On June 6, Shelby Holder, an enthusiastic fly fisherman from Kemmerer, discovered that perseverance in the face of misfortune can yield magnificent results. After unintentionally breaking three of his four fly rods, he decided to hit the water for a quick jaunt to relieve his frustrations. Little did he know, the trip would culminate in a new Wyoming state record for tiger trout with a hefty weight of 14 pounds and 15.2 ounces.
"I never thought I would have caught anything big, much less set a new state record," said Holder regarding his unexpected triumph on the Hams Fork River near the Viva Naughton Reservoir. The catch not only showcased his fishing prowess but also marked a continuation of a remarkable trend; it was the third consecutive year that a record tiger trout has been captured from the same general area.
"Tiger trout are sterile hybrids produced by crossing female brown trout with male brook trout," explained an official from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. They began stocking these hybrid fish in the Viva Naughton Reservoir in 2014, and it seems that the program is paying off.
Early that fateful morning, Holder armed himself with the last fly rod in his possession: a fragile 1-weight rod equipped with an 8-pound test fishing line leader. Acknowledging the weakness of his gear, he targeted smaller fish, particularly rainbow trout, in order to minimize the risk of snapping his only remaining rod.
"That’s the lightest fly rod that you can get," recounted Holder, underscoring the challenges he faced that day. However, fate had other plans in store, as he soon spotted a formidable tiger trout dominating the river.
"He was just the bully of that little stretch of river," Holder observed, noting that the large fish was pushing other trout around. Even though Holder knew he was engaging with a significant catch, he remained zealous about the odds against him.
Determined, he initially threw larger flies into the water, but the tiger trout showed no interest. It wasn’t until he switched to smaller offerings, including a wooly bugger, that the tide turned in his favor. "I started tossing big flies at him, but the tiger trout seemed uninterested," he remarked; persistence was critical. After successfully hooking the tiger trout, Holder faced a thrilling half-hour battle to bring the fish to shore without risking damage to his fragile equipment.
"That was a delicate work, trying not to break my line or snap yet another fly rod," he recounted, his tone laced with both excitement and relief. Eventually, he succeeded in landing the massive fish, which measured 31.2 inches in length and boasted a girth of 19 inches.
The previous tiger trout records for Wyoming were 12.77 pounds and 11.92 pounds, both of which were recorded in the same vicinity, with the earlier capture in 2023 by Owen Schaad from Cheyenne. "I guess the tiger trout population is thriving around Viva Naughton Reservoir," an analyst from Wyoming Game and Fish remarked on the influx of big catches coming from this region.
Looking ahead, Holder has plans to immortalize his remarkable catch. He expressed excitement over having his record-setting tiger trout mounted in a lifelike display by Kelsey Reese of Piney Creek Taxidermy in Sheridan. "She puts a lot of detail into her work," he said, reflecting his anticipation for the expert craftsmanship in preserving his triumph.
For fly fishermen and enthusiasts alike, the recent record not only highlights the bounty of fish in the waters near Kemmerer but also conveys a message about the importance of patience and resilience in the face of challenges. As this trend of record-breaking catches persists, local anglers eagerly await what the future seasons may bring.
