After making changes to the record fish program, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has seen steady interest by anglers in documenting their largest catches, as evidenced by the nine new state record fish the Minnesota DNR has certified since March.

“Seeing all these new records is fantastic and we’re really pleased with how anglers have participated in the program so far,” said Mandy Erickson, fisheries program consultant. “We expect to keep posting more records as more anglers hear about how to certify a record and as more time passes.”      

The Minnesota DNR in March expanded the catch-and-release record category to add additional species, and also made more space for records in the certified weight category by creating a separate category for records established before a certified scale was required to document a fish’s weight.

The Minnesota DNR has certified the following as new state record fish since March 1.

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.

Complete record information, and instructions for how to certify a state record fish, are available on the Minnesota DNR state record fish webpage.