Texas angler reels in new catch-and-release record cutthroat trout

EAST IDAHO (KIIFI/KIDK) - Sam Hix of Bellaire, Texas set a new catch-and-release state record Yellowstone cutthroat trout at 30.5 inches long.

Hix was fishing the Snake River on Aug. 7 when he hooked the monster cutthroat.

After measuring the fish and taking a quick photograph, Hix released it to swim another day.

His fish tops the long-standing record set by Nate Ivy in 2016 of 28.5 inches.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are mainly found in Eastern Idaho and are native to the Snake River from Shoshone Falls upstream to its headwaters, and they are one of four subspecies found in Idaho.

Idaho Fish and Game keeps state records for all game fish including Yellowstone, Bonneville, Westslope and Lahontan cutthroat subspecies.

The catch-and-release record program began in 2016 as a way to recognize anglers that wanted to release the trophy fish they caught.