Did Maligne Lake really produce Alberta’s largest-ever rainbow trout? New scientific evidence casts serious doubt

In the ensuing 45 years since the record was established, no other rainbow trout nearly as big has been caught on Maligne Lake. And that’s certainly not for lack of trying—the record trout’s reputation sold an awful lot of guided angling trips there over the years. The myth certainly paid off nicely, for some. I am not naming those involved, as they are now either deceased or no longer guiding on Maligne. The mount of the fish is still around, however. It now resides at Jasper’s Park Place Inn, albeit with the incorrect date and weight listed on the display case.

As for First Lake, three years after the record went into the books, Donald’s crew gill-netted two monster rainbows, both of which were released alive. One weighed 22 pounds (9.3 kilograms), while the other tipped the scales at 23.5 pounds (10 kilograms). A third rainbow, also larger than the official record, was found dead the following year in the same bay where I spotted my big fish.

First Lake’s glory days are behind it now, owing to the end of Parks Canada’s stocking program in the early 1980s, overfishing by anglers who knew its secret, and habitat changes from last year’s massive wildfire. The lake still teems with shrimp, damselflies and big caddis, but its population of goldeneye ducks and other wetland wildlife no longer have to share that bounty with monster trout. A well-kept local fishing secret for years, the lake is now back to its original trout-free condition.

But that’s okay, because Maligne Lake is still a beautiful lake to fish, and one of the local guides can get you into its hot spots. I wouldn’t want to discourage you. Just don’t expect to catch Alberta’s next record rainbow trout there. The first one didn’t come from anywhere near the place.