More big fish and a special tiny one from August

Jason Williams with 40.75-inch pike caught and released

Jason with 27-inch walleye

Jerime Williams with 38-inch northern pike

Jerime with the first stocked lake trout our anglers have caught

Jerime with a 14-inch stocked lake trout

Brothers Jason and Jerime Williams had a heck of a trip to camp last August. Not only did they boat their personal bests on northern pike and walleye, they also set a record for the camp on lake trout. They were the first Bow Narrows anglers to catch and release trout that had been stocked through the MNRF stocking program. The 23-inch trout and the 14-inch trout shown above are both missing a fin. The MNRF clips a different fin each year from the trout that have been raised in a hatchery from eggs harvested from Red Lake wild trout. It's a different fin that is clipped each year so the location of the missing fin plus the length of the fish identifies when it was planted.
The 23-inch fish was probably released as an 18-month-old fingerling in 2012 at the east end of Red Lake. The 14-incher would have been stocked in the Potato Island basin in the west end in 2014.
We are expecting an explosion in lake trout numbers in the next few years from all the stockings in the past decade plus natural regeneration that is now taking place. Fishing regulations require all lake trout in the Red Lake water system to be released while this species rebuilds.
Jerime's 38-inch northern pike provided a special thrill.
"The pike Jerime is holding was not caught on a lure. It attacked and would not let go of the small pike that was caught on his lure. It held on during the entire fight, and even pulled drag when it saw the boat the first time. The second time he got it to the boat the big pike let go, but I had already got the net under it. That is the second time I have seen pike attack and try to steal smaller fish that are hooked," writes Jason.
All of the fish above were released.

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