117 muskies in three days, 18 of them 48 inches or longer, at Minnesota’s Northwest Angle
NORTHWEST ANGLE, Minn. — The Professional Musky Tournament Trail (PMTT) came to Lake of the Woods for the first time September 17 – 19. The lake delivered. Over three days, the field caught and released 117 muskies. Eighteen of those fish measured 48 inches or longer.
PMTT Tournament Director Tim Widlacki said it’s probably the most successful tournament in the trail’s 28-year history, for both numbers and size of fish.
A first look at a world-class fishery
Many of the teams had never fished Lake of the Woods before. That didn’t stop them. Anglers found fish on current-swept rock piles, shallow weeds and thick slop. The teams that did best kept moving, tried new water and trusted what the lake was telling them.
Jarod Donar of Oregon, Wis., and Pete Blicharz of Three Lakes, Wis., won the 2026 Recon Boats World Championship. It was their first time on the lake. They caught nine muskies up to 48 inches for 728 points. The pair stuck with shallow weeds, rocks and slop, often covering 20 to 30 miles a day. Big rubber baits in natural colors caught most of their fish. The win earned them a prize package worth more than $58,000, including a new Recon 2085T boat with a 150-hp Mercury outboard.
The finish was tight. Father and son Bob and Jackson Harris of Monticello, Wis., took second with nine fish and 722 points, just six points back. Their catch included the two biggest fish among the top five teams, at 50.5 and 50 inches.
Mark Lijewski of Minocqua, Wis., and Ryan Wallis of Eagle River, Wis., placed third with nine fish and 713 points. Every one of their muskies was at least 40 inches.
Jace Loge of Hackensack, Minn., and Darian Rubner of Pine River, Minn., finished fourth. They were shut out on Day One, then switched to very shallow slop. On the final day they boated five fish in about two hours.
Michael Gorman of Cushing, Minn., and Jason Stock of Princeton, Minn., rounded out the top five with six fish. They found muskies on two shallow, rocky points with strong current in just one to two feet of water.
The event also wrapped up the season-long Top Gun race. Josh McDunn and Sean Boland earned 2026 Top Gun Team of the Year with 619 points. They won two of the trail’s four events.
In the heart of musky country
The Northwest Angle sits right in the middle of Lake of the Woods’ best musky water. It’s the northernmost point in the lower 48 states. It’s also surrounded by islands, reefs, rocky shorelines and weedy bays that hold big fish.
The Angle is home to a number of resorts, many with good restaurants and bars. That makes it an easy home base for musky anglers who want to spend their days on the water and their evenings close by.
The event was hosted by Lake of the Woods Tourism and Jerry’s Bar & Restaurant, which served as headquarters for the tournament, along with title sponsor Recon Boats and a long list of other sponsors, including Mercury Marine and Thorne Bros.
To plan a musky trip to the Northwest Angle, visit lakeofthewoodsmn.com.
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