Hayden Lake angler catches and releases longest northern pike
Courtesy photo Scott Kerns with his catch-and-release record northern pike. The fish was 44 inches long and weighed approximately 33 pounds. Kerns caught the fish while ice fishing Hayden Lake.
North Idaho angler Scott Kerns now holds the Idaho catch-and-release record for northern pike. He caught a 44-inch northern pike while ice fishing on Hayden Lake in early March.
“The fish, weighing approximately 33 pounds, was a true trophy for any angler,” wrote Rob Ryan, regional fisheries biologist, on the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Panhandle Region webpage.
Kerns wasn’t the first person to catch this particular fish. Fish and Game biologists caught, tagged and released this large northern pike as part of a fisheries study on Hayden Lake in 2015. Kerns reported the tag information on this fish, helping Fish and Game biologists better understand the Hayden Lake fishery.
Learn more about Fish and Game’s catch-and-release record program, by visiting idfg.idaho.gov/fish/record/catch-and-release.