Angler with dozens of world records may have got another in Minnesota. How big was it?

Already with dozens of world records to his name, an angler may have yet another following a recent outing in Minnesota.

The International Game Fish Association said a potential world record from Art Weston is under review. He caught a 138-centimeter (54.3 inches) muskie Oct. 29 on Mille Lacs Lake, the association said.

Weston, of Union, Kentucky, told Outdoor Life he traveled to Minnesota to fish with Nolan Sprengeler, who is also a record holder. On the second night of their fishing outing, the muskie struck the lure to begin their battle.

The fight lasted less than a minute before they pulled the muskie onto the boat, he told the publication.

“We looked at each other and I said, ‘It’s long!’ and of course Nolan said, ‘I know!’ … and then he said, ‘I think it’s the one,’” Weston said in an interview with Outdoor Life.

The IGFA said Weston recorded the length of the fish and then released it to safety. If certified, it would break the all-tackle length world record for its species.

The current world record is 135 centimeters, caught in 2022 in the St. Lawrence River in New York.

If approved, Weston’s catch would be his 39th current world record, according to McClatchy News reporting.

Many of the records involve alligator gar, including a 283-pound monster he caught in 2023.

“People don’t regard it as much of a game fish, I don’t know why,” Weston said in an interview with McClatchy News. “They are amazing, they can jump, they’re huge, they’re abundant.”

Mille Lacs Lake is about a 75-mile drive north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Angler with dozens of world records may have got another in Minnesota. How big was it?."