37-lb. Trout Caught By NH Ice Fisherman Shatters State Record

WEST STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. (AP) — An ice fisherman from Meredith has shattered the record for the largest lake trout ever caught in New Hampshire.

Thomas Knight had a good feeling that the trout he hauled onto the ice on Big Diamond Pond in West Stewartstown on Tuesday was bigger than the previous record-holder, a 28-lb. trout caught in 1958.

The first scale he used to weigh it maxed out at 30 lbs., so he took it to a package distribution center, where he found out his catch weighed in at 37.7 lbs, according to the state Fish and Game Department.

"Most state records, when bested, are done so by only a few ounces," said fisheries biologist Andy Schafermeyer, who estimates the 40-inch-long fish was between 50 and 60 years old. "This fish is now the largest lake trout caught in all of New England."

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