The Catch of a Lifetime

Over Labor Day weekend, most people just lay around, finally getting the rest that their usual labor limits. Freshman Kolton Paulson, however, was busy this Labor Day weekend… busy catching a state record fish!

Fishing is a pastime of millions of people, but sometimes is not the most rewarding. You can fish for hours without catching a single thing. Still, everyone goes back, waiting in anxious anticipation for their biggest catch of the day.

Kolton went fishing that fateful Sunday morning, out by the South Platte. What seemed to be just a normal adventure with his dad, uncle, and cousin turned much more interesting than anyone expected. His cousin, Korbin Paulson, caught a 23 inch rainbow trout, which Kolton thought was the state record.

He had recently done some research of all the fishing Colorado records after he heard the news that they were all wiped clean because of some suspicious forgery of previously recorded records. Because of this research, Kolton knew exactly how to measure the fish and exactly what kinds of pictures to take.

The newest edition for valid state records? A third party present that is not related to the fisherman. Lucky for these boys, people showed up on the river just as they were making history. Spencer Hrubala and his friends saw the whole thing, and are signing off on the catch, making it a completely legitimate Colorado State Record Rainbow Trout.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Didn’t Kolton get the state record, not Korbin? Well, Korbin did actually have the state record… for a total of ten minutes. Just as the group moved down the river throwing out one more cast, still high off of adrenaline from Korbin’s big catch, Kolton had a monster on the line. He caught an even bigger rainbow trout, a full 26 inches, beating out Korbin for the state record status.

Korbin was not disappointed. For these two fishing buddies, who try to go at least every other weekend, a catch for one is a celebration for all. He comments, “I felt so much excitement to just get it out of the water, I had a feeling it was bigger than mine right when I saw it go after Kolton’s lure, which was a Panther Martin Spinner. I was absolutely ecstatic at the first sight of that monster.”

Kolton is still buzzing with excitement to this day. “I feel like a celebrity now because it is not every day that someone catches a state record fish!”

The record is not official yet, as they are going through the paper work and official signing of documents as we speak. However, after taking it in to the Colorado Department of Wildlife, Kolton knows they did everything correctly and is waiting for his name and recognition as the record holder.

History was made that grand Sunday morning, and Kolton and his family will not soon forget it… he reminds them every day.