Fisherman Nets Record-Breaking Tiger Trout in Arizona
Carl Erickson hooked the impressive hybrid while fishing a high-elevation lake in the central part of the state
On the morning of June 22, Arizona angler Carl Erickson hooked into a state record tiger trout that measured 23.5 inches and tipped the scales just a few ounces shy of six pounds. Caught on a crank bait, Erickson’s impressive hybrid trout is the second of its species to upend the Arizona state record in less than one year.
The trout’s official weight was 5 pounds, 15.4 ounces, the Arizona Department of Fish & Game (AZDFG) said in a June 27 Facebook post. Erickson caught it in Woods Canyon Lake, a popular fishing destination about two hours northeast of Phoenix. He was using a short-billed, yellow-sided crank bait designed to mimic a crayfish.
Woods Canyon Lake is a popular destination for anglers in the Grand Canyon State. The canyon-bound reservoir, situated on the Mogollon Rim, spans 55 acres and reaches depths up to 40 feet. AZDFG personell regularly stock the lake with both tiger and rainbow trout. It’s one of several water bodies in the area known collectively as the “Rim Lakes.”
Angler Bryan Morgan logged the previous tiger trout record with a fish he caught in December 2022. That trout also came from Woods Canyon Lake and weighed 5 pounds, 11.8 ounces. Morgan caught it using an ultra-light spinning combo spooled with 6 pound test while fishing from a boat on the edge of the ice in 15 feet of water.
Related: Wyoming Angler Catches Record-Breaking 12-Pound Tiger Trout
Hatchery biologists raise tiger trout by crossing a female brown with male brook trout. Once stocked, they’re known to feed voraciously in shallow water on crawdads, worms, aquatic insects, and baitfish. Cathy Clegg caught the reigning IGFA all-tackle world record tiger trout on Loon Lake in Washington State back in 2022. That fish weighed 27.42 pounds.
