“Seeing all these new records is fantastic and we’re really pleased with how anglers have participated in the program so far,” said Mandy Erickson, fisheries program consultant. “We expect to keep posting more records as more anglers hear about how to certify a record and as more time passes.”
The Minnesota DNR in March expanded the catch-and-release record category to add additional species, and also made more space for records in the certified weight category by creating a separate category for records established before a certified scale was required to document a fish’s weight.
Certified weight category
Coho salmon – 12 pounds, 5 ounces; June 1, Lake Superior, St. Louis County; caught by Austin Stoltenburg of Iron
Black crappie – 3 pounds, 9 ounces; May 9, Cedar Lake, Rice County; caught by Nolan Sprengeler of Plymouth
Mooneye – 2 pounds, 1 ounce; May 11, Wabasha Creek, Redwood County; caught by Robert Tufts II of Franklin
Yellow bass – 1 pound, 3 ounces; May 11, Clear Lake, Jackson County; caught by Dennis Dagel of Lakefield
Catch-and-release category
Brown trout – 30 inches; April 15, Lake Superior, St. Louis County; caught by Dan Zeleznikar of Duluth
Lake trout – 42 1/2 inches; April 21, Lake Superior, St. Louis County; caught by Kelsey Vanderheyden of Stanchfield
Shovelnose sturgeon – 34 1/4 inches; March 8, Mississippi River, Goodhue County; caught by Tyler Young of Lakeville
Shovelnose sturgeon – 35 inches; March 12, Minnesota River, Scott County; caught by Elliott Feldman of Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Smallmouth bass – 22 3/4 inches; June 25, Basswood Lake, Lake County; caught by Xavier Bradley-Rael of Omaha, Neb.
Complete record information, and instructions for how to certify a state record fish, are available on the Minnesota DNR state record fish webpage (mndnr.gov/recordfish).