A weekly look at anglers and their memorable catches.
By Minnesota anglers
May 19, 2022 — 9:16pm
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Rosemount Police Chief Mikael Dahlstrom caught this dandy 21-inch walleye on Mille Lacs opening weekend, fishing with pals Jeff Anderson of Edina and Cory Villaume of Delano. The three anglers found walleyes trolling shallow-running crankbaits after dark in 8- to 10-feet of water. Daytime fishing with jigs and suckers (which for them worked better than shiners) was slower.
Sara Gronewold, of Baudette, caught this walleye close to shore on the Rainy River on opening day. She caught her limit (two saugers and four walleyes) by 11 a.m. Paul Lundgren, left.
Adam Bast of Hudson, Wis., caught a 28.5-inch walleye on Leech Lake.
Kernon Bast, of Hudson, Wis., caught this 26-inch walleye on Leech Lake on opening day.
Dwight Carlson, 90, of Battle Lake, caught this 33-inch walleye in 6 to 8 feet of water on Ottertail Lake in mid-October by trolling the shoreline with a crankbait.
Wyatt Giesen of New Prague was fishing Red Lake for the first time with his brother, father and grandfather when he landed this 42.5-inch northern in June. It was released.
Rich Gordon
Cecilia and Brooklyn Bordeaux, 4, of Hugo, caught sunfish while dock fishing on Park Lake near Mahtowa in Carlton County with their grandfather Jim Johnson.
Brian Stensaas
On his 75th birthday last month, Dave Anderson of Richfield caught this 12-pound, 28-inch lake trout out of Taconite Harbor on Lake Superior. He used a spoon on a leaded line in 250 feet of water. Two hours later, he caught a 22-pound, 37-inch lake trout.
Rich Gordon
Kevin Walker of Savage caught this 51-inch, 33-pound muskie on Pelican Lake in Becker County in August. It was his first muskie.
Rich Gordon
Reese Mahlum of Delano, age 5, caught this northern from the dock at the family cabin on Island Lake near Duluth with a little help from her grandfather, Dan Laurila of Edina.
Rich Gordon
Charlize Hyser, 10, of Hanover, caught this 29-inch walleye while fishing Lake of the Woods with her uncle Joe. She used her favorite “blue thunder” St. Croix rod.
Brian Stensaas
Carl Wenning of Waconia, fishing with friend Avery Aalfs on Lake Waconia, caught and released this dandy 37-inch northern using a spinner bait.
Rich Gordon
Ben Hirschfeld, age 9, of Cold Spring, was fishing for sunfish last month from his family’s dock on Big Fish Lake when he caught this 7-pound bowfin (aka dogfish).
Rich Gordon
Karisa Stevens of Rochester, shown with her father Ken, caught this 26½-inch walleye last month on Leech Lake. The outing was part of a family celebration for her 12th birthday.
Rich Gordon
Danny Romano, age 10, of Minneapolis, was casting a spinnerbait at his family’s cabin on Birch Lake near Ely when he caught this 36-inch northern. The catch, his largest ever, was released.
Rich Gordon
Jordan Belden, age 7 of Cedar, teamed with friend Dylan Olson, of Andover, to land this 20-inch, 4-pound, 10-ounce largemouth bass earlier this month on Long Lake in Aitkin County.
Brian Stensaas
Ruby Tritabaugh, age 9, of Minneapolis, caught this sunfish while fishing with her grandmother on a small lake in central Minnesota.
Rich Gordon
Carolyn Miller Plummer of St. Paul caught this 26-inch, 6-pound walleye on a border lake in the BWCA. She released the catch, which was her largest ever.
Rich Gordon
Drew McClenahan, left, and Blake McClenahan, of Prior Lake, were trolling for walleye on Lake Vermilion but caught this muskie. The muskie measured over 50” and was released.
Rich Gordon
Bricelyn Morris, age 9, of Shakopee, caught this 25-inch Northern and smallmouth bass on Lake Miltona using a googly-eyed jighead.
Brian Stensaas
Liam Cowan, age 10, of Minneapolis, who lives near Lake of the Isles, caught this 5-pound bass off the South dock on Lake Harriet using a wacky rig.
Brian Stensaas
Manny Granroos, of Fridley, caught this 37-inch muskie on Leech Lake’s Walker Bay earlier this month.
Brian Stensaas
Tilden Anderson, age 11, of Windom, Minn., caught this 3-pound smallmouth bass on nearby Fish Lake, using a buzzbait lure that his great-grandfather Ken Anderson used 60 years ago.
Jeff Day
Tom Klos, of Belle Plaine, caught this 40-inch, 29-pound lake trout in June in the BWCA. He caught it on a lipless crankbait body which he rigged with a treble on the front and a white hair single hook on the back. The catch, which had a 24-inch girth, was released.
Jeff Day
Nora King, age 8, of Baxter, caught her first bass while fishing for sunfish last month on Wymer Lake, south of Frazee, Minn.
Brian Stensaas
Jaxon Mahn, age 7, of Red Wing, caught his first “big” fish while fishing with friend Brett Meger on Lake Pepin. Mahn is holding one of four pike he helped reel in. This catch was 36½ inches.
Brian Stensaas
Michele Mahoney, of Mound, was fishing Lake Minnetonka for walleye last weekend. She settled for her first muskie. The 44-inch catch was released.
