He caught it on April Fools Day, but Sasa Krezic has a fish tale that has been verified and placed in the record books by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
It is no joke.
A new northern brook trout state record was caught on the Caney Fork River near Smithville by Krezic, a resident of Nashville. Will Collier, a TWRA fish biologist, verified the record weight at 4 lbs., 12 oz.
The old record was set in August 1973 by Jerry Wells while fishing the Hiwassee River near Chattanooga. It weighed 3 lbs., 14 oz. and stood the test of time for more than 42 years and millions of fishing trips.
Mr. Krezic has fished the Caney Fork River near Smithville for many years, specifically for trout. One of his favorite holes seemed busier than normal when he arrived to the Caney on Friday, so he moved to a more open space, baited his line with a live minnow, and on his first cast caught the record. He also gained an April 1 story to tell for the rest of his life.
Mr. Krezic assumed the fish was a brown trout while fighting it because brown and brook trout are similar in color, but brown trout get much larger. After reeling it in and giving it a closer look, he recognized it might be more special than he already thought.
Still, he wanted to get a second opinion and discussed it with a nearby angler. After seeing the size of the fish and its colorization, the angler suggested Mr. Krezic contact TWRA.
Dekalb County Wildlife Officer Tony Cross received Mr. Krezic’s call.
“I expected to see a brown trout and was surprised when I arrived,” said Mr. Cross, who in turn telephoned Mr. Collier per state protocol that requires a TWRA biologist verify record catches.
The fish was weighed on a certified scale at nearby Big Rock Market. “This is a once in a career event,” said Mr. Collier. “It has been fun to be a part of this today.”
Added Mr. Cross, “We were thrilled to be part of it, and we are happy for Mr. Krezic. It is great to see successful anglers, and exciting to see a state record brook trout.”
Northern strain brook trout have been stocked on the Caney Fork River since 2008. The northern strain grows much larger than the southern strain brook trout, which resides only in cold headwater streams at high elevations. Brook trout are Tennessee’s only native trout.
For more information on brook trout or state records, visit www.tnwildlife.org and search under the “For Anglers” menu.