PROVO, Utah and HAYWARD, Wisconsin, January 24, 2007 (The Boating Channel) – The Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame has awarded Manitoba, Canada, angler Tim Matheson its Fresh Water Fish, World Angling Record for a 29-inch brook trout Matheson caught during the inaugural four-week "Fish'n Win" tournament produced by Angling Masters international and "The Fish'n Line" magazine.

Matheson, owner of Kenanow Lodge near Sherridan Manitoba, landed a brook trout that measured 29 inches in length with a girth of 21 inches during the October 2006 tournament held at Manitoba's Barbe Lake. After measuring and photographing the fish, Matheson and his fishing buddy released it back into the lake.

"As much as I love fishing, it wasn't worth the risk of killing that magnificent fish to have a world record," Matheson said. "So after measuring the fish and taking some pictures, we slid it back into the lake."

Convinced the fish, which was estimated to weight between 15 and 16 pounds, was a potential world record, Matheson submitted photos and details of his catch to several sport fishing organizing bodies, one of them being the Hayward, Wisconsin-based Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

After reviewing Matheson's photos during its annual world record classification process, the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame awarded Matheson the number one position in its "Fresh Water, Catch and Release" category. The Matheson's brook trout was 4 inches longer than the previous record, which has stood since April 1995.

"Tim caught a great fish," said Emmett Brown, executive director for the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. "But he also released it so it could thrill another angler some other day and also reproduce to keep the species alive."

Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame records are updated quarterly and are printed in each issue of the Hall's in-house magazine, "The Splash." For his record catch, Matheson will be listed in "The Splash" and in the Hall's annual record book. Matheson will receive an official Hall of Fame certificate and world champion shirt-sleeve and back patches.

Angling Masters International also awarded Matheson $1,000 as the winner of its inaugural "Fish’n Win” tournament. Scoring was determined by Angling Master's unique points system, which levels the playing field for different species and locations throughout North America