Record Utah chub caught at Canyon Ferry Reservoir

Steve Hagen of East Helena reeled in a record Utah chub on March 7 from Canyon Ferry Reservoir. The fish weighed in at 2.39 pounds and measured 15.9 inches in length and 10.4 inches in girth. The previous record Utah chub, caught at Canyon Ferry in 1992, weighed 1.81 pounds.

Hagen’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 smallmouth bass, a yellow bullhead, a brown trout, a longnose sucker, and a largemouth.

With a total of 91 native and introduced fish species found in Montana, interest in fish records has increased in recent years. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks maintains the list of record fish, and it is available on FWP’s website at https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/anglingData/records.

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.