TOWER— Matt Snyder loves to fish muskie, and his devotion to the sport paid off handsomely two weeks ago, when he and his angling partner Chris Riebe landed two of the hawgs to take the top prize in the Professional Muskie Tournament Trail’s world championship, sponsored by Ranger Boats.

Snyder landed a 51-inch and 43.5-inch muskie, and was the only angler to boat two fish during the tournament weekend, held Oct. 22 and 23, at Lake Miltona, near Alexandria. The invitational tournament included 35 teams of experienced muskie anglers from across the U.S. Snyder, who lives in Tower, and his partner Riebe, who hails from Elgin, Ill., took home the grand prize—a 2017 Ranger 619 FS and 150 HP motor for their efforts, a boat and motor combination that retails for between $40,000-$45,000.

It was the first time either of the muskie aficionados had fished Lake Miltona, although they spent nearly a week ahead of the tournament meticulously mapping weed beds. While underwater structure typically attracts muskie on Lake Vermilion, Snyder said muskies typically work weed edges on sandy lakes like Miltona. When the tournament fishing opened, they already knew where to go and their preparation paid off. “We knew there was potential for big fish there,” said Snyder. “We just had to find them.”

They also had to coax them to bite. Snyder said the muskie were pretty lethargic on the tournament weekend, and were unwilling to take anyone’s bait on the retrieve. Snyder found success with a Bulldawg, worked slow, and close to the boat. “They’d only bite on the figure-eight,” he said.

The 35 teams boated only eight muskie for the weekend, with Snyder and Riebe accounting for a quarter of the total catch.