Angler’s 6-Foot Catch Breaks Minnesota’s Sturgeon Record

The Fish was 30 Inches in Girth

STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) – An eastern Minnesota man has set a state catch-and-release record by hooking a more than 6-foot-long sturgeon on the Rainy River.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that the state Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that Jack Burke’s May 4 catch set a new state record.

Burke used a muskie rod and an 80-pound braided line with a circle hook and crawlers to catch the fish.

The fish was 30 inches in girth.

The previous record was set in April 2017 by two separate anglers who caught 70-inch sturgeons on the same day.

The state keeps records based on length for the catch and release of muskellunge, northern pike, lake sturgeon or flathead catfish.

Records for fish that are caught and kept are based on weight.