# Minnesota retiree lands state-record bluegill on first trip 2026-08-07T17:08:01+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Times of India reports that Minnesota retiree Dale Hoffman caught a 2.21-pound state-record bluegill on his first fishing trip with a new spinning rod, nearly losing the rod when a powerful fish yanked it from his boat. The catch on July 6 at Big Stone Lake broke the previous state record set just over a month earlier by Chris Mulcahey. Hoffman, 59, had retired from construction and bought the St. Croix rod as a retirement gift. The fish measured 11.6 inches and was verified by the Minnesota DNR. Big Stone Lake has been producing trophy bluegills due to careful fisheries management, including a 10-fish daily limit and annual surveys. Another bluegill over two pounds was caught the day after Hoffman's record. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Big Stone Lake, bluegill, conservation, fishing record, Minnesota, trophy fish Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/minnesota-retiree-lands-state-record-bluegill-on-first-trip/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/minnesota-retiree-lands-state-record-bluegill-on-first-trip/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.