Minnesota retiree saved his new rod and landed a 2.21-pound state-record bluegill on day one

Image Credit: Facebook/ @Wired2Fish A retirement gift turned into the catch of a lifetime for Minnesota angler Dale Hoffman. On the very first fishing trip with his new spinning rod, Hoffman nearly watched it disappear into the water after a powerful fish yanked it from the boat. Instead, he managed to grab the rod in mid-air, reel in the fish and discover he had landed a new Minnesota state-record bluegill weighing 2.21 pounds. According to an exclusive report by Wired2Fish, the remarkable catch came during an early July outing on Big Stone Lake, a fishery that has recently gained national attention for producing unusually large bluegills.A slow start turned into a record-breaking momentHoffman, 59, had recently retired after years of working in construction near Ramsey, Minnesota. With more free time on his hands, he decided to celebrate retirement by purchasing a premium St. Croix spinning rod and taking it on its first fishing trip. He joined his sister, Annie Hess, and fishing companion Mike Rohling on a pontoon boat at Big Stone Lake, which lies along the Minnesota-South Dakota border. However, the outing did not begin as planned.While the others caught quality bluegills, Hof...