New records for shovelnose sturgeon set twice in one week in March, DNR says
Elliot Feldman, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.(Courtesy of the Minnesota DNR)
The Minnesota catch-and-release record for longest shovelnose sturgeon was set twice in one week this March, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
Tyler Young caught a 34 1/4-inch shovelnose sturgeon on March 8 on the Mississippi River, and four days later, Elliott Feldman caught a 35-inch shovelnose sturgeon on the Minnesota River.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expanded its list for catch-and-release species from four to 18 in February, which included the addition of the shovelnose sturgeon.
The DNR requires fish to be 1/4 inch longer than the existing record in order to qualify. The previous record for a shovelnose sturgeon was 32 inches before Young and Feldman set new records, according to the DNR’s website.
For catch-and-release records, angling is the only approved fishing method, and the fish must be caught during the legal open season.
More information can be found here.