Big fish Fridays: Record brown trout

RACINE, Wis. (AP) - A brown trout weighing almost 42 pounds has been confirmed as a Wisconsin record. It shatters the previous record by almost five pounds and could also be a world record.

The state Department of Natural Resources confirmed Thursday the fish weighed 41 pounds, 8 ounces. That tops the previous record of about 36.5 pounds, set in 2004.

Roger Hellen of Franksville landed the fish July 16 while angling in the Lake Michigan waters north of Racine.

The 39-year-old says it took half an hour to reel it in. He says when he got it in the boat he was more exhilarated than exhausted.

Hellen is asking the International Game Fish Association to confirm it’s a world record. The association’s website says the current record is 41 pounds, 7 ounces.

Hellen caught the fish while competing in the Salmon-A-Rama tournament. The fish measured 40.6 inches long, compared to 40.5 inches for the previous record caught August 23, 2004, in Lake Michigan near Kewaunee.