Angler Sets New State Record For Northern Pike

Anglers in Minnesota have a new mark to reach if they want to break the state’s northern pike record.

Matthew Swanson of Woodbury was fishing on Rainy River with his dad and brother when he reeled in a 45 1/4 inch northern pike, breaking the previous record of 43 1/2 inches.

Swanson’s fish was caught in May earlier this year, but he did not send his application until October 29th, and the fish was certified soon after.

While on his family fishing trip, Swanson said that he had not landed any large pike, while his brother and dad had both reeled in several fish over 30 inches. Swanson decided to switch is setup and use his dad’s which consisted of streamer flies on a 30-pound test wire. After a few casts with the new approach, Swanson landed the record-setting catch. After a brief fight with the monster pike, the family took pictures and measured the fish before releasing it back into the water.

“Because this was to date my first and only pike on a fly, it was a very memorable experience,” Swanson said.

You can find current records and guidelines for each type of state record at mndnr.gov/recordfish.