BRANSON, Mo. -- Everyone agrees it's a whopper of a fish for Lake Taneycomo, but it won't be going into the record book. There won't be any certificates or trophies, either.

That's because Missouri Department of Conservation biologists netted the brown trout while looking for evidence that large fish are returning to the popular fishing lake near Branson.

Needless to say, biologists got the evidence they were looking for. The brown trout was 36.5 inches long, with a girth of 28.5 inches. No scales were available when it was pulled Aug. 27 from Lake Taneycomo. But based on its size, it was calculated to weigh approximately 37 pounds.

That would have topped the current state record of 26 pounds, 13 ounces for a brown trout.

From a statistical standpoint, officials said it was merely a fish that was measured and released unharmed into the lake.

Biologists, however, said it does represent the growth potential for brown trout in Lake Taneycomo.