A 10-year-old boy has caught the new state record Cutthroat Trout in the Boone tailwater of the Holston River, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
“Can we get some love for 10-year-old Palmer Tipton who caught the NEW STATE RECORD Cutthroat Trout?!?! Palmer’s 4 lbs. 12 oz. fish was caught in the Boone tailwater,” the TWRA announced in a social media post.
Tipton’s catch breaks the state’s previous record 2 lbs, 8 oz fish.
In 2021, the TWRA released 2,550 Cutthroat Trout into the upper portion of Fort Patrick Henry Reservoir on the Holston River below Boone Dam to “provide a unique fishing opportunity in some of Tennessee’s tailwater fisheries.”
The fish were initially stocked in a few of Tennessee’s tailwaters in the 1950s through the early 1960s, however, they had little success due to poor water quality.
The Tims Ford Tailwater (Elk River) and Appalachia Tailwater (Hiwassee River) were also stocked with Cutthroat Trout in 2021.
Cutthroat Trout are native to the western United States and appear similar to Rainbow Trout. The fish’s coloration can vary from olive to silver, with small black spots throughout the body. A key identification of Cutthroat Trout, according to the TWRA, is the bright orange or red coloration that appears as “slashes” or “cuts” on the underside of the fish’s jaw.
The TWRA notes that Cutthroat Trout are “known to be fairly aggressive and are usually willing to bite a fly, lure, or bait.”
In addition to the new record for the largest caught Cutthroat Trout, the new state record for the largest caught blue catfish was also recently set.
Earlier this month, the TWRA announced the new state record for a blue catfish was caught by the same man who held the previous record set last September. Micka Burkhart caught the fish on Barkley Reservoir in Stewart County.
Burkhart’s blue catfish weighed in at 122 pounds, 3 ounces and was 57.5 inches in length with a girth of 42.5 inches, surpassing his previous 118-pound record catfish.
Burkhart released both of his trophy catches, the TWRA notes.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
