For most fishermen, the catch of a lifetime is just an elusive siren song that exists only in dreams.But for one lucky Coeur d'Alene man, a 27-inch Westslope Cutthroat Trout shattered even the wildest of angler dreams.On Feb. 1, 2026, Kyle Hatok was fishing Lake Pend Oreille in Northern Idaho when he hooked into a massive Westslope Cutthroat Trout.RELATED | Fisherman lands record Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in East IdahoWed just got all the lines out when not 10 minutes later, one pole starts singing out the line, recalled Hatrock. The first run took out 450 feet-plus for about 15-20 minutes, and as soon as it hit the net, my friend started freaking out, saying Thats the biggest freaking cutty Ive ever seen!After using a tape to measure the colossal catch, they confirmed Hatrick's catch as the new Idaho State Record, beating out Daniel Whitesitt's previous record, which included a 25" Westslope Cutthroat Trout in the Clark Fork River. Since Westslope Cutthroat Trout (4-8 years) typically have shorter life spans than Rainbow Trout (4-11 years), they rarely exceed 20 inches in length making this catch especially remarkable.You can find the state's all-time fishing records via Idaho Fish Game. ...read more read less