Reported 1st by WDay News: There is now a new certified state-record fish that was caught in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. On March 9, 11-year-old Austin Stoll reeled in a 5-pound, 13-ounce tullibee from Sybil Lake in Otter Tail County. The fish beats the previous record that stood for nearly 13 years by 2 ounces.
“Congratulations to Austin on the great catch,” Mike Kurre, who coordinates the state-record fish program for the DNR, said. “Austin and his dad did everything right to certify the fish, and they show how it’s possible to catch a state-record fish at any time of the year.”
The tullibee was weighed on a certified scale at Essentia Health in Pelican Rapids. The DNR said two impartial observers witnessed the weighing, and Austin and his dad brought the fish to be identified by two fisheries experts at the DNR Fergus Falls fisheries office. They also had the application stamped by a notary public.
“Austin’s fish is one of 62 state records, which are measured by weight,” Kurre said. “Many of these records are attainable at any time of the year because fishing seasons remain open for panfish and other species. In fact, the past several records have all been species that rarely grace the covers of glossy magazines.”
Five most recent records:
- 2014: golden redhorse
- 2012: bowfin (dogfish), burbot (eelpout), river carpsucker and shovelnose sturgeon.
Anglers who wait to go fishing until the May 9 opener can dream about catching the record walleye. You will have to beat a 17-pound, 8-ounce giant pulled from the Seagull River at Saganaga Lake in Cook County in 1979.
To certify a fish as a record:
- Take it to a DNR fisheries office for positive identification.
- Fill out a record fish application.
- Locate a state-certified scale (found at most bait shops and butcher shops).
- Weigh the fish with two witnesses present.
- Send a clear, full-length photo of the fish with the application to the address listed on the application form.
Find the record-fish form and guidelines here. The list is also published on page 83 of the 2015 Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet.