You never know who you might meet on the Tongariro River. Last week I met a world champion!
Turangi anglers’ modesty, with regard to their skill and experience, is amazing.
TRM’s fishy photo taken last Wednesday is a local “retired?” fishing guide, Seamus from Turangi.
He was about to release another fresh run silver Rainbow in the Tongariro River. So?
This report is to warn he should not be confused with the other “anon” Seamus who would not provide his full name so he does not officially hold the world record for landing the biggest brown trout in 2020 (44 lb 5 oz) although his record achievement is acknowledged on the International Game Fish Association website… TRM recognises it too. Confused?
TRM do not usually promote spin fishing for artificial hormone-enhanced pellet-fed canal-raised fat slobs in another region, but this story had to be told…
Massive trout caught near Twizel officially breaks world record
(Feature news story by Rachael Comer)
A large brown trout caught near Twizel is weighed in Pleasant Point in October 2020.
A massive brown trout caught from the Mackenzie hydro canals, near Twizel, in 2020 has officially been recognised as a record breaker.
The 20.10 kg (44 lb 5 oz) fish, landed by Seumas Petrie, of Tūrangi, was hauled from the Ōhau canal on October 27, and donated to the Razza Bar and Bistro in Twizel to be taxidermied and hung up on a wall at the establishment alongside other big catches – a 38.9-pound trout and a 38.2-pound trout.
The trout has now been recognised by the International Game Fish Association, breaking the previous record catch, a 19.1 kg (42lb 1oz) fish, caught by Otwin Kandolf, in the same canals in 2013.
At the time of the record breaking catch, the fisherman wished to remain anonymous, and only known as “Seamus from Tūrangi”. However, to be recognised as an official record holder, the person’s full name must be used.
According to the International Game Fish Association website the record is now held by Seumas Petrie. (Another name change?)
In order to help to sort out any confusion, we took TRM’s official taxi (“BENY”) on a road trip down there last year to investigate and report on the Razza bar. (aka The Twizel RSA) Unlike some fishos tales, the photos below dated 26 November 2021 do not lie.
Every angler acknowledges that it is absolutely normal for the weight of trout to increase after being released. But what about after mounting? How did it grow from 42 pound in the news article to 45.7 pound in the photo? Or is it the same trout?
In this age of digital photo-shopping, perhaps photos cannot be believed any more. Consider the photos below of BENY wading through remote farm streams, or allowing SWMBO to drive BENY – I mean, who would believe that! Ignore that as this was supposed to be a fishy story celebrating the brown trout world record by an angler from Turangi. (Trout Fishing Capital of the World).
