GREAT FALLS — Sam Grisak of Great Falls, 15 years old, caught a new state record golden shiner on July 3, 2022, in Giant Springs Pond in Giant Springs State Park.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks said in a news release that Grisak’s fish weighed .03 pounds and measured 4.41 inches, had a girth of 2.6 inches, and was caught on a dry fly.
This is the first golden shiner submitted to FWP’s fish record book.
Golden shiners are non-native members of the minnow family, and found in scattered locations across central, eastern, and southeastern Montana.
His catch adds to the list of Montana record fish caught within the last two years, including a walleye, a chinook salmon, a brown trout, a longnose sucker, and a largemouth bass.
Anglers who think they caught a state record fish should keep the following things in mind:
- To prevent loss of weight, do not clean or freeze the fish. Keep the fish cool — preferably on ice.
- Take a picture of the fish.
- The fish must be weighed on a certified scale (found in grocery stores or hardware stores, etc.) and witnessed by a store employee or other observer. Obtain a weight receipt and an affidavit from the store personnel if no FWP official is present. Measure the length and girth.
- Contact the nearest FWP office to have the fish positively identified by a fisheries biologist.
Click here to see a list of state record fish caught in Montana on the FWP website.
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