Warren Graichen with his nearly 9 pound rainbow trout
There are undoubtedly many stories, accumulated over centuries, of prize fish caught in the waters of Cobbett's Pond. The story of Warren Graichen's trophy rainbow trout is but one. Graichen was a resident of Methuen, MA, but spent his summers at his cottage on Cobbett's Pond with his wife. He was an avid fisherman, and the rainbow trout was caught on one of his routine Sunday evening fishing trips. Early that evening Graichen was trolling a spoon lure at a "medium" speed near one of the deeper areas of the pond. While he did not reveal the exact spot, it was one of the prime fishing areas recorded on a map drawn up by a Windham resident. Although he was "equipped with a stiff boat road", the large fish put up an excellent fight that last nearly 15 minutes. Both the fish and Graichen fought well, but in the end it was Graichen who was victorious. His prize was a 33 inch long rainbow trout, weighing just under 9 pounds. When recounting the story of his catch, Graichen said that "there are plenty more [rainbow trout] just as big and bigger there". He was also an experienced bass fisherman and claimed to "have taken a number of four and five pounders from Cobbett's this year". He also proudly claimed to have caught several trout, ranging from 3 to 6 pounds each, that year, though none could compare to his catch that Sunday evening. The trophy rainbow trout was mounted and displayed prominently in Graichen's home.