Handcrafted Victory: Reeling in a Record Tiger Muskie with a Personal Touch

A Montana angler, Daniel Caricaburu-Lundin, made headlines after catching a record-breaking 45.2-inch tiger muskie at Ackley Lake. The best part? He caught it using a lure he handcrafted himself! Known for their size and appetite, tiger muskies are a sought-after hybrid, and Daniel had his eyes set on this record for a while. A Field and Stream article reported that after a fishing trip in New Mexico with a buddy who held the previous record, Daniel returned to Montana determined to beat it. He even announced his ambitious goal on Facebook before heading out this spring on May 20, 2024.

Using an 8-inch glide bait from his own shop, Click-Bait Customs, Daniel spotted the massive fish and made his move. With a bit of luck and help from a fellow angler passing by, he managed to safely reel in and release the fish while documenting his catch. Months later, the IGFA confirmed his achievement, officially making his catch the longest tiger muskie on record. But for Daniel, the real win was catching such a remarkable fish on a lure he crafted in his garage!

Confirmation of his all-tackle length record for tiger muskie didn’t come until earlier this month when the IGFA published a blog post about a handful of world records that anglers across the country have toppled this summer. “I had no idea it had been confirmed until people started calling me up to ask about it because they saw that post on the IGFA website,” he says. “I was excited to get the record, but I think catching it on one of my own lures was the coolest part of the whole thing.”