Personal Bests?

[bronzeback]

I figured I'd start a thread that could get people talking about the biggest fish(muskie) they've caught in their lifetime and maybe get a few pictures posted. The season has been closed less than a month and I'm already itching to see a big fish chasing my bait, or lay into one with a hookset that almost pulls me into the water. I figure the next best thing to re-watching a DVD I've already seen hundreds of times would be to hear the testimony of people's big-fish stories. To get the ball rolling I'll tell the story of my personal best, and hopefully a few of you will follow with stories of your own.

-I like to get somewhat in depth when I tell fishing stories because it's just more fun that way for me, so bear with me if I get a little long-winded.

My personal best muskie, at least what I think was my personal best came this past season in early August. I was out fishing alone, my usual boat partner was working, or with his girlfriend, or had some other random pressing engagement that was somehow more important than chasing "the one." So I motored around and fished well into dark and was the only boat out that late that night. I drifted along a seam and casted down the line for about an hour and a half, making the same pass over and over again with very slight changes. I had a hot hot follow on a topraider and saw the giant wake in the moonlight but the fish never committed. That follow is what kept me on the water and I fished hard until I was about halfway down my 6th or 7th pass on this structure and I got stopped hard by a giant in the middle of cast. I set the hook only to be pulled onto my knees in my tiny aluminum boat. I regained my composure and began the process of getting this fish to the boat. Getting her there wasn't the issue though, netting her once she was there was the tough part. Once she was close enough i took a hand off of the rod and grabbed the net and tried my best to get her in in the dark, but she made another run that brought me to my knees for the second time. having one arm on the rod when a 50-some inch fish makes a run isn't the best strategy if you're really intending on landing this fish. 2 or 3 more instances where I almost netted her and she went for another dive happened and then finally I got this big girl in the net by myself. I had no idea how big the fish was since it was pretty much pitch black and all I saw was her head when she gave a few shakes above water. So I set up my camera on it's little tripod, got the hooks out with almost too much ease, and as I took her out of the net, the fish just kept coming and coming. I was astounded at the length, and got my first picture with her.

after that photo I put her right back in the water on the other side of the boat. while I was holding onto her tail I peaked at the photo and wasn't entirely satisfied because I knew this was the fish I had been looking for all summer. So I left her in the water for a while and then grabbed another photo with her. Many of you may criticize this, but being alone and fishing out of a 12 foot boat makes it pretty dam hard to get a good photograph of a large fish on the first try. The second picture wasn't the best either, but I didn't take the time to look at it after I got her in the water, I took a few release shots, and she swam off very very strong.

here's the second shot:

I never measured this fish, but after catching some large fish this summer and getting rough and precise measurements on a few of those I'm certain that this is my longest fish to date.

So i know that was a long story, but reminiscing helps me cope with the fact that I wont be chasing muskies for another 5+ months.

[Muskiefool]

Thats a great story Bronzback, my PB was not measured either, I did girth the fish but never did lay a stick from head to tail, it really didn't matter to me I knew she would be my best possibly ever and I just wanted her to swim.

My wife and I had been out for awhile fishing one of my favorite spots, I had pretty good confidence but also knew with Perch running from deep water to the shallows where all the perch jerkers where at it was a needle in a haystack that we would find her over such an expansive flat on the 2nd weedline.

We were drifting parallel with the shore along the inside edge of the weedline, I was using a glide so was the wife, we got to the end of the weedbed but I figured we would cast a few times in the junk weed and coontail.

I decided to make one long bomb back cast at the edge of the weedline before we pulled the drift sock and went back up.

The cast hit the water so I counted to 4 and gave it 2 fast snaps and felt the rod load and pull like I snagged a Enzo at top speed, she just shook and rolled all the way back, then made a couple runs at the boat before slipping to the bottom of a perfect net job.

I took her out for a quick pick but as soon as I got her leveled out she loaded up and tried to snap my thumb off she got a pic of that event that we included in the C&R Hows and Whys, unreal power in these big fish; thankfully I grappled her back and got another fast shot of her and back she went.

How big ? It really dint matter then and it doesn't matter now I got to touch a fantastic creature.

I always thought I would never see anything like her again till last year but that's another story from another man..

[bronzeback]

what a chunk. that girl fills the bag and some. definitely a great fish.

I never really have the urge to know the exacts on the length of a fish, I've found that my "eyeballing" is fairly accurate anyway. The picture and the memory are really all that matter to me. If I'm off by an inch or two it's not really going to make a difference. I put one fish on the bump this year that hit right at 48" without a tail pinch so that's the fish I've sort of gauged the rest of them on. Not a bad system really.

congrats on the beast, and nice net job by the wife.

[Fish'n guy]

Wow...those are some SOW's boys...sweet stuff!

