Benjamin Ferguson has taken his canoe all across the Adirondacks, searching for big brook trout in wild places. And during a paddling expedition over Fourth of July weekend, the adventurous New Yorker accomplished one of his ultimate life goals: catching a record-sized brookie in the backcountry. Before the record could become official, though, he and his buddy would have to get the trout out of there.
“I think I just had to sit down for a minute [at first] to comprehend what was going on,” Ferguson told Big Woods Bucks during a recent podcast about the experience. “So, we looked at the fish a little bit … and I know we discussed trying to [paddle] out that night and go weigh it somewhere. But it was just about dark, and anywhere to weigh it would be closed”
Besides, Ferguson and his paddling partner, Shawn Widrick, were already planning to head back to civilization the following morning. It was the last night of their three-day canoe trip, and the two had been fishing a remote pond in the Saint Regis Canoe Area. (Ferguson did not respond immediately to a request for comment from Outdoor Life, and he chose not to name the lake when interviewed by Big Woods Bucks.)
Ferguson explained that after a couple slow days of fishing, he’d caught and released a 2 to 3-pound brook trout late in the day on July 5. The two fishermen decided to fish there until sunset, so Ferguson kept at it from his lightweight, 10-foot canoe, trolling a Lake Clear Wabbler with a trailing nightcrawler. He heard one of his trolling rods hit the gunwale, then set the hook and fought the fish for around five minutes.
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The trout was bigger than any brookie he’d ever seen, and after scooping the fish in his net, he and Widrick put it on their hand scales, where it weighed 6.23 pounds. This was enough to outweigh the standing New York record, a 6-pounder that Richard Beauchamp caught in 2013. But getting the record would require a certified scale and a visit with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, both of which were a long paddle away from their camp in the Saint Regis. So, they figured out a way to preserve the brookie and keep it safe from scavengers.
“We took Shawn’s boat and we scooped some water into his boat, then flopped the fish into that and just shoved it off from shore a little bit,” Ferguson explained. “Just enough so a turtle or something couldn’t get it.”
The trophy brookie still in good shape, Ferguson and Widrick broke camp early the next morning and paddled out. Then they took the fish to a local butcher’s shop, where it tipped the certified scale at 6 pounds, 3 ounces. Ferguson said that after a quick visit with DEC officials on July 6, where they confirmed the fish was a brook trout and not a splake, he got a call from the agency letting him know his state record was official.
The DEC’s record book had not been updated as of July 14, but Ferguson said he expects that announcement within days. Until then, he’ll be planning his next canoe trip.
“There’s a lot more ponds I want to see … And this [record] isn’t really gonna change any of that for me,” Ferguson said in the recent podcast. “Just seeing some new territory — that’s what I’m excited for.”