Dan Caricaburu-Lundin, of Anchorage, Alaska, launched his kayak on Montana’s Ackley Lake with a mission to break IGFA’s all-tackle length world record for tiger muskie. In a Facebook post the morning of May 20, he wrote “I’m not looking for a fish today; I’m looking for ‘the fish.’” The accompanying photo showed a large, trout-patterned glide bait and an official IGFA measuring device.
Sometimes things do go as planned. A few hours later, he found himself posing for photos with a 115-centimeter (45.28-inch) tiger muskie that beat the previous world length record by about 6 inches. IGFA officially approved the new record in August.
“I’ve fished [Lake Ackley] a lot, and the biggest one I’ve caught was 44 inches,” Dan said. “So, catching one that big is pretty cool.”
Montana Tiger Muskie Fishing
Tiger muskellunge are a hybrid cross of true muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) and northern pike (Esox lucius). They inherit traits from both sides of their parentage, which makes them ferocious and toothy ambush predators. They are an awesome game fish with record weights heavier than 50 pounds.
Lake Ackley’s tiger muskie are no accident. Dan said he’s fished the small 226-acre lake a good bit and has seen a number of big ones. Ackley has long been a trout fishery, and about 10 years ago, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) began stocking tiger muskie annually to counter out-of-control populations of less-desirable longnose and white suckers. The resulting tiger muskie population is well-fed.
Catching The World Record Tiger Muskie
Dan said his fish was easily heavier than 30 pounds. He spotted it on Garmin LiveScope cruising about 3 feet deep over deeper water and cast an 8-inch-long, 2.5-ounce custom kokanee salmon glide bait that he made himself in his garage. He was in the process of turning his kayak when the fish ate.
“I wasn’t ready for the bite, so I made kind of a half-a**ed hook set and he jumped like 5 feet out of the water,” Dan said. “I was kind of panicking a little bit. I was kind of under-gunned for it. I mean that fish barely fit in my net.”
Dan made his way to the bank, where he was able to subdue the fish from shore. Fishing guide Boone Tullet just happened to be driving by and saw Dan fighting the fish. He pulled over and helped get photos and an official IGFA measurement before releasing the fish. The previous length record measured 100 centimeters (39.37 inches). It was caught at Blue Water Reservoir, New Mexico by Joshua Daniels in 2022.
