Whoa, that's a big fish! Devon MacPherson gets a hand from mom, Helen, and sister, Kira, trying to keep the 35-pound trout he caught from hitting the floor- Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 16/00) - This is definitely not the story of the one that got away.

Eight-year-old Devon MacPherson may well have set a new world record two weeks ago when the youngster hauled out a 35-pound lake trout from Prelude Lake.

What makes this angling saga all the more incredible is that the young lad caught the great fish using only eight-pound-test fishing line, more suitable for landing arctic grayling rather than lunker trout.

MacPherson was out on a weekend fishing trip with his family at Prelude Lake when he hooked into the huge laker on June 3. His dad, Bill MacPherson, had returned to the dock with Devon's brother, Alex, while he and his mother continued fishing from the island they were camped on.

"I was sitting back with my line out and then I saw the rod move," said Devon's mother, Helen.

The same fish had snapped her line and then promptly bit into the ciscoe Devon was using at the end of his line.

"I started reeling it in and then it popped out of the water, and I said, 'Devon, it's bigger than you.' I was freaking out, jumping up and down and then I lost it," said Helen.

Not all was lost, however, as the lunker trout was soon fastened to young Devon's line.

"He said, 'It's the same one, mom.'"

"He brought it right up to the shore and then the line snapped, but I grabbed the line and pulled it out with a stick just as Bill was coming back. We were hauling it out of the water and he (Bill) thought that it was just a birch branch."

According to his wife, Bill himself has been fishing Prelude Lake for 20 years, seeking his own Moby Dick to boast about. But as fate would have it, his son beat him to it.

"You never got one this big, dad," said the shy but proud youngster, while his parents were making arrangements at Wolverine Sports shop to get the lunker trout stuffed and mounted.

Dale Johnson, owner of the local tackle store, was amazed with the young lad's enormous catch.

"The largest I've ever seen out of that lake was a photo of a 26-pounder, caught last year," said Johnson.

"It's probably a world record. I have no doubt that it will win first place in the Canadian Sports Fishing Championships this year, certainly for the youth award, but maybe overall as well."