There’s a brand new world-record muskie on the books. Earlier this yr, the Worldwide Recreation Fish Affiliation licensed Derek Balmas’ 53.15-inch muskie as the brand new all-tackle size report for the species. Balmas caught and launched the trophy muskie whereas fishing the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York on Nov. 8.

A fishing information on the St. Lawrence, Balmas was imagined to be main a visit for Water Wolf Charters that day, however his shopper cancelled. He determined to go fishing in any case and referred to as up his good friend Mike Muehelemann, who’d by no means caught a muskie earlier than.

After setting out from the ramp in Clayton that afternoon, the 2 put out six traces and began trolling. They discovered fish quickly sufficient, touchdown a 48-inch muskie and a 35-incher inside the first couple hours. Then, round 3 p.m., one thing hammered one in every of their eight-inch diving plugs.    

“When it hit, we didn’t know if we had weeds on the board or what was happening,” Balmas informed New York Upstate. “So I ran to the again and went to seize for the rod, and naturally the rod began doubling over.”

The massive muskie stayed deep for a lot of the battle. After roughly half-hour, Balmas netted the fish and hauled it into the boat. The 2 anglers photographed the fish, took a sequence of measurements, and launched it. They determined to not weigh the muskie however estimated its weight round 60 kilos.

“We really feel the longer you will have them out of the water, the more serious it’s on the fish,” Balmas defined. “We simply acquired our photos we would have liked for IGFA, then again down into the depths she went.”

The IGFA licensed Balmas’ word-record muskie in April, however information of the report started circulating extensively this weekend. His fish edges out the earlier catch-and-release report (which was additionally pulled from the St. Lawrence River) by lower than inch.

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To be honest, Balmas’ report muskie is the longest to be licensed by the IGFA, however it’s removed from the longest muskie that’s ever been caught and launched. Final March, an angler in West Virginia set a brand new state report with a muskie that measured over 55 inches. And the Minnesota catch-and-release report, which was additionally caught final November, measured greater than 58 inches lengthy.

Balmas’ fish additionally falls wanting the IGFA all-tackle weight report. Weighing 67 kilos, 8 ounces, that muskie was caught from a lake in Wisconsin in 1949. It measured 60.25 inches lengthy.