I actually hadnt fished muskies until this past august. I always thought people were kind of crazy to put so much time into a fish that takes "10,000" casts but a good friend who kept telling me about how much fun it was and that i should join him in the boat one day so i made it work and we went out the following morning. kinda crappy weather with wind and rain so we went to a bay and fished. we saw one monster and decided to come back to it later. i thought it was different on how much emphasis was put on one particular fish. like chasing down a big buck or something and having him picked out just waiting for him to make the right move, same with the fish just waiting for him to bite.

well we came back to the spot and i was fishing a surface bait and a few casts in my bait 9" long got a wake about the size a a jetski...i thought that was kinda odd seconds later BOOM!!! the fight was on and after a few mid air coniptions she was in my hands...first musky ever...28lbs

needless to say...i am hooked. probably one of the cooler things i have ever witnessed in my life and i now understand why you guys put so much time and money into these AWSOME creatures.

[Esox_Magnum]

2 48" fish, almost the same spot, at the same time of day 3 days apart.

[thatoneguy]

My first-ever muskie, taken through the ice (and successfully released) on Pike Bay. 6-lb line and a medium-light action ice rod. What a blast!

[Musky Buck]

52.5 meaning it wasn't quite 53, my measuring takes about 5 seconds and the picture roughly 5 seconds on a digital, back in the drink, then if the fish gives us the chance we video the release. Picture to come. Nice fish guys !

[Grunt L]

Some nice fish!

[Cooter]

Got this 49" on Eagle with a SuperTopraider at dusk:

[scsavre]

Here is a pic of Dudenes's PB from this past season.

He was fishing in the back of the boat on a spot where we knew we would get into a big girl. Wham a 40+lber hits his bait next to the boat. Rod doubles over for a second and then nothing. We both see a monster slowly take off with her middle finger up and directed at us saying "nice try". Heart broken and with no daylight left we headed back in.

Drank some oktoberfests and talked about what could of been. That fish went from 48" to 60" and then down to the low 50's" throughout the night.

The next morning we scrapped ourselves up, winter hats over our headaches and headed back out. We made our way back to the spot hoping another fish had moved up onto it. He in the back of the boat using what i will call the only bait the fish wanted (that i didnt have). A couple casts in, wham!!!!

A real good fight, with some awesome runs and a fish that was too fat to do much more than pull hard, and try to out smart him with some old tricks.

We got her in the net, and we were both pretty tight lipped about the size of the fish. We knew it was a pig and didnt want to even throw any guesses out there on size. His boney little arms finally lifted it out of the net, i snapped some pics, took a measure of girth and length and she was off to fight again.

Redemption!!, what a fish! Seldom to you get a 2nd chance at a monster like this. Was it the same fish? I kind of hope not, cause that would be two big fish, and we know where they live.

GIRTH!

[DHanson]

Nice, clean fish. Congrats.

[thrax]

53x22 is first and from June 09, previous PB was 51 from Sept 08 and is second pic. Had a 47 in between those two and followed the 53 up with a 50. Nice four consecutive fish avg over 50 inches with two PB's in the string. Nice part is that I know where many larger yet still swim and can't wait until next year to up the ante a few more times. Got a younger brother with a 54.5 monster and never hear about it. Beause he just doesn't have to say a word. Bring on the PB's!!

[Muskiefool]

Beautiful fish congrats

[50inchpig]

My PB from 2006. She was sitting right on top of Rocky Reef on a cold, calm sunny day and we only had about 4 hours to fish after getting a flat tire on the way up. Aside from the size and beauty probably the calmest hookup and release ever, right into the net without a fight. I wasn't great at taking pictures at that point but memories are much better than pictures any day.

Length is great but my favorite fish are still my two fattest ones, 44.5" from a couple years ago and 45" from last season.

[DUCKJ]

My longest is a nice 53 but my biggest is a fat 51X25.

[nater]

My only fish of this year turned out to be my PB! She went 44.5" What a great looking fish and first one on that lake. Many more to come out there for 2010! It was also nice to fight this fish for more then 5 seconds as my previous fish all came boatside!

[dan z]

here she is 40.5 felt bigger but you know how that goes.

[Andrew Erickson]

51"

[eyehead]

PB from July of this year......

[cjac]

60 incher from the St Croix last Fall.......

Alright, I know it said biggest "muskie".... Sorry, but thought I'd share. It was caught on one of my muskie rods and landed in the muskie net though, from a designated "muskie water" no less! That must count for something...

[DHanson]

[50inchpig]

Was everyone just waiting until I posted mine so theirs looked bigger? Great looking fish - big clean ones

Nater - how'd you get on the minnkota pro staff after only starting to fish muskies last year? nice pic, nice outfit

Dan - do you have any fingers on your left hand still after releasing that one?

[PoorWordUsage], that's a heavy, someone needs to start a fat fish thread, but that one covers both, eh?

DeBo - where are you at? if you don't, I will

[bronzeback]

nice 60" cjac, haha. And good god that's a chub, Dhanson.

[cjac]

At least my claim of 60" is legit!

Dhanson: Nice fish indeed! Lots of girth going on there.....wow.

[DTro]

Laughing @ cjac