BOONSBORO, Md. — There's a new state record holder for rainbow trout.
It belongs to Jean-Philippe Lartigueof, of Bethesda.
The retired fisheries biologist caught a massive 17.44 pounder on February 10 from Antietam Creek in Washington County.
To secure his lucky catch Lartigueof used a spinning reel, eight-pound test monofilament, a small split-shot weight, and No. 8 hook baited with a natural worm.
The previous state record was set in October 1987 by Dave Schroyer, who reeled in a 14.2 pound rainbow trout.
According to Lartigueof, the 32 inch fish didn't go down without a fight.
“I knew the fish was a very large trout, but I did not see how big it was at the beginning of the fight,” Lartigue said. “I finally saw the fish, and it made two very long runs to the opposite side of the creek and was hard to move. I also had to keep the fish away from some bridge abutments, which could have cut the line easily. . . . After a very long 30-minute fight, I was able to tire out the fish and grabbed it by the jaw with my fingers since I did not have a landing net large enough.”
