Angler equates catching record fish to reeling in ‘a large moving log’

With storm clouds building as a huge storm approached, Todd Kirby and his friends found the fish active on Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion, and at least two big ones were willing to bite.

Kirby landed a 48-inch muskie, a personal best at the time, but it was his next catch that became a record-holder.

Kirby caught and released a 57¼-inch muskie that the Department of Natural Resources certified Wednesday as tying the state record in the catch-and-release category.

“That Friday night we were up against the weather,” Kirby told DNR. “There was a huge storm front moving through creating extremely unstable conditions. The humidity was high, and storm clouds were building. It was one of those nights that the fish seemed to be super active, our boat had multiple chases, one resulting in a 48-inch fish in the net — at that time my personal best.”

But they kept fishing and around 10:30 p.m., the big one hit with a “thud” 15 yards from the boat.

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“I compared it to reeling in a large moving log, and after a few dark splashes, she was in the net,” Kirby said. “Everything just happened so fast!”

Kirby and his friends, John and Will Gavic, thought it was a 50-inch fish and were “amazed” it measured as long as the current record, which was caught in 2019 also on Lake Vermilion.

“My bait just so happened to be the one that she ate, but that whole night couldn’t have been possible without the help of John Gavic and Will Gavic. Muskie fishing is a team effort, and when you have a good team on your side, landing a fish of that caliber creates a memory of a lifetime.”