Before the flood of trout, hake swam (3,2,3,3)

I believe the answer is:

out of the ark

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'before the flood' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'of trout hake swam' is the wordplay.
'swam' indicates an anagram.
'of'+'trout'+'hake'='oftrouthake'
'oftrouthake' with letters rearranged gives 'OUT OF THE ARK'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for out of the ark that I've seen is " Antediluvian".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.