Utah anglers broke 11 fishing records in 2022 | KSL.com - KSL.com

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A fisherman fishes at the Provo River in Provo Canyon on Sept. 27, 2020. Anglers in Utah set 11 new records in 2022. (Yukai Peng, Deseret News)

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SALT LAKE CITY — Among the many milestones and groundbreaking events that occurred in Utah this year, an impressive 11 new fishing records were also set.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been tracking records for harvested fish since the early 1900s. The record fish program includes harvested fish, catch-and-release records, and fish caught using alternate tackle, such as spearfishing, archery and setline.

"The primary reason that the DWR tracks record fish is to provide anglers with recognition of their achievements," said Craig Walker, DWR's aquatics assistant chief. "The public records are also a fun way to encourage anglers to get out on the water and hopefully encounter some of the large fish Utah has to offer."

There are 34 state catch-and-keep angling records, 38 state catch-and-release records, 21 state spearfishing records, six state setline records and three state archery records in Utah.

Four new statewide fishing records were set in 2021, 11 in 2020 and five in 2019. For those who think they may have caught a record-breaking fish, a submission form and instructions can be found on the Department of Wildlife Resources website.

The 11 new records are as follows.

The catch-and-release records:

Black bullhead: Set by Taylor Hadlock on July 19 at Quail Creek Reservoir. The fish was 16 inches long.
Black crappie: Set by Draygen Picklesimer on April 18 at Quail Creek Reservoir. The fish was 16¾ inches long.
White crappie: Set by Taylor Shamo on Feb. 9 at Gunnison Bend Reservoir. The fish was 12⅞ inches long.
Bonneville cutthroat trout: Set by Eli Gourdin on April 18 at Lost Creek Reservoir. The fish was 25¼ inches long.
Colorado River cutthroat trout: Set by Eli Gourdin on March 25 at Currant Creek Reservoir. The fish was 22 inches long.
Tiger trout: Set by David MacKay on May 6 at Fish Lake. The fish was 29¼ inches long.
Walleye: Set by Jon Torrence on April 15 at Utah Lake. The fish was 33 inches long.

The catch-and-keep records:

Bonneville cutthroat trout: Set by Bryan Olsen on April 18 at Lost Creek Reservoir with a 4-pound, 12-ounce fish that was 24¼ inches long. However, that record was then broken by Willie G. Carollo on July 17, also at Lost Creek Reservoir. The new record fish was 10 pounds, 2.24 ounces, 28 inches long and had a 17.5-inch girth.
Wiper: Set by Hunter King on June 18 at Newcastle Reservoir. The fish was 16 pounds, 8.32 ounces, 31 inches long and had a 24-inch girth.

Spearfishing records:

Striped bass: Set by Darvil McBride on April 30 at Lake Powell. The fish was 6 pounds, 3 ounces, 27¼ inches long and had a 17-inch girth.
Non-native cutthroat trout: Set by Ryan Peterson on June 4 at Fish Lake. The fish was 3 pounds 14 ounces, 22½ inches long and had an 11-inch girth.