Massive Muskie Caught at Mille Lacs

From KSTP.com

http://kstp.com/news/massive-muskie-caught-lake-mille-lacs/4937008/?cat=12196

Massive Muskie Caught at Mille Lacs

June 05, 2018 01:34 PM

One angler on Mille Lacs Lake had quite a fish tale to tell Sunday.

Connor Lingwall, 23 of Blaine, was able to reel in a 55-inch, 43-pound muskie.

His father, Richard Lingwall, told KSTP about the experience.

“It took him about 20 to 30 minutes to bring [the muskie] in,” Richard said. “He said his arms were burning and sore after trying to bring it in.”

Richard said his son was filled with excitement afterward.

“He was very excited and happy,” he said. “It was the biggest catch of his life.”

Richard added Connor would like to have a replica of the muskie made when he can afford the costs.

The fish was released back into the lake.

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Holy Chit!!! What a fish!!!

That’s a toad, no doubt but take the stringer out of it’s mouth before taking the picture. He must have brought it back to shore to get a picture taken before releasing it?

I don’t think he released it. Based on the stringer

Hmmmm picture taken on shore. Stringer in mouth. I’m guessing or was not released. Amazing fish though

looks delicious! would be nice next to a SIDE OF TATORS!!

grubson wrote:

Hmmmm picture taken on shore. Stringer in mouth. I’m guessing or was not released. Amazing fish though

I kinda thought the same thing

Lots of big fish in that lake.

story says he used the stringer to keep the fish in the water between pictures and measurements. i’d give him the benefit of the doubt. i would rather not have the stringer in my picture either but. It almost looks like he caught it from a dock/fishing pier? helluva fish!

That’s a great fish and I am giving him the benefit and assuming he released it as the article says, but I do have to wonder if he got the cheeks out of it first…

Wow what a beautiful fish!! Congrats to that man.

20 to 30 minutes to land the fish? Musta not actually been muskie fishing. Had to be walleye or bass fishing using lighter tackle.

Thats not a stringer that his line LOL. What a fish I would probably have a heart attack when I saw that come up to the boat

Ivan Knapp wrote:

What a fish I would probably have a heart attack when I saw that come up to the boat

Pretty sure he was fishing off the public dock there in Isle. Great fish kept or not!

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Pretty sure he was fishing off the public dock there in Isle. Great fish kept or not!

If that’s the case, that is a really impressive catch, and fight. Being restricted to the dock makes for a hell of a battle.

Doesn’t matter to me one bit what he did with that fish as long as it was done legally. She might be close to death anyway after that fight.

Nice fish. Good for him but I must say I am a little jealous since that beats my PB.

Do the deer hunters pass on trophy bucks and say “naww, I’m going to let him go this time”. That there is a fish of a lifetime, especially if he was using light tackle, and would make a sweet mount if a guy could afford it. As far as tablefare goes, I guess you could feed your family pretty good for a week or 2. No reason to judge the guy on why he has it on a stringer. A fish that big ain’t fitting in my livewell! If he was off a dock, what else can you do? Maybe he had to go find someone to take the pic? My hat’s off to this guy!

I would not blame him if he wanted that on his wall. I would want it on my wall. But mounts require maintenance and for just a bit more you can get a replica that is maintenance free and you could catch her again. I would not want to eat her because of how old she is and the amount of mercury she must have in her. But that is all beside the point since he let her go.

I don’t get why people can’t click on a link and read the actual story, but there is more than what JJ copy and pasted.

“I had to stop and take a breather once it was all said and done,” he said.

He added that he used a stringer to make sure the muskie had plenty of water in between measurements, pictures, and the weight.

“Once it was in the net, things got real very quick,” Connor said.

Richard said his son was filled with excitement afterward.

“He was very excited and happy,” he said. “It was the biggest catch of his life.”

Richard added Connor would like to have a replica of the muskie made when he can afford the costs.

The fish was released back into the lake. However, Connor made sure to get a picture not only for himself but an impressed passerby as well.

“[Once on land,] a couple of different cars stopped on the side of the road and asked to take a picture,” he said.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jon Jordan wrote:</div>
Pretty sure he was fishing off the public dock there in Isle. Great fish kept or not!

If that’s the case, that is a really impressive catch, and fight. Being restricted to the dock makes for a hell of a battle.

Doesn’t matter to me one bit what he did with that fish as long as it was done legally. She might be close to death anyway after that fight.

Totally agree.

Fish don’t live forever.

Way more impressive off a dock, on lite tackle vs in an $60,000 boat with 80# line and stout tackle. That had to be one heck of a battle with long runs. He’s lucky he didn’t get spooled and have it break off or get bitten off. Hats off, that had to be a blast! And at least he was making a good attempt to keep the fish alive.

Post deleted.

I misread a few posts.

Gives a little bit of hope to all shore fisherman out there. I’ve seen some big ones pulled in on the docks of Harriet and Calhoun (can I call it that) but not in this class.

Imagine how busy that dock is gonna be this summer!

I hope it was released as stated but he’s within his rights to keep it.

Great fish and a great story.

This fish was definitely released! This is my sons catch, and the stringer was left in his mouth to make sure he had plenty of water in between pictures, measuring and weight. We’d Never keep a beautiful fish of this size, and this age. In fact we don’t keep any fish. That’s why my son would love to get a replica made from his picture.

I have been reading people saying this fish was not released because he still has a stringer on him. The stringer was left on him to ensure he could give him plenty of water In between pictures, weighing and measuring. We have taking our kids fishing since toddlers and we Only do catch and release. This fish could be 20 years old, Would be a shame for anyone to kill him. I hope he is swimming for many more years, and grows even bigger!

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thanks Brenda! don’t worry about what people say based on 2nd hand knowledge and 1 picture. we live in an online world where feelings get hurt based on a few strokes from a keyboard. tell your son congrats from me and many others as that is a memory he will have the rest of his life.

Thanks for sharing Brenda. Most people here are pretty logical. You can see the vast majority here are supportive of whatever you or your son did with it, as long as it was within the law.

Congrats, it’s going to be one hell of a story that’ll last long after we’re all gone. Not everyone here has a story like that, me included.

biggill wrote:

Congrats, it’s going to be one hell of a story that’ll last long after we’re all gone. Not everyone here has a story like that, me included.

x2
Brenda, with a fish like that I am sure your son will now be hooked on musky fishing. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing $$$. I am sure she is doing well. You did a great job with the stringer and keeping her in the water. Keep making family memories.

Brenda Pankow wrote:

I have been reading people saying this fish was not released because he still has a stringer on him. The stringer was left on him to ensure he could give him plenty of water In between pictures, weighing and measuring. We have taking our kids fishing since toddlers and we Only do catch and release. This fish could be 20 years old, Would be a shame for anyone to kill him. I hope he is swimming for many more years, and grows even bigger!

Great catch and don’t worry about some of the negative comments. It seems like you had all the best interests of the fish in mind and were taking precautions to hope for a strong release.
Hopefully funds will come soon so your boy can get his wish of a replica. That is a once in a lifetime fish for sure!