Roger Hellen Lands a New World Record Brown Trout, Rival to Tom Healy's Fish Caught Last Year
Story submitted by Pete Johnson of the International Game Fish Association.
Less than a year ago Michigan’s Tom Healy made headlines in the fishing world by catching a new IGFA World Record brown trout weighing (18.8 kg) 41 lb 7 oz. And this past July 16, Roger Hellen of Franksville, Wisc., USA stirred a great deal of talk after landing an equally big brown trout (Salmo trutta) weighing 18.82 kg (41 lb 8 oz). Hellen was fishing Lake Michigan, off the Wisconsin coastline trolling a Fishlander spoon when the monster hit it taking him 30 minutes to land. Though Hellen’s fish is one ounce heavier than the current all-tackle record set by Healy on Sept. 8, 2009, according to IGFA World Record requirements, to replace a record fish weighing 11.33 kg (25 lbs) or more, the replacement must weigh at least one half of 1 percent more than the existing record. Bottom-line, Healy and Hellen might be sharing an IGFA World Record tie for their two fish.