ST PAUL, Minnesota — Fish tales will always be a popular thing shared by anglers across the state but the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said their new certified fish record program has really caught on with fishermen and women.
Back in March the DNR announced it was expanding the state record fish program with a certified weight category and since the change, many anglers have documented their big catch.
In fact, nine new record fish have been certified.
"Seeing all these new records is fantastic and we're really pleased with how anglers have participated in the program so far," Mandy Erickson, fisheries program consultant, said in a news release. "We expect to keep posting more records as more anglers hear about how to certify a record and as more time passes."
The certified weight category requires a certified scale to document a fish's weight. The catch-and-release category is documented by photos of the fish caught. The third category is the pre-1980 historical weight records which are now non-certified.
The DNR has certified the following list as new state record fish since March 1, including Nolan Sprengeler, who broke his own record just a month earlier.
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.
More information and instructions for certifying a state record fish, are available at the DNR website.
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