a chance to grow when Diversion Dam diverts water to New York Canal and it basically creates another small reservoir,” Cassinelli says.
Dams can also set up a buffet for these fish to gorge themselves on.
On the north fork of the Clearwater River just below Dworshak Dam, anglers catch similar behemoths.