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topicnews · August 27, 2024

Tiger Muskie breaks world length record

Tiger Muskie breaks world length record

Dan Caricaburu-Lundin of Anchorage, Alaska, launched his kayak on Ackley Lake in Montana with the goal of breaking the IGFA world record for longest fishing length tiger muskie. In a Facebook post on the morning of May 20, he wrote, “Today I’m not looking for fish, I’m looking for ‘the fish.'” The accompanying photo showed a large trout-patterned glide lure and an official IGFA measuring device.

Sometimes things do go as planned. A few hours later, he was posing for photos with a 45-inch tiger pike, which beat the previous world record by about 6 inches. The IGFA officially confirmed the new record in August.

“I fished [Lake Ackley] “I’ve been catching a lot and the biggest fish I’ve caught was 44 inches long,” Dan said. “So to catch a fish that big is pretty cool.”

On the morning of his catch, the angler posted this photo on Facebook with the caption, “Today I’m not looking for a fish. I’m looking for ‘the fish.'” Dan Caricaburu-Lundin

Tiger Muskie Fishing in Montana

Tiger Muskellunge are a hybrid cross between true Muskellunge (Esox masks) and pike (Esox lucius). They inherit traits from both sides of their lineage, making them fierce and toothy ambush hunters. They are an impressive game fish, with record weights in excess of 50 pounds.

The tiger muskies in Lake Ackley are no accident. Dan said he has done a lot of fishing in the small, 550-acre lake and has seen a number of large specimens. Ackley has long been a trout fishing area, and about 10 years ago the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) began releasing tiger muskies annually to counteract the out-of-control populations of the less desirable longnose and sucker carp. The resulting tiger muskie population is well-fed.

Catching the world record for the Tiger Muskie

Dan said his fish easily weighed over 30 pounds. He spotted it on Garmin LiveScope swimming about 3 feet over deeper water and was casting an 8-inch, 2.5-ounce Kokanee salmon glide bait he made himself in his garage. He was turning his kayak around when the fish bit.

“I wasn’t prepared for the bite, so I half-heartedly set the hook and it jumped about five feet out of the water,” Dan said. “I panicked a little bit. I was kind of under-armed. I mean, the fish barely fit in my net.”

Dan made his way to the bank where he was able to subdue the fish from the shore. Fishing guide Boone Tullet happened to be driving by and saw Dan struggling with the fish. He stopped and helped take photos and an official IGFA measurement before releasing the fish. The previous length record was 100 centimeters (39.37 inches). It was caught by Joshua Daniels in 2022 at Blue Water Reservoir in New Mexico.

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