Woman reports catching huge lake trout

It might not be prime fishing season in northern Vermont, as months of frigid conditions have frozen over Lake Champlain and left many of us clamoring for spring.

But don't tell that to Kelly Brooks.

The Duxbury woman says she reeled in a huge lake trout at Lake Champlain on Saturday. The weight of the fish was not immediately clear. The photo of her impressive catch has received hundreds of likes and shares on social media, including on the Fish Vermont Facebook page.

Brooks said she snagged the trout with a clear-weighted jig, called a "swim bait." She said she caught the fish on Lake Champlain between Burlington and St. Albans, but didn't want to divulge the precise location.

The trout turned into several tasty meals, she added: lemon and pepper fillets, and also marinated with orange juice and soy sauce before being baked.

"I also catch perch and smelt a lot, and fry them up with beer and batter," she told the Free Press in a Facebook message. "It is the biggest fish I've caught, but won't be the last."