The fisherman could barely hold it. The record pike measures nearly 127 cm

In the US state of Idaho, another record was broken in the so-called catch-and-release formula. This time it’s about northern pikewhich was caught by Timothy Hicks while fishing on Lake Pend Oreille. The fish measured 49.75 inchesi.e. approx 126.4 cm. This was enough to improve the previous state record three quarters of an inch. The previous result had been held since 2020 and belonged to Scott Blahnik, who set it on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

A record pike was caught and released

A record catch was made June 13. The Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the new result in an official release.

This is another recent record. Authorities point out that Idaho has been breaking a lot of new records in the catch-and-release category lately. Previously, the results have already been improved, including: lake trout, brown trout and native chiselmouth.

The northern pike is not a native species

Although the northern pike is a well-known predatory fish, is not a native Idaho species. According to local authorities, these fish were illegally introduced into local waters in the 1970s.

Today they are found in many lakes in the northern part of the state. For this reason, the department encourages anglers to actively fish for this species. Unlike many other fish, in the case of pike there are no quantity limitswhich you can keep.

The authorities encourage catching pike

State services emphasize that the presence of this predator is important for the local ecosystem. The northern pike is a carnivorous fish and may affect the populations of other species. Therefore, the new record has not only a sporting dimension, but also draws attention to the problem of introduced species.