ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Wisconsin angler caught a 46.25-inch northern pike on Mille Lacs Lake that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has certified as a tie with the current catch-and-release state record.
Brad Lila, of Hudson, Wisconsin, caught and released the fish Jan. 22.
"I set the hook as the line was quickly peeling out," Lila said in a statement on the catch released by the DNR Monday. "I knew it was a very large fish because it peeled out drag and there was no stopping it. After about 10 minutes of fighting the fish, I knew that it might take more than me to land it."