State records topple for 2 species of Minnesota fish

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources certified a record 13 pound, 9 ounce whitefish caught by an Oklahoma angler ice fishing on Lake of the Woods, and a 4 pound, 13 ounce golden redhorse caught by an angler who beat his own state record.

The DNR certifies state record fish in two categories: for fish caught and kept; and for caught and released northern pike, muskellunge, lake sturgeon and flathead catfish.

Whitefish

The Oklahoma angler, Billy King, pictured right, was getting an introduction to Minnesota ice fishing with two other anglers April 6. They were catching walleye, sauger, and tulibee, and in the evening were fishing near a sandbar for the sunset walleye bite on Lake of the Woods.

Despite the others initially catching more fish, King stuck to his spot on the ice and was rewarded with not only the biggest walleye of the day, but soon after, the huge whitefish.

“This turned out to be the trip of a lifetime and I have to say that everyone was so nice. Not just in relation to the potential new state record but everyone was so polite and welcoming. It made the trip all the more enjoyable,” King said.

Golden redhorse Ethan Rasset – already a state record holder for golden redhorse – was fishing for redhorse March 24 on the Otter Tail River with a friend from college.

Rasset caught the record 4 pound, 13 ounce fish with a chartreuse curly-tail artificial lure, on a shallow flat with rubble that had produced a few smaller golden redhorse earlier in the morning.

His previous record was a 4-pound, 8-ounce golden redhorse he caught in April 2018 on the Otter Tail River. Rasset said he was quite excited when he suspected he may have broken his own record.

“Very few people can say they have broken a state record twice!” Rasset said.

Current records and information about how to submit documentation for a record fish are available at

mndnr.gov/recordfish

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State records topple for 2 species of Minnesota fish

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