Noted artist catches state record brook trout
Many people in our area are familiar with Tom Yacovella, an award-winning artist from Central New York. Those who know Tom also know that he is an avid and successful hunter and fisherman as well. Now he has added another honor to his impressive list: he has recently caught a monster brook trout that will be a new New York State record.
Tom combines his skill and vocation as a wildlife artist with his passion for the outdoors. He can usually be found in a deer stand or on a fishing boat. He enjoys the total experience and takes pleasure in watching birds while hunting or the sight of loons when he is fishing an Adirondack lake.
Tom is an accomplished angler and has caught some impressive fish, including some big brook trout over the years. Of course the native brook trout is the official state fish and certainly one of the most beautiful with its colorful blueish-green back, reddish fins and flank, and brilliant red spots surrounded by blue halos. Although he has caught a number of good sized brookies, his best fish up to this point had been a 4 lb., 1 oz. brookie about eight years ago.
Understandably, Tom was on “cloud nine” when I talked to him a few days ago. Earlier this month while fishing the Adirondacks he landed a huge 5 lb., 4 oz. brook trout that will soon be announced as a new state record. The monster fish was 21 inches long and had a huge girth of 15 inches.
Although most anglers are closed mouthed about where they catch big fish, especially a state record, Tom quickly volunteered the information that he caught the lunker trout in RaquetteLake. Oh yes, it was the only fish that Tom caught that day.
The fish was weighed on four different government-inspected scales, notarized, and certified as a brook trout by DEC biologists. Tom told me that they have to make a careful incision and check the intestines of the trout because that is the only way that they can show that it is a brook trout, not a hybrid splake. All the necessary paperwork has been filed and now the announcement of the new state record by the DEC is pending.
On this particular day in early June Tom was fishing alone on RaquetteLake because trolling, especially in search of big trout, can sometimes be a little boring for his friends and fishing partners. Tom was enjoying the loons and the scenery when the big fish hit his Rapala lure.
On the first pass under the boat the fish fought deep while Tom back-reeled to put pressure on and tire the fish. On the second pass he saw the broad back and thought that he had hooked a smallmouth bass. As he got it closer and saw the colors and size he said a quick prayer when the fish made a third run. Finally the fish tired and he was able to net it and head to shore to have it weighed.
He had fished RaquetteLake before but said that he only caught a few brook trout of 2 lbs. or better. Of course, most anglers would be ecstatic if they ever caught a brook trout of 2 lbs. Tom pointed out that he never found the brook trout in the same place.
In the past he has fished back country ponds, etc. in search of brook trout and usually used the traditional Lake Clear Wobbler with the bait or lure one to four feet behind it on 4 lb. test leader. This time he was using his three-way swivel rig that he and his brother pioneered for steelhead on the Salmon River or other waters.
With this rig Tom uses 6 lb. test line and a swivel with a short dropper and pencil lead to take the rig down. From the other swivel he runs a leader of about four feet and attaches an S-9 Rapala lure. This particular Rapala is three-and-one-half inches long and uses two treble hooks. Tom likes it because of its action.
As he pointed out, big trout in bigger lakes are predatory meat eaters, so he likes to use larger lures that imitate minnows. On this day he was targeting the depths above the thermocline where the lake trout were holding (about 30 feet) and below the upper level of water where the bass were found.
Not only was the trout a very impressive size, but it had brilliant blue spots and beautiful colors. It has been delivered to the taxidermist where it will be transformed into a work of art as well as a reminder of a very special day. It will be the kind of trophy that even a skilled artist like Tom Yacovella would be hard pressed to produce.