The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed a new state record for cisco, formerly known as lake herring.
Michael Lemanski reeled in the 6.36 pound, 21 inch cisco June 9th on Lake Ottowa in the western Upper Peninsula.
The previous state record cisco weighed 5.4 pounds and measured 25 inches long. It was caught in East Grand Traverse Bay in 1992.
“Although this fish was caught in June, we only recently verified it as a state record,” said Gary Whelan, the DNR’s fisheries research manager. “The reason for the delay stemmed from the fact we wanted to ensure this fish was not a hybrid between a cisco and a lake whitefish. These fish look extremely similar so we gathered DNA from the fish to test its compatibility with what we know about cisco. That test, done by Michigan State University, proved to be a match.”
Lemanski, of Florence, Wisconsin, says he caught the record cisco while still-fishing with a home-made jig.
