FORT KENT, Maine — Trystan Rioux, 13, caught a muskie well over half his own height during his first-ever trout fishing expedition at Fish River Falls.
Rioux fished from shore on Friday, June 28, with his sister Jessica Rioux’s boyfriend, Phil Ouellette of Fort Kent.
The New Canada youngster said he had used “a night crawler and a small hook because we were fishing trout.”
Instead of a trout, Rioux reeled in a 40-inch muskie, the biggest fish he has ever caught, he said.
“I was freaking out and so was Phil. I was very excited and could not believe it,” Rioux said.
The day of fishing between the guys turned out to be a bit shorter than they had anticipated as the muskie took the bait.
“It took three casts and he was hooked, so our fishing trip was quite fast,” Rioux said.
Rioux said he knew right away he had something other than a brook trout on his line.
“It was like reeling a log in,” he said.
Rioux has never before participated in the annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby, which will take place this year Aug. 9-11, but that may be about to change.
“I’ve never tried but I’m sure I will now,” he said.
Rioux’s fish would have made the leaderboard and placed in the money had he caught it during the 2018 Muskie Derby.
Although not the tasty trout he had set out to catch, Rioux said he still managed to put his muskie to good use.
“We ate it for supper, and it was really good,” he said.
For information about the Fort Kent International Muskie Derby visit the group’s Facebook page.
This story originally appeared on Fiddlehead Focus.