A fisherman caught a record-breaking fish in Hayden Lake on Tuesday, March 21 according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The fish weighed in at exactly 40.76 pounds, and was 49 inches in length.
The fisherman’s name is Thomas Francis. Francis says that he is an avid angler and fishes for pike almost every day. His goal is just what he accomplished on that fateful day: to catch a huge pike.
According to Francis, he could tell that the size of the fish was larger than usual almost as soon as it bit down on the bait. At one point during the fight with the fish, Francis saw the giant fish leap out of the water.
Once he got the fish out of the water, Francis had a hard time determining the fish’s weight because many scales weren’t built to handle such a huge load. Finally he confirmed that the fish was a record-breaker.
Francis doesn’t show any sign of stopping: “I like having pike around; they are the biggest fish we can go after here in North Idaho, and I fish for them almost everyday.”
