An 18-year-old from Thunder Bay may be the new “ling king” of Ontario, when he landed what could be the new Ontario record for the species. On March 5, Landan Brochu was fishing on Jessie Lake, near Nipigon,Ont., with his father, Richard, when the whopper hit. “I had a huge hit on my rod so I set the hook,” he told CBC News.
“I thought it was a lake trout at first because it just started rippin’ it. My rod was completely buckled over.”
Brochu said he started reeling the fish up and it took several minutes to get it to the top of the ice hole.
Once the fish was near the the top of the hole, he said he could tell it wasn’t a lake trout.
“It was just rolling, instead of trying to swim away even harder.” he said.
Brochu had hooked the fish in an eight-inch hole and had trouble getting the giant’s head through. When the burbot’s head was finally inside the hole, he said he really got excited.
“It came up and I saw it and it opened it’s mouth and I couldn’t believe it,” said Brochu.
“I started dancing around, I even forgot to grab it and pick it up out of the hole.”
The fish started slipping back down the hole, so Brochu stuck his hand into the water wrist deep and grabbed its gills and pulled it up.
“I just looked at it and started jumping again,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Brochu’s father measured the fish and it was 37 inches in length and 22 inches around.
But the anglers had no clue what it might weigh.
“I’d caught a 12-pounder the other weekend and this one topped it for sure,” said Brochu.
After the fishing day was done, they returned to Thunder Bay and weighed the fish on a certified scale in a local meat shop. Read more at CNC News, by Gord Ellis here – http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-ling-king-1.3479823