Big Fish Alert: Pending Michigan State Record Muskie

Angler Joe Seeberger landed this giant muskie—possibly Michigan’s largest ever caught with a rod and reel—in Lake Bellaire. Seeberger, a Portage, Michigan resident, was out fishing for smallmouth bass on Oct. 13 with his brother Chuck and friend Jason Orbeck.

Seeberger (center) fought the fish for two hours. But the men faced an even bigger hurdle when it came time to land the fish. It took three adults, two nets, two life jackets, and a dock line to get the behemoth into the boat.

As soon as the crew got the boat out of the water, a county sheriff was waved down, who incidentally measured the monstrous muskie with a crime scene tape.