Old-fashioned detective work reveals the man bought his license after he caught the fish, then told a game warden he caught it at night
Kody King (pictured) with the state-record tiger trout he illegally caught in May. Photo courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game
There has been a shakeup in Idaho’s fishing record books, as state officials have been forced to revoke an angler’s record nearly six months after it was certified. Unlike other recent fishing record scandals, there is no doubt about the true weight of Kody King’s tiger trout, which nearly doubled the existing record for the species. The issue with King’s record, according to an article published Friday in the Idaho State-Journalwas that he did not have a valid fishing license at the time.
As we reported last spring, King caught the fish from Montpelier Reservoir in late May, and it weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces on a certified scale. Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials explained in a congratulatory statement that the King’s trout easily beat the previous record of about 4 pounds 13 ounces set in 2020.
But IDFG conservation officer Kolby White told the State-Journal that he was suspicious of King’s record from the start. White said King left him a voicemail on May 26 stating he had caught the fish from the reservoir the night before. However, the photo King submitted to the agency was clearly taken in daylight.
“[The picture] I was a little thrown because I know where that photo was taken at Montpelier Reservoir and it definitely wasn’t taken at night,” White said. “[So] that kind of piqued my interest because [King] Said he caught the fish at night.”
White began his investigation by looking King up in the agency’s system, where he found that King had purchased a one-day, non-resident fishing license around 2 p.m. the same day he said he caught the fish White returned to Montpelier Reservoir and over the course of a day, he took a series of photographs at the same location where King was standing in the photo he submitted.
“Based on all my photos, it’s clear that the fish was caught between noon and 1 p.m.,” White said. “So, with all that information we conduct an interview with [King] and eventually when we showed him our pictures he admitted to catching and killing fish and then traveling to town to buy a license after the fact.”
King was subsequently cited for two misdemeanors, and he entered a guilty plea on Oct. 25 for fishing without a license and illegal possession of wildlife. He was ordered to pay $983 in fines and restitution, and his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for one year. He was also ordered to make a public apology which was published in the local newspaper.
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“My actions were thoughtless and irresponsible, and I fully accept the consequences of my behavior,” King wrote in a letter published in News Examiner in November. “I have pleaded guilty to the charge of fishing without a license, as well as keeping fish illegally and I am cooperating with the authorities to rectify this situation.”
By the time King entered his guilty plea, the IDFG had already revoked his record and restored Gatlynn Mayes’ 4-plus-pound tiger trout to its rightful place in the record books.
Fishing without a valid license is an avoidable mistake. It can also be costly, and King’s $983 fine pales in comparison to the pro bass angler who lost a $100,000 purse when he accidentally fished an entire tournament without a valid license.
