The Kansas City Star 1st Reported: Josh McCullough knew the Johnson County Park and Recreation District had stocked some big rainbow trout in Kill Creek Lake this year. But not this big. Fishing with Berkley Gulp bait on Feb. 23 shortly after the ice had temporarily gone off the lake, he caught a 15.72-pound rainbow — a pending Kansas state record. McCullough had the fish weighed on certified scales at a grocery store and had his catch verified.
Kill Creek Park is just south of DeSoto.
After filing his paperwork for the record, he only has to complete a 30-day mandatory waiting period. If his catch is approved, it will replace the existing mark of 15.43 pounds caught in March 2012 at Lake Shawnee.
“There were rumors going around that they had stocked a few trout up to 12 pounds this year,” McCullough said. “But I didn’t expect anything like this.”
McCullough, who lives in Spring Hill, didn’t have to wait long for the bite that mattered. Just minutes after he had cast his lines out, he watched as his fishing rod slowly bent. Then the line started to slowly move to the side.
“I really thought I had a turtle at first,” said McCullough, 22. “It just wasn’t fighting that hard.
“But then it came to the surface and my heart started racing. I had never seen a trout this big.”
The winter that won’t end
Fishermen at Wyandotte County Lake are beginning to wonder if winter will ever cry “uncle.”
For the second straight week, the season opener at the lake in Kansas City, Kan., has been delayed because of ice. The Unified Government doesn’t allow ice fishing.
The first day of the season is now set for March 15 — provided there is open water.