BILLINGS — A Laurel teen is a new Montana record holder when it comes to fish.
Bridger Burroughs, 14 years old, caught a five-inch Rocky Mountain sculpin in the Yellowstone County Canal west of Laurel on March 15.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a news release that the newest state record fish weighed .063 pounds, beating the old record (caught in Belt Creek in 2001) of just .050 pounds.
Burroughs caught the fish on a small plastic worm cast from an Ugly Stick rod.
The weight of the fish was verified on a certified scale in Billings and FWP biologists positively identified the species.
Bridger's catch adds to the list of Montana record fish caught in the last year and a half, including a walleye, a chinook salmon, a brown trout, a longnose sucker, a Utah chub, and a largemouth bass.
Anglers who think they caught a state record fish should keep the following things in mind:
- To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool — preferably on ice.
- Take a picture of the fish.
- The fish must be weighed on a certified scale (found in grocery stores or hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by a store employee or other observer. Obtain a weight receipt and an affidavit from the store personnel if no FWP official is present. Measure the length and girth.
- Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified by a fisheries biologist.
Click here to see a list of state record fish caught in Montana.
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