Derby Fisherman Catches a State-Record Rainbow with a Vintage Rod and a Live Worm
Derby Fisherman Catches a State-Record Rainbow with a Vintage Rod and a Live Worm
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The 76^(th) annual Riverton Fishing Derby was held April 11 on the West Branch of the Farmington River in southwestern Connecticut. It’s a popular tradition for countless anglers, and the state fisheries department stocks the river with big broodstock trout every spring with the help of local fishing clubs.
Rich Courtright, 20, and his dad, Richie, have fished the derby annually for years, and the father and son were at it again in April. Along with the rest of the crowd, they fished from 6 to 10 a.m., and then brought their biggest fish to the weigh-in. Using 6-pound test line, Rich baited a worm on a small, size 8 hook with a few split shot above it. He cast it out with an old trusty Penn spinning reel his dad had given him, coupled with a vintage, 4-foot 8-inch ultralight rod that his uncle gifted him as a kid.
Soon, he hooked into a giant. The trout never jumped, and Rich worked hard to keep it out of the river’s main current, knowing it could take off and strip all the line from his old reel. He fought the trout for nearly 10 minutes, finally bringing it close and into a large hoop landing net.
On Monday, Connecticut officials declared Rich’s rainbow trout the new state record, with an official weight of 16 pounds, 7.5 ounces. It tops the previous record of 14 pounds 10 ounces, that was set in 1998.
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The 76^(th) annual Riverton Fishing Derby was held April 11 on the West Branch of the Farmington River in southwestern Connecticut. It’s a popular tradition for countless anglers, and the state fisheries department stocks the river with big broodstock trout every spring with the help of local fishing clubs.
Rich Courtright, 20, and his dad, Richie, have fished the derby annually for years, and the father and son were at it again in April. Along with the rest of the crowd, they fished from 6 to 10 a.m., and then brought their biggest fish to the weigh-in. Using 6-pound test line, Rich baited a worm on a small, size 8 hook with a few split shot above it. He cast it out with an old trusty Penn spinning reel his dad had given him, coupled with a vintage, 4-foot 8-inch ultralight rod that his uncle gifted him as a kid.
Soon, he hooked into a giant. The trout never jumped, and Rich worked hard to keep it out of the river’s main current, knowing it could take off and strip all the line from his old reel. He fought the trout for nearly 10 minutes, finally bringing it close and into a large hoop landing net.
On Monday, Connecticut officials declared Rich’s rainbow trout the new state record, with an official weight of 16 pounds, 7.5 ounces. It tops the previous record of 14 pounds 10 ounces, that was set in 1998.
Read more: [https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/connecticut-rainbow-trout-record/](https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/connecticut-rainbow-trout-record/)