Above: Benjamin Knutson caught the longest muskie, 56.5 inches, of his career this fall on a Musky Innovations Bull Dawg. Using the same lure, he caught his fattest fish, 28.5-inch girth, soon afterward (photo below).
Mille Lacs Lake is located approximately 80 miles north of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s not a deep lake (about 40 feet maximum) and much of its 132,000 acres is shallow (less than 20 feet). The oval-shaped lake is the second largest inland lake in the state, which means high winds can often prevent anglers from reaching their favorite spots due to big waves.
As you can see in the photos above and below, however, Minnesota angler Benjamin Knutson didn’t have to fight the wind and waves when he boated not one but two of Mille Lacs Lake’s famed trophy muskies.
The following is a Facebook post from Knutson on Dec. 1, 2020. Congrats, Benjamin, on two amazing muskies!
Epic Muskie Day:
This fall on Mille Lacs will be one I will never forget, ever. Each year I spend the last part of the season chasing that one bite that every muskie angler dreams of, the elusive 50-pounder on Mille Lacs. And this year just happened to be my year that everything clicked.
After 16 days of fishing on the big pond, we managed to put ten muskies in the boat. But there was one day that shined above the rest!
Like any other day on Mille Lacs, spirits were high, but the reality was the odds were not in our favor. On the second spot of the day, we bagged a mid 40-inch muskie. A quick CPR [catch, photo, release], and we were back to casting. About an hour goes by when I feel that tick in my Thorne Bros. XH Predator Rod again, and when I set the hook this time, I knew right away this was a different caliber fish; it was her.
The fight was short and sweet but felt like an eternity; she made one wrong move at the boat and flopped right in the net. I knew she was big, but it’s tough to gauge how big those Mille Lacs fish are until you put them on the bump board.
This fish [top photo] broke my personal best at 56.5 inches [length] x 27 inches [girth]. After releasing the fish, I had to sit down for a bit to compose myself to get back to fishing.
After finishing out the spot, I decided we needed to make a run across the lake. Not 20 minutes go by, and I set into another giant, this one wasn’t the prettiest of net jobs, but we bagged her. This fish [photo below] broke another personal best of mine for girth and possibly weight at 53.25 x 28.5 inches.
I was in disbelief! You don’t go to Mille Lacs and catch two 50-pounders in one day. It just doesn’t happen! Both fish were caught on my trusty Musky Innovations Bull Dawg tied up with a 9-inch, 130-pound DWF leader and 100-pound Cortland Master Braid.
Well, I think that’s a wrap on my 2020 muskie season. I want to say thank you to all my clients and friends who shared the boat with me. It was an epic season! Big shoutout to my sponsors [Thorne Bros., FigureEight Muskie Gear, Musky Frenzy Lures] and people that have supported me throughout the years. You’re awesome! I can’t wait to do it all over again next year.
