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This isn’t a fly-fishing story, but those of us who love pursuing trout can still marvel at the proportions of the incredible fish caught by guide Eric Haataja in Milwaukee Harbor last December. According to an article on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel website, Haatja’s 38-inch monster has been certified as a world record by the International Game Fish Association in the new all-tackle length division.
In the past, an angler had to have a fish weighed on a certified scale to have it qualify for a world record. This usually meant killing the fish. The new length records allow catch-and-release anglers to get in on the action.
Haataja estimates that the fish, which he caught on a homemade hair jig (which is kinda like a fly) weighed between 28 and 29 pounds. The IGFA all-tackle record still belongs to Roger Hellen of Franksville, Wisconsin, for the 41.5-pounder he caught in 2010.