‘We Needed a Bigger Scale’: Idaho Angler Reels In Monster Pike Weighing Over 40 Pounds for State Record

Courtesy of Thomas Francis via Idaho Fish and Game

The second his lure hit the bottom of Hayden Lake, Thomas Francis felt his line peel with a ferocity he knew “wasn’t normal.”

The avid angler from North Idaho would garner a new state record for his catch that day, March 21, reeling in a behemoth northern pike that weighed 40.76 pounds, measuring 49 inches long with a girth of 26.5 inches—it was an absolute monster!