Colorado Parks and Wildlife released information today that will make Grand County proud: That is, Tim Daniel, of Granby, broke the longest-standing fish record in the state when he caught a 23-and- 1/4-inch-long brook trout that weighed 7.84 pounds, in Monarch Lake on May 23.

Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist Jon Ewert inspected the fish the day it was caught. Its girth was 15 and 3/8 inches.

When CPW first asked Daniels where he was fishing and what he used to catch the record brookie, he said, “In the water with a hook.”

Presumably all joking aside, he added, “When I headed out to fish that day with my friend Karen and four-legged friend Moose, I had no intention of breaking a record. I wasn’t sure what I had hooked, but I knew it was big. I’ve fished waters in Northwest Colorado for many years, and I have landed some big fish. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of CPW aquatic biologists, Northwest Colorado has some of the best fisheries in the state.”

“We always suspected that Monarch Lake had the potential to produce a state record brook trout,” said Ewert. “This is a real testament to the quality of our angling opportunities in Grand County. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving angler than Tim. He’s just one of those guys that is always out there on the water and as a result, has an intimate knowledge of the subtle details necessary to be so successful.”

The brook trout—sometimes also called the speckled trout—is a member of the char genus of the trout and salmon family. It is a beautifully colored fish with pink or red spots surrounded by blue halos along the sides and a distinctive marbled pattern over an olive-green back. Brook trout can grow anywhere from 11 to 23 inches in length. The previous record for brook trout was 7.63 pounds, set in 1947 from Upper Cataract Lake in Summit County.