Pending Helena approval, a new state record Chinook salmon was caught on Fort Peck Reservoir on Friday, August 9th.

At around noon, Jim Fauth of Malta was fishing east of the Fort Peck Marina, trolling a flasher and squid, when he landed the monster fish.

Jim’s fish weighed in at 32.62 pounds on a certified scale, measuring 38 inches in length with a 28 inch girth. The previous Chinook salmon record was set in 2020 with a 32.05-pound fish, also from Fort Peck Reservoir.

Fort Peck Reservoir is the only Montana waterbody with Chinook salmon. FWP first stocked landlocked Chinook salmon in 1983, and actively manages this species by collecting eggs each fall, raising them in the Fort Peck hatchery, and stocking the young fish back into the reservoir each spring.  The Fort Peck Fisheries Management Plan calls for stocking a minimum of 200,000 fish annually.

Great catch, Jim!

Anglers who think they may have caught a state record fish are reminded of the following:

-To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool—preferably on ice.
-Contact the nearest FWP office and ask for a fish biologist or manager to assist with validation of weight and accurate species identification.
-Weigh the fish on a certified scale (certification must be current.).  Make sure you get a picture of the fish on the scale and a picture of the certification sticker.
-Measure the length and girth.
-Work with the fish biologist to fill out the Fish Record Form

· Forms and information can be found at  https://fwp.mt.gov/fish/report-your-catch/fish-records