Giant brown lands on Lake Ontario

Francine Alberson with large brown trout
Francine Alberson with her large brown trout.
Courtesy Reelin’ for a Cure

While practicing for an upcoming charity event, a western New York woman caught nine giant brown trout. The largest fish weighed 27 pounds and was the largest fish she had ever caught in her life.

Francine Albertson fishes with her stepson, Captain Rich Brant, a charter title in North Tonawanda, NY. The pair are warming up for the Reelin’ for a Cure (RFAC) Championship on Lake Ontario, an all-women fishing tournament to raise money for women battling breast cancer. After a week of strong winds that pushed cold water ashore, the captain and stepmother’s team headed to Brant’s 20-foot Lund in search of fish. When a fish hit the Michigan Stinger Pickle Seed Spoon, they used a descender and a spoon 50 feet west of Wilson, which dragged 50 feet behind the descender ball. The team had already caught eight fish at a depth of 35 feet, with the ninth trout being hit. That brown turned out to be 27 pounds.

The Reelin’ for a Cure (RFAC) tournament in Ontario begins Friday, August 19th. During the 6-hour tournament from 6am to noon, all women’s fishing teams compete for the most fish and/or the biggest fish is weighed in Krell Park at 1pm. Best of luck to all anglers, Shout out to Cap’n Brant and Francine and hope you get those big browns back.

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