Pending verification by the Department of Fish and Wildlife officials, the state of Washington should have a new state record hybrid musky.

Dave Hickman with the fish which should be Washington’s new record tiger musky.

Dave Hickman of Pasco, Washington, was fishing on Curlew Lake on July 26 when he boated what should stand as the new state record tiger musky — a monster of 37 pounds, 14 ounces, more than six pounds above the current record of 31 1/4 pounds.

Hickman was on the ninth and final day of a family vacation to picturesque Curlew Lake, near Republic in north-central Washington. Hickman was only able to catch one other smaller fish during his nine days of fishing. He hooked the big one on a 1/2-ounce white spinnerbait.

Muskies must be at least 50 inches long to be kept in Washington, and Hickman’s first measurement was 49 inches. So he put it in the boat’s livewell, and sought help from a couple of trout fishermen who helped him come up with a measurement of 50 1/4 inches.

The musky was weighed on a certified scale at 37 pounds, 14 ounces. It was officially measured by Washington DFW officials at 50 1/2 inches. Biologists estimated the fish may be anywhere between seven and 10 years old.