Leah Blomquist, 11, of Plymouth • 15-inch crappie • Sturgeon Lake
Fish, be wary of her
(As told by her dad, Alan) "On Saturday of the opener we were fishing Sturgeon Lake in St. Louis County when Leah caught this huge, 15-inch crappie on a plain hook and minnow while we were drifting across structure hoping for walleyes. She was so excited she held the fish for the photo. She also boated a 2-pound walleye and a 4-pound northern, out-fishing both me and her grandpa!"
ONE AND HOOKED
Kooper Groen (above), 6, of Elk River, caught and released this dandy 23½-inch walleye on Lake Mille Lacs. "After reeling in several other smaller walleye's, Kooper set the hook on his own on this one,'' said his dad, Joshua. "Although the limit is only one fish on Mille Lacs, in this case all it took was one to get a kid hooked on fishing. This was not a 'slot' fish (that could be kept), but it was definitely one to be remembered.''
BIG CAT
Eric Wollenberg (above) of Hager City, Wis., was fishing for walleyes earlier this month on the Mississippi River when this 45-inch, 40-pound flathead catfish struck. "I was fishing with an ultralight and a jig,'' he said, and fought the fish for a half hour. "We took some pictures and released her. It's the biggest fish I've ever caught.''
TROPHY TALES To be considered for our fishing page, e-mail your photo and story to fishphoto@startribune.com. Identify anglers and where they live, and include a brief tale, including where and how it was caught. You can also post photos on Trophy Tales at startribune.com/outdoors.
