“I met a bunch of guys who also love to fish and was fortunate enough to meet these guys and be able to get out and do this kind of fishing.”. “I just got my first boat this year, and it was my first time out alone,” recounted Sanford. According to Good, it is a direct result of good lake trout habitat in Lake Champlain and ongoing sea lamprey control efforts. Good is one of many in the Lake Champlain Management Cooperative who have been working toward controlling this invasive species. “I learned how to do it, went on a couple of trips the last year and started doing it myself this year,” Sanford said. It’s a matter of understanding lake trout habitat and behavior. Lack of wounds testament to Successful Sea Lamprey Control Efforts. Sea lamprey don’t just attack lake trout. Check out the new Lake Champlain record lake trout, caught by Jeff Sanford back in August. Department officials say this demonstrates the positive impact long-term sea lamprey control efforts are having on the lake’s quality fishing … “Jeff’s fish is the largest lake trout from Lake Champlain entered in the Record Fish Program since the department started keeping fish records in 1969,” said Good in a written statement. All rights reserved. One large lake trout, evidence that this protection program is in good hands. “When you’re starting to see 19-and-a-half pound lake trout out of Lake Champlain, that’s big news,” said Shawn Good, a fisheries biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. Any fish species that spends time in deep water is susceptible. Sanford says he credits the openness of other anglers in the lake’s fishing community with helping him catch the lake trout and becoming a better angler. Their management efforts – including lamprey treatment, control of invasive species, and fish stocking – have benefited all who enjoy this resource. What he ended up catching, was a first for Lake Champlain. “We’re seeing lower overall wounding rates on many of these fish, and the fact that anglers are catching older, larger lake trout, salmon, and other fish species is proof that continued long-term sea lamprey control is working, and resulting in improved fishing opportunities on Champlain.”, Elizabeth Ehlers, Tournament Director of the LCI Fishing Derbies, says the annual Father’s Day Derby and year-long Basin Derby have seen bigger and bigger fish in recent years. “I didn’t realize how big it was until I could actually see it,” Sanford said. In Lake Champlain, nuisance sea lamprey prey on lake trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, brown trout, steelhead, walleye, lake sturgeon, and other fish species. Records Big News! Fill out a Vermont State Record Fish Entry Form, available at Fish & Wildlife offices statewide and from state Game Wardens or download a copy from our website. According to the National Ocean Service, one lamprey kills about 40 pounds of fish every year. Vermont’s famous Lake Champlain now has a new record-holder for the largest trout ever caught in its waters. Once I netted it and got it in the boat I was astounded at its size and lack of any lamprey scars or wounds.”. Department of Environmental Conservation. To counter this, the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative, comprised of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. I hope more anglers step up and become mentors to friends, family, even strangers.”. It’s one of the reasons I enjoyed them so much,” he said. Something else Sanford noticed was there were no scars from sea lamprey. A list of record fish for 45 freshwater fish species. Department officials say this demonstrates the positive impact long-term sea lamprey control efforts are having on the lake… So, anglers often using big boats, heavy equipment and a technique called trolling to catch them. Sanford said he wanted to release the lake trout alive but was unable to revive the fish, so he brought it in to be weighed officially as part of Lake Champlain International’s Basin Derby, and he also entered it into the Fish and Wildlife Department’s record fish program.