Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Lake Roosevelt fish weighed 7.86 pounds
Davenport native and current Gonzaga student Gavin Boggs caught a record-sized whitefish on Lake Roosevelt Saturday, Feb. 11. The whitefish set the state record with measurements of 26.25 inches and 7.86 pounds.
LINCOLN - Davenport native and current Gonzaga University accounting student Gavin Boggs thought he was enjoying a somewhat slow afternoon of winter walleye fishing with his college roommate on Lake Roosevelt near the Lincoln boat launch Saturday, Feb. 11.
The pair was enjoying being on the water but had only secured one fish all day.
That changed when Boggs felt a heavy tug on his line. He thought he'd gotten the second walleye of the day, but what he got was much more significant: a massive lake whitefish, larger than any caught in Washington before.
Boggs took his potential record catch to Davenport Family Foods, where staff stayed after-hours to help him make an official scale on the fish. It measured 26.25 inches and weighed 7.86 pounds.
The catch was Boggs' first whitefish catch in his life, despite having a rod in his hand "pretty much my whole life."
He grew up fishing on Lake Roosevelt, and his family has owned a home in Seven Bays for years.
"For that to be my first (whitefish) was pretty incredible," Boggs said.
Boggs and his father took the preserved fish to the Department of Fish and Wildlife regional office in Spokane Tuesday, Feb. 14. There, they verified his catch.
The state record was made official Friday, Feb. 17.
"We're trying to get it mounted," Boggs said. "I just want to cherish it."
He said he's struggling to find a taxidermist that will take in a whitefish, as it requires a unique mold that most professionals don't have.
"I'm hoping (the catch) promotes that lake and promotes that area," Boggs said. "Lake Roosevelt is underutilized...no one goes there for whitefish."
Boggs also offered his thanks to the staff at Davenport Family Foods for helping him find an official weight on his record catch.
"They were super welcoming," Boggs said.
The previous record whitefish in Washington was 7.5 pounds and was secured in Cox Lake northeast of Nespelem in 2021.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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