Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 28, 2001
For more information: Dennis Unkenholz, 773-4508

NEW STATE TIGER MUSKIE RECORD

PIERRE – Mix an Esox lucius and an Esox masquinongy, then let it grow to 35 pounds and what do you get? For Marvin Erickson of Slayton, Minn., it was a South Dakota record tiger muskellunge, a cross between a northern pike and muskellunge.

Erickson caught the monster tiger musky March 21 from Lake Francis Case. He was fishing with a jig and minnow. The record fish officially weighed an even 35 pounds, was 47 ½ inches long and had a girth of 24 inches.

Fisheries Administrator Dennis Unkenholz said if an angler should catch a possible state record fish, the first thing to do is get it weighed on a certified scale. 

"Under South Dakota rules, the weight must be rounded down to the nearest ounce. To replace the existing record, a fish must weigh at least one ounce more. If it breaks the record by less than an ounce, the two fish will be listed as co-holders of the record, " Unkenholz said.

Once a possible state record has been caught, anglers should also contact a Game, Fish and Parks official who will positively identify the fish and sign a record fish form. In cases where positive identification of the species is difficult, a qualified ichthyologist may have to look at the fish.

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