Kansas Rainbow State Record

[Phil Lilley]

http://cjonline.com/sports/outdoors/2011-04-23/topekan-catches-state-record-trout

By Steve Bell

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

If Ed Ames hadn’t plied the waters of Lake Shawnee in his fishing boat for many years, he might not have believed what he pulled from the lake on Wednesday.

Ames caught a state-record rainbow trout that tipped the scales at 13.65 pounds.

The big trout was almost too big for the net Ames and his longtime bass-fishing partner — Gary Day — used to land the fish.

“Gary made three attempts at netting the fish,” Ames said. “It was a story of having a small net and a big fish.

“It was a (feeling) of relief that it was in the boat.”

After catching the fish, all Ames and Day had to do was find a scale big enough to weigh it.

“My weighing measure only goes to 10 pounds,” Ames said.

Ames contacted Ned Kehde, a former Topeka Capital-Journal outdoor writer, and Kehde brought a scale that accommodates bigger fish — a 50-pound scale.

Ames had the trout weighed at The Dock, the Lake Shawnee bait shop at the northwest corner of the lake behind the dam.

What followed was a lot of paperwork (there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period before certification), and Ames sounded happy to have all of that behind him.

But, the joy of hauling in a state-record fish made up for all the hubbub his catch created.

“I had my buddy take a picture and we took that photo by the (Shawnee County) Parks and Rec office at the lake,” Ames said. “They put the photo up on the wall. They were pretty proud of that.”

The trout measured nearly 32 inches long and was 17.25 inches in girth.

Ames is equally proud of his catch, and he’ll have it mounted.

Ames took the trout from the lake using a Kastmaster (basically a silver spoon), which mimics shad, a primary food source for the fish.

“We were on them (trout) this year,” he said. “They put some big fish in here this time.”

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks stocks Lake Shawnee with trout every year, and anglers fish for rainbows in the late fall or early spring.

Ames said he isn’t sure if the trout he caught was stocked by KDWP this year.

“I was looking at the tail, and I think it might have been from last year or the year before.”

The Topekan’s fish beat local angler Bob Lorson’s April 2 catch for the state record.

Lorson’s 11-pound plus rainbow taken from Lake Shawnee eclipsed the previous best by about three-quarters of a pound.

Lorson, a KSNT sales representative, also used a Kastmaster (silver and blue) to hook his fish. The previous state best was a 10 1/4-pounder caught by Eric Chia, of Olathe, in March 2010 at Shawnee Mission Park Lake.

Ames is pleased a local impoundment has so many fishing opportunities.

“It’s great to have a local fishery,” he said. “I have to travel just 4 1/2 miles from home and I’m there.”

Ames has many stories about his bassin’ days with his partner, Day, but he won’t soon forget the date of April 20, 2011.

“It must have been the right place at the right time,” Ames said.

Steve Bell can be reached at steve.bell@cjonline.com.

[Gary Lange]

That is something because Bob had been fishing with a friend of mine when he caught his record Rainbow. That record sure didn't last long at all.

[mhall02]

Interesting, looks like they have some hold over fish from one year to the next. Must be cold enough somewhere in the lake to keep them alive year around..a spring somwhere?

[troutfiend1985]

Interesting, looks like they have some hold over fish from one year to the next. Must be cold enough somewhere in the lake to keep them alive year around..a spring somwhere?

Yeah, I read something to that extent in the paper last november. Never have been to lake shawnee, even though its right down the street from me. But back to the point, they tag some trout that they stock in the lake, and anglers have caught some trout that have been in their over a year or two. Don't know how many make it. And like bears in the woods, I don't know where they hang out during the summer. I would have to imagine down deep, but I don't know how well the oxygen level would be down there.

Anyways, I've heard that there is a trout that is around this size(maybe even bigger) in one of the little ponds in north central kansas, but apparently no one has caught it yet.

[Tim Smith]

Yeah, I read something to that extent in the paper last november. Never have been to lake shawnee, even though its right down the street from me. But back to the point, they tag some trout that they stock in the lake, and anglers have caught some trout that have been in their over a year or two. Don't know how many make it.

If a lake has depth and a rock bottom with high oxygen, rainbows can make it oversummer. They're ok up to 25C and they can even handle that if they're getting enough food.

But in this case, I question the hold-over theory. That fish is way over-weight for a wild fish and the tail looks like it has spent time in a concrete raceway recently.

In the quarries I fished put and take trout with my kids, we caught fish with shaggy rounded fins like this one, and fish with sharp, healed fins. I would have expected this fish to look "wilder" than this over the course of a year in a lake. It just looks like a brood-stock fish to me.

[troutfiend1985]

If a lake has depth and a rock bottom with high oxygen, rainbows can make it oversummer. They're ok up to 25C and they can even handle that if they're getting enough food.

But in this case, I question the hold-over theory. That fish is way over-weight for a wild fish and the tail looks like it has spent time in a concrete raceway recently.

In the quarries I fished put and take trout with my kids, we caught fish with shaggy rounded fins like this one, and fish with sharp, healed fins. I would have expected this fish to look "wilder" than this over the course of a year in a lake. It just looks like a brood-stock fish to me.

I don't think this was a hold over fish, but I was just saying that there have been some tagged trout caught in Lake Shawnee which were holdovers.

[Tim Smith]

I don't think this was a hold over fish, but I was just saying that there have been some tagged trout caught in Lake Shawnee which were holdovers.

Sorry TF, shouldn't have left your quote in there. The original article suggested it might have been a hold-over.

[FishinCricket]

Ames took the trout from the lake using a Kastmaster (basically a silver spoon), which mimics shad, a primary food source for the fish.

I hear those kastmasters do pretty good..

[flytyer57]

I hear those kastmasters do pretty good..

Well those Kastmasters and Little Cleos certainly work for steelhead on Lake Michigan. Just caught a brown on a Little Cleo down at Buffalo City a couple of weeks ago.

[mhall02]

That fish is way over-weight for a wild fish and the tail looks like it has spent time in a concrete raceway recently.

I would have expected this fish to look "wilder" than this over the course of a year in a lake. It just looks like a brood-stock fish to me.

Hummm....I wish the pectoral fins looked that good on the MO brood stock. If that was here, I would say it is not a brood stock fresh out of the hatchery. MO brood strock pec fins are ususally worn down to little nubs or at least quite worn, this fish has some nice pointed ones. I've seen gut eaters in the parks and in Taney with a lot bigget guts than that guy. Maybe the fins grow back that good in 4-5 months??