Jeff Day
Graydon Buck, of Hastings, caught this 14-pound, 29-inch brown trout on Lake Superior south of Grand Marais in 200 feet of water. The fish bit on a silver spoon.
Jeff Day
Rex Miranda, age 10, of Eagan, caught this 22-inch catfish, which weighed more than five pounds, on Aligmagnet Lake from his grandfather’s paddle boat.
Brian Stensaas
Beth Anderson of Savage caught this 24-1/2 inch walleye off Big Hardwood Point of Leech Lake last month using a jig and minnow.
Jeff Day
Declan Cudd, right, of Minneapolis and his older brother Charlie Cudd each caught a 29-inch walleye near the mouth of Amnicon River on the south shore of Lake Superior.
Jeff Day
While night fishing the Minnesota River between Belle Plaine and Blakeley, Jackson Pobuda, of Belle Plaine, caught this 35-pound catfish using a large creek chub. The catch was released.
Jeff Day
Eileen Burkhart of Austin, Minn., caught this 32-inch carp using a nightcrawler from Austin’s Eastside Lake fishing dock. Her husband, Phil, handled the net.
Jeff Day
Tyler Arneson, age 14, of Lakeville, caught this 40-inch, 20-pound muskie on Bone Lake in western Wisconsin. The lunker hit on a ¾-ounce Baby Girl spinner.
Jeff Day
Taylor Nyland, of Andover, caught and released this 11-inch sunfish on a lake in the Bemidji area.
Robert Timmons
Jim Marten of Maple Grove caught this 28½-inch bowfin two weeks ago on South Long Lake near Brainerd using a perch shad-rap. The fish put up a 20-minute fight on a two-pound test line. The catch was released.
Brian Stensaas
Jackson Hays, age 5, of Nisswa, reeled in this walleye on Gull Lake all by himself. It’s the biggest fish he’s caught so far and one of his first walleyes. It was released.
Brian Stensaas
Madeline Peterson, age 11, of Otsego, typically fishes for sunfish. After catching this bass on Island Lake near Jenkins in Crow Wing County, she’s a fan of bass fishing.
Rich Gordon
Early morning catch: Dan Luetje caught and released this 30-inch walleye on Lake Ida. Luetje slowly trolled a rig with a jumbo leech.
Rich Gordon
Anniversary gift: Pam Sailer of Apple Valley caught this 29-3/4-inch walleye on Lake of the Woods using a gold jig tipped with a leech. Sailer and her husband were celebrating their wedding anniversary.
Rich Gordon
No help needed: Joey Otto, age 7, of Prior Lake, caught this 29-inch walleye all by himself last month on a lake near Alexandria. He was fishing with his father Josh (pictured) and grandfather.
Robert Timmons
John Kerry Savage, Shakopee • 15-inch largemouth bass • Shirt Lake John Kerry Savage, who recently turned 8-years-old, is already an avid angler. He caught this fish at his family’s cabin near Deerwood, Minn. When his family is at the cabin, he likes to spend all of his time fishing.
Jeff Day
Deb Valen, of Dayton, caught this 3.4-pound bass on Rush Lake near Crosslake, Minn., last month.
Robert Timmons
Luke Michels, of St. Paul, caught this 20-inch largemouth bass at his cousins’ cabin near Spooner, Wis., last week.
Jeff Day
Katie Westlund • 49½-inch muskie • Lake Inguadona • Fishing the Cass County lake near Longville, Minn., with her father, Mark, Westlund was trolling a 10-inch Mattlock orange glitter perch lure when she nabbed the biggest fish she’s ever caught.
Jeff Day
Lila Guilday, of Chanhassen, was fishing Lotus Lake for crappies when she caught this largemouth bass. After a struggle and a quick photo the fish was released.
Howard Sinker
Rob Degidio, of St. Paul, caught this bass on Lower Whitefish lake, northeast of Pequot Lakes, Minn., from a dock near dusk using a slip bobber with a leech.
Jeff Day
Dale Gehring, of Northfield, caught and released this 17¼-inch Black Crappie on a Walker area lake.
Jeff Day
Ethan Michels, St. Paul • 16-pound flathead catfish • Mississippi River Ethan Michels, of St. Paul, was casting a Little Cleo below the Ford Dam from a kayak last week when he hooked this 32-inch, 16-pound flathead catfish. After a 20-minute fight, he landed it. His brother Luke helped him bring the fish on shore before it was released.
Jeff Day
Georgia James, 12, of Breezy Point, caught this 30-inch northern on Stewart Bay off of Pelican Lake. She used a shiner minnow.
Jeff Day
Griffin Friedrich, 11, of Chanhassen, caught this crappie in four feet of water on Leech Lake over the Memorial Day weekend. It was his first crappie. His brother Hunter handled the net.
Robert Timmons
Anne Minske, of Chanhassen, caught this 36-inch northern on Lake Susan on Memorial Day. She used live bait with a homemade leader and bobber.
Jeff Day
John Kim, Minneapolis • 49-inch muskie • Lake Minnetonka Kim and his wife were cruising through a slow zone when this muskie hit on a No. 3 Mepps Comet Mino. They didn’t have a net on board so a nearby fisherman swooped in and helped them secure the fish.