New Hampshire man catches 37-pound lake trout, the largest ever caught in the state

Joshua Bote | USA TODAY

A fisherman in New Hampshire broke a more than 60-year-old state record by reeling in a fish weighing 37 pounds.

Thomas Knight, 58, caught the big laker last Tuesday at Big Diamond Pond in West Stewartstown. As soon as he reeled it in, he placed it on the ice to marvel at the fish’s sheer size.

He was aware of the record set in 1958, which was 28 pounds, and it already seemed bigger than any fish he’d caught before.

Knight then called New Hampshire fisheries biologist Andy Schafermeyer to inspect and verify the fish’s size. A biologist needs to authenticate a fish before it becomes an official record.

“I’m not sure who was more excited,” Schafermeyer said in a statement from New Hampshire Fish and Game. “I knew the fish stood a very good chance of breaking the record.”

In fact, the trout was so large that a typical state-certified scale to weigh a fish – which maxes out at 30 pounds – couldn't handle it. The larger state-certified scale, which was at a package distribution center, weighed the fish at 37.65 pounds, shattering the record by almost 10 pounds.

Schafermeyer said the fish, which was more than 40 inches long, is also the largest lake trout caught in all of New England. He estimates the fish is about 50 to 60 years old.

"I’m glad he got it. This couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” Schafermeyer said.

Knight did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

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