December 2022 - 9

NEWS
Duo becomes youngest to
achieve Ultimate Angler status
Tristen Brodrecht holds a brown trout he caught on the North Platte River to help him achieve
his Ultimate Angler status. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Brodrecht)
CHEYENNE - Tristen Brodrecht and
Julius Clark live in different towns, but they
have one thing in common - they like to
fish. That drive helped them achieve the most
prestigious honor among the Wyoming Game
and Fish Department's fishing challenges, and
also make some history.
Brodrecht, 15, from Casper and Clark, 16,
from Buffalo became the youngest anglers to
earn Ultimate Angler status through the Game
and Fish's Master Angler program. Anglers
earn Ultimate Angler status by catching 10
species of sportfish in Wyoming that meet certain
lengths. Both were 15 when they became
Ultimate Anglers this summer. Clark turned
16 on Sept. 1.
" I tried my best, fished some new spots
to get those 10 and eventually I got them, "
Brodrecht said. It took him about a year-anda-half
to catch those 10 fish.
Brodrecht said his favorite and most challenging
fish in his quest was grayling. He
caught it at Willow Lake near Buffalo, which
included an 8-mile hike round-trip. Brodrecht
said the channel catfish was the most difficult
Julius Clark landed this largemouth bass to help him become an Ultimate Angler.
(Photo courtesy of Julius Clark)
species to catch. " I ended up getting lucky
and catching a big one, " he said.
Clark said he caught most of his 10 fish
over most of the summer this year.
" It's a great feeling. I didn't know I was
among the first to do it among kids my age.
I thought a handful of people had done it
before, " Clark said.
INFORMATION ON ALL OF
THE WYOMING GAME AND
FISH DEPARTMENT'S FISHING
CHALLENGES: https://bit.ly/
FishingChallenges
Other than a trip to Bull Lake near Riverton
where he landed a qualifying rainbow
trout, Clark said he caught his other fish in
and around Buffalo.
" My favorite fish to catch was the rainbow
because it fought the hardest, " Clark said.
The most difficult fish was the perch,
which needed to be at least 12 inches long.
" I kept catching 10 and 11-inchers. It was
pretty frustrating for a while, " Clark said.
Both said they've been fishing most of
their lives and enjoy the peacefulness of being
outdoors and on the water. Brodrecht hopes
to add more fish to his Ultimate Angler list,
such as tiger trout, brook trout, crappie and
freshwater drum. Clark wants to check off
another fishing challenge from Game and
Fish - the Cutt Slam - in which anglers
must catch and document the four native subspecies
of cutthroat in the state, Bonneville,
Colorado, Snake River and Yellowstone, in
their native drainages.
No matter what's next in these young
anglers' fishing adventures, one thing will
likely remain the same no matter their age.
" Some fish are more challenging to catch
than others, but the places you fish and the
tactics you use takes a lot of work. I like fighting
those fish. There's nothing else like it, "
Brodrecht said.
To date, 32 anglers have achieved Ultimate
Angler status, including 17 this year and six
in August. The program started in June 2019.
- Robert Gagliardi, WGFD
Wyoming Wildlife | 9

https://www.bit.ly/FishingChallenges

December 2022

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