By Denton L. Newman Jr. from The Brainerd Dispatch - December 23, 2019

A 30-inch brown trout was pulled out of Gull Lake near Nisswa Dec. 22 by Sawyer Goerges of Breezy Point while walleye fishing after sun down.

"We were fishing for walleyes in 25 feet," Brady Roy said in an email. "Several walleyes were landed. I was fishing nearby, but not directly with him.

"It was caught around 5 p.m., using a bait called the 'Big Ol’ Jerry Spoon.' Sawyer believed he was hooked into a trophy walleye at the time of the catch."

The fight lasted around 15 minutes. 

Roy said it's uncommon to catch a brown trout in Gull Lake, and that the fish likely transferred into the lake from Stony Brook (a designated trout stream) which empties into the lake.

The current Minnesota state record brown trout was caught in 1989 on Lake Superior and is listed at 16 pounds, 12 ounces. It was 31 3/8 inches in length with a 20 1/2-inch girth.

Goerges allowed a few pictures of the catch, then released the fish.

To read the original article and see related reporting, follow this link to the Brainerd Dispatch website.  https://www.brainerddispatch.com/sports/outdoors/4836331-Near-state-record-Brown-Trout-caught-and-re...