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There’s a new record on the board for golden rainbow trout.
This story was originally published in the June / July 2026 issue of Wonderful West Virginia.
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Image Courtesy of Hunter Rohr
On a crisp April morning, a couple of high school students from Buckhannon were fishing the South Branch of the Potomac River. Armed with light spinning tackle and four-pound test line and floats, they had their sights set on a tagged golden rainbow trout. But 15-year-old Hunter Rohr reeled in something even greater: a record-breaking golden rainbow.
After spotting the monstrous fish, Rohr tried a handful of lures to no success. A single pink steelhead egg is what finally did the trick. He fought the fish for two anticipation-filled minutes before netting it—and immediately knew it was a record-breaker. A state fisheries biologist confirmed his suspicions: The trout was a whopping 11.84 pounds, 28 inches in length, and 19 inches in girth. Rohr’s catch whalloped the previous record, a 9.72-pounder caught three years earlier. Basking in his victory, Rohr later filleted the fish and gifted it to a friend.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources documents weight and length records for all game species in the state. If you reel in what you think might be a record-breaking catch, contact your WVDNR district fishery biologist. Once your catch has been verified, fill out and submit a State Record Fish Reporting Form—your name might just join Rohr’s on the state record list. WVdnr.gov/fishing/state-records
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