Catchin’ the Big One …

It’s the season for fishing, so for all those anglers out there, let’s talk trophies. Lake Pend Oreille has long had a history for delivering the big ones—everything from rainbow and bull trout, to mackinaw and Northern pike. So what are the biggest fish that have ever been pulled from our majestic waters? In 1995, Jim Eversole caught the largest fish ever taken from Lake Pend Oreille—a 43 pound, 6 ounce Mackinaw. But the lake’s also known for its huge rainbows, which are coming back. The largest rainbow to be fished out of the lake was a 37 pounder caught in 1947 by Wes Hamlet. Why such big fish? An abundance of Kokanee to feed on, for one.