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Minnesota DNR Certifies New Muskie State Record, Previous Record Dates Back To 1957

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's official: A muskie caught in Lake Mille Lacs in November is a new state record.

On Monday, the Minnesota DNR certified the new state record, saying the muskellunge weighed 55 pounds and 14 ounces. That's enough for the new weight-based state record.

Nolan Sprengeler, of Plymouth, reeled in the muskie on Nov. 22.

"On our last spot of the evening at about 9 p.m., I felt a tap on the end of my line. I fought the fish to the boat and Kevin Kray netted it for me. The fish measured 57.75 inches by 29 inches," Sprengeler said. "After trying to revive the fish for about an hour we realized she wasn't going to make it. We made the decision to bring the fish in to get weighed on a certified scale."

Record muskie - Nolan Sprengeler
The record muskie, with Nolan Sprengeler at left. (credit: Zack Skoglund)

The next morning, Sprengeler brought the fish to be weighed on a certified scale with a witness. He then dropped off the catch with a taxidermist.

Sprengeler says he and his friends have had the goal for years to catch a record-setting fish. He says he still wants to set a catch-and-release record as well as fish in more professional walleye tournaments.

MORE: 'That's A Unicorn': Plymouth Man Lands Record Muskie On Lake Mille Lacs

The previous state record was a 54-pound muskie that was caught in Lake Winnibigoshish near Leech Lake in 1957.

The official world record -- recognized by most organizations -- is a 69-pound, 11-ounce muskie that was caught in 1949 on the Chippewa Flowage in northwestern Wisconsin.

Current records and guidelines for each type of state record can be found here.

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