# State Record Brown Trout



## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

We have a new State Record Brown Trout! It was caught in Frankfort Harbor by Casey Richey. It weighed 36 lbs 13 oz.,
beating the old state record by 2 lbs 3 oz. It was 43.0" long, with a
girth of 27.0". See the pictures below. Needless to say, it was a very
impressive fish. It was a beautiful chrome-silver fish, as many Lake
Michigan brown trout are.

Casey is the son of the late George Richey, and the nephew of Dave
Richey. Both George and Dave are very well-known in the fishing
community of Michigan. Dave was an outdoor writer for the Detroit News
for 23 years. He maintains a webpage and a blog, and he details Casey's
catch in it.

Read about and take a look at photos of this hog: http://daverichey.com:80/pMachine/weblog.php


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## severus (Feb 8, 2000)

> "The trick is to fish often and go where brown trout are caught in the spring."


What a simple truth that is. Good article.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

very nice,like to have got that in the tourny this past weekend.


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## Splitshot (Nov 30, 2000)

Outstanding fish. The last state record came from Arcadia so there must be something in the water around the area that is condusive to big fish.

The Richey family tradation continues. Congradulations are in order. It just isn't hooking a big fish like this, but actually bringing it to net. A real accomplishment.

Whit, you should spend more time there.


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## Cut Bait (May 25, 2004)

OMG is that Xs on that thing?










I'd mess my pants catching a fish like that. Thanks for posting what we dream about!


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Cut Bait said:


> OMG is that Xs on that thing?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL.... the infamous X's. 

That is one heck of a fish!


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Cut Bait said:


> OMG is that Xs on that thing?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That fish is indeed X rated!..............:yikes:


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## det07 (Mar 26, 2006)

I wonder if he is getting it mounted and if so who is doing the work? Puts my brown to shame! Beautiful fish!!


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

I emailed Mark Tonello, a DNR fisheries biologist out of Harrietta (west of Cadillac) asking him if they could determine what strain the new state record brown trout was.........seeforellan??.

Here is his reply:

_"Our best guess, based on scale analysis, is that it was a naturally
reproduced fish. We have a process that we use for steelhead scales by
which we can determine hatchery vs. wild fish. Our technicians used the
same process on the big brown, and by that analysis it turned out to be
a wild fish that was five years old.

If it were a hatchery fish, there is no way to determine the strain of
the fish simply by looking at it. I know some folks think otherwise,
but that is just not true. I even have one guy who claims he can taste
the difference between strains."_

A five year old, wild trout! That is amazing._



_


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

If that fish had any sperm, the DNR ought to be banking the stuff.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Fishndude said:


> If that fish had any sperm, the DNR ought to be banking the stuff.


Nope! Not at this time of year.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Whit1 said:


> I emailed Mark Tonello, a DNR fisheries biologist out of Harrietta (west of Cadillac) asking him if they could determine what strain the new state record brown trout was.........seeforellan??.
> 
> Here is his reply:
> 
> ...


Wow, now we know where all the baitfish went!


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## Gone Fishing (Jul 31, 2001)

Wow, 5 years old. I would have guessed more like 15 although I have no idea how long those fish can live. What a beauty!!!


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

It looks like a hen to me. Wow, imagine tagging her in late November when she's all loosened up, better bring the WHOLE BOX of ziplocs ! Man that would be alot of spawn, makes me drool just thinking about it.....


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## axisgear (Jan 24, 2007)

Can you imagine how many gobies that thing devoured in five years to get THAT huge:yikes: !


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## Blueump (Aug 20, 2005)

Whit1 said:


> I emailed Mark Tonello, a DNR fisheries biologist out of Harrietta (west of Cadillac) asking him if they could determine what strain the new state record brown trout was.........seeforellan??.
> 
> Here is his reply:
> 
> ...


Okay not to throw cold water on this....but "_our best guess_"?:

#1 - to tell a fish's age all you have to do is look at a scale under the microscope and count the rings...like a tree. 

#2 - hatchery fish always have a fin clipped. Its that obvious. No clipped fin = wild fish.

I personally have a *VERY HARD* time believing that a fish of this size is only 5 years old!


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## SurfDog (Jul 12, 2005)

> #2 - hatchery fish always have a fin clipped. Its that obvious. No clipped fin = wild fish.


FYI: MOST hatchery fish are clipped however Kings, Coho's and Brown trout are not. Thats what made it so hard to figure out all the specifics on this fish. I just hope it had the opportunity to pass on it's gene's a few times.


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## PineIsland (Aug 15, 2001)

Blueump said:


> Okay not to throw cold water on this....but "_our best guess_"?:
> 
> *#1 - to tell a fish's age all you have to do is look at a scale under the microscope and count the rings...like a tree. *
> 
> ...



Sounds simple enough to me. What a bunch of rookies !:lol:


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

Blueump said:


> #2 - hatchery fish always have a fin clipped. Its that obvious. No clipped fin = wild fish.


You would be wrong on this point. Michigan does not fin clip brown trout. I raised the question with Mark Tonello last month when a dandy brown of 14 lbs with a clipped fin was taken off a local pier.

As for having a hard time believing what the DNR biologists say, well, that's your choice.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

The DNR does fin-clip lake-run browns. Nearly every brown I caught last winter had a left-pelvic fin clip, indicating a stocked, seeforellen brown trout. Those were Lake Huron fish. And 36lbs at five years old is possible with lake browns, they are eating machines, and eat any and everything.


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## Trout Scout (Apr 27, 2005)

I don't want to get into a match with everyone but the bioliogist is right on.
I'm actually a biologist by trade and a fisherman that has caught quite a few browns over 20 lbs and those fish were aged 3 to 4 years. We always thought that the next year someone was going to catch one over 30lb. They eat so heavily that they burn out. I have never met the biologist in Cadilliac but he is right on and sounds like he fishes which most of them do not! Its a great fish and I'm sure it had its niche in that area. Casey deserves the fish and I'm sure he knows how great a feat it was finding, hooking and landing all in the same day. Congrats again. Capt. Ed


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Blueump said:


> Okay not to throw cold water on this....but "_our best guess_"?:
> 
> #1 - to tell a fish's age all you have to do is look at a scale under the microscope and count the rings...like a tree.
> 
> ...


 Why would anyone make a statement like that?
The DNR fish stocking database clearly shows they do not always clip the browns planted in the area.
Take a look...http://www.michigandnr.com/FISHSTOCK/
As for the age, you don't think the DNR knows how to age a fish? And besides, what data do you have on this fish?


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## Blueump (Aug 20, 2005)

Here is the note I got back from Dave Richey regarding the age and source of the fish:

*Paul:

They took scale samples but I havent heard a word about the age of the fish. My buddy  Jack Duffy of Leland  held the state record at 31 1/2 pounds for about eight years. His fish was seven years old. My nephew, Casey, and I feel the fish is probably 8 or 9 years old. Its just a guess. We too believe it to be a wild fish, but fin clips are occasionally missed when the fish slides out of a technicians hand. Its too hard to chase down so there goes a hatchery fish without a fin clip. It happens often. -- Dave*


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

First off aging fish by just a scale is not as simple as someone above made it sound it is not just like aging a tree. Using scales for aging isn't that acurate in smaller fish it can be, but bigger fish it is really difficult to be sure. You need to use the otoliths if you want to be accurate in the age. Even then it takes someone with experience dealing with them to get it right. Scales are a cheap way to get an idea, but not very accurate way of measuring age. OT


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## eddiejohn4 (Dec 23, 2005)

What a hog.


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## Johnny G (May 3, 2007)

big, mature salmon of the 20+ lb. size are only about 4 years old, then they spawn and die. a brown of that size is at LEAST 5 yrs old. they eat way more than salmon, and salmon eat a ton


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