A Barkhamsted woman hooked a record northern pike, an almost four-foot-long freshwater monster that she managed to haul into her kayak.
Caught in the West Branch Reservoir in Colebrook earlier this month, the 29-pound, 46-inch pike tied a 40-year-old record, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced Tuesday.
“Never in my life did I expect to see a freshwater fish of that size come out of Connecticut. The adrenaline rush pulling in a fish that size was awesome,” Leslie Slater said. “I still can’t believe I pulled it into my kayak without flipping over or having my toes bitten off.