This year's 7th annual Mille Lacs Muskie Tournament produced more muskies than any of its previous years. Despite a large cold front moving through the region the evening before the start of the event, 85 teams registered 37 muskies in excess of 40". All teams reported tough fishing as the water temps had dipped from 80 degrees to the low 70's over the preceding week. This year's event also set a record for trophy fish with 10 muskies measuring 50" or larger.

The top teams suceeded by downsizing their lure selection using finesse and capitalizing on every opportunity to catch a fish. The first place team of Jason Hamernick and Bill Buechner caught six muskies ranging from 40.5" to 53.5" to set a new Minnesota Muskie Tournament Trail event record of 87 points. Their success came from small patches of weeds located in only two feet of water. They spent their weekend burning Rabid Squirrels, a small in-line bucktail spinner.

The second place team of Chris Jensen and Luke Ronnestrand accumulated 51 points with a 47.5", a 50.5", and a 51" muskie. This team focussed on the deep cabbage weed line and slow rolling Cowgirl bucktails to catch all three of their fish.

The third place team of Jake Grant and Jeff Peterson made a drastic change to their weekend when at 9:50am Sunday, Jake caught the tournament's largest - a 54-incher. His partner, Jeff, followed up with a 50" muskie only 20 minutes later to rocket them from no fish caught to third place. These two giants were caught using the lakes hottest baits, Bulldawgs and Cowgirls.