Nova Scotia

Whopper of a striped bass caught in Nova Scotia's Grand Lake

This big fish is destined for the trophy wall, not the dinner plate.

Fish measures more than a metre long and is destined for the trophy wall

Bill Laurette shows off the striped bass he caught in Grand Lake. (Submitted by Hnatiuk's Hunting and Fishing)

Check out what lurks near the bottom of Shubenacadie's Grand Lake.   

Bill Laurette caught this 43-inch (109-centimetre) striped bass there last week. Jim Hnatiuk, owner of Hnatiuk's Hunting and Fishing in Elmsdale, N.S., says he has only seen one or two larger striped bass in the 10 years he's owned the shop. 

The fish weighed in at more than 13 kilograms, and it's going to be mounted on Laurette's wall rather than heading to a dinner plate.  

Hnatiuk said striped bass need to be at least 26.8 inches, by law, for fishermen to keep them, and 30 inches is usually considered a good size. He said divers in Grand Lake have spotted huge fish near the bottom, but they're rarely caught. 

"If you've got 40 inches, you've got yourself a trophy," Hnatiuk said. "In Grand Lake, that's certainly a whopper."