New "State Record"

[Tragic_Mishap]

Anyone else [PoorWordUsage] off about that guy from AZ who's hoisted 5 of our MN muskies out of our lakes for his wall? Apparently no one told him about CNR and getting replicas made. As a rookie musky angler (2nd year of serious musky fishing) who hasn't gotten his first one yet, I get a little [PoorWordUsage] that there are now 5 less muskies in our waters for other anglers to catch because of people like this. And I totally don't buy the "5 hours" he spent trying to revive the fish.

Anyone else agree, or am I just getting bent out of shape for no reason?

[john skarie]

The fact that he has 4 on the wall already shows he's either completely inept at C&R or just doesn't care.

Either way, it's too bad some people feel the need to kill so many fish that take so long to grow, and are sought after by so many others.

In the muskie world we are our own worst enemies.

JS

[Tragic_Mishap]

Totally agree with you JS...

[JimBuck]

Do you have a link to an article or anything? I didn't hear about this.

[Tragic_Mishap]

here's a link to the article in the Trib...

http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/125454028.html

here's a link to the full version...

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/209315

[TruthWalleyes]

All i've got to say is that at age 22, he must be from a wealthy family...4 fish mounted, and musky fishing for "all his life". Them some big $$$ flying out the door for a 22yr old...Since he's got 4 on the wall, obviously not well educated either, especially for someone who claims to have fished these monsters "all his life".

B.S.

[50inchpig]

i'm going out on a huge limb and assuming the strib has their facts straight here. i've never seen anyone fight a musky for 15-20 minutes, definitely not someone who had any decent equipment.

bleeder wouldn't fight for 15-20.

can't call it angler ignorance when someone has been fishing all their life.

gotta chalk it up to angler indifference. sad. hopefully someone checked his permit, might not have even had a license if he just got in from out of town.

[muskiemanAD]

Tragic, now tonight when you land your 50 I don't want you to be pulling out your stringer! Hopefully we find you a suicidal muskie tonight, just remember focus on the 8!! No I agree try catch and release for once it works!

[Bran32]

Easy fix, make all muskies C&R because I do not buy the five our recessitation!! There's times I don't even bother with a picture and just unhook them from the net without the fish ever coming out of the water! Have only caught 13 but not a one has died on me!!

[Tragic_Mishap]

Most definitely muskieman...I've said it before (at least 20+ times), but I've got a good feeling about tonight....hopefully we'll find a hungry one.

[Tragic_Mishap]

you bring up a good point about the license there 50inch...didn't think about that, who knows.

[Tragic_Mishap]

attitudes like yours is what makes musky anglers such a cool breed...you all put the fish's safety first before dealing with the photo session ya know. i've had the priviledge of learning from some great anglers who take pride not only in their fishing abilities, but in their CNR abilities as well...which is just as important, if not more so, ya know.

[OnAFly]

One of the comments on the article said it best. It will be 25 years to replace that fish.

[Tragic_Mishap]

it's a shame, that's for sure.

[Shoot2Kill]

Does anyone know for sure if the other fish he has mounted were the real fish or replicas? The article in the Trib says nothing about it, the one attached to the link on M1st said this “This will be his fourth mounted muskie.” It does not say if they are the real fish or not. And maybe he is from family $$ or maybe he busts his butt all year and doesn't have a fancy car and a 50" TV on his wall because he wants to muskie fish once a year when he comes to MN with hopes of catching something worthy of the wall, replica or not.

Until they make it catch and release only, he does have the right to keep it…whether we believe it to be right or wrong – and him being from out of state means nothing. I bet the average MN resident that randomly catches one on accident have kept a lot more than 4 from the same time frame.

I remember a story last fall where a very well known guide from MN caught a giant fish that inhaled a bulldawg and that fish also died – go look it up on M1st. Because of who he was there wasn’t one negative comment on the whole thread about it dying and everyone sympathized with him. Had it been anyone else they get raked over the coals, just like in this case.

The kid caught a giant, good for him. Does it suck that it died? Sure it does. I’m as pro catch and release as anyone else on here, but come on, if it didn’t make the news chances are you have no idea that fish even existed; and if you did, you still you wouldn’t have any idea the fish wasn’t in there even if you did fish the same lake.

Too many arm chair QBs every time a big fish hits the internet.

[Elia]

Quote:

In the muskie world we are our own worst enemies

Yes, you sure are.

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[CaptainMusky]

What I find perplexing is all the reference to "potential state record". This isnt a record in any stretch. Not in length, weight or anything. Sure it may be longer than the current state record fish, BUT, MN doesnt record length records for muskies. Aside from that even if they did, this wouldnt be it because there have been well-documented fish from Mille Lacs and Vermillion that eclipsed this fish. I am not sure if its the angler who said these things or the editor trying to build interest, but they are wrong.

[Musky Buck]

Does it suck that it died if he's mounted 4 others or whatever, the intent was for it to die, then he bent over the side of the boat for 6 hours trying to revive it, I'd rather hear the truth he floored it for the first certified scale he could find to claim the state record which it wasn't and then realizing oh no well I tried to revive it for 6 hours, if that's true he should be hospitalized for deer fly bites as he'd have tons of them. Hard to believe in the year 2011 anyone especially a 22 year old would embellish a story, no way. Maybe it's the shot in the arm again to get us to tell everyone about musky fisheries. He could've took that mount money from the past and bought the best camera to film his fishing episodes and cherish that for life and not the dust collectors, could've got awesome replicas and help preserve the very lake he fishes exclusively. I wish he could've stated I'll never keep another musky the rest of my days so it just lends itself toward greed, I , Me, and My. If he has currently a debilitating disease or something like that I take back every word I said and will pray for forgiveness.

[Nick Kuhn]

i'm going out on a huge limb and assuming the strib has their facts straight here. i've never seen anyone fight a musky for 15-20 minutes, definitely not someone who had any decent equipment.

bleeder wouldn't fight for 15-20.

Agreed, my brother landed one on a light action rod and it only took 5 minutes. Granted it wasn't that big. However I will say with my musky gear the longest part of the fight is making sure the fish is in a good position to net. Well, there are a few I swear do more fighting once in the net.

Do mounted fish count against your possession limit? In that case this kid is overbagging, and shouldn't be able to fish them at all.

[TommyJ33]

I landed a 53 incher on 6lb test in under 5 minutes. 15 minutes with muskie gear? (I'm assuming) Is a long time. Maybe stretching the time to make it a great story. But from what I read he broke no laws. so congrats to the lad. I am a believer in leaving it in the water at all times, not even for pics, this prevents a long list of mishaps that can compromise a fishes helth. I'm sure all of you that are [PoorWordUsage]-poing this kid are using single barbless hooks, right?

[DTro]

I'm guessing his estimate was a 15 minute fight, and it's VERY easy to overestimate time while fighting the fish of your life. I swore I've fought big cats for 10 minutes and go back to look at the video and it's more like 5-6. On the of the longest fights I've seen is all on video, and was a whopping 9 minutes. It seemed like an eternity.

If it is the only thing I've learned over the last decade of online forums, it is to politely say, "Nice fish John, way to go!" and leave all the other "baggage" for sitting around a smartfire with a cool one. All the worlds problems are solved there afterall.

[Shoot2Kill]

Does it suck that it died if he's mounted 4 others or whatever, the intent was for it to die, then he bent over the side of the boat for 6 hours trying to revive it, I'd rather hear the truth he floored it for the first certified scale he could find to claim the state record which it wasn't and then realizing oh no well I tried to revive it for 6 hours, if that's true he should be hospitalized for deer fly bites as he'd have tons of them. Hard to believe in the year 2011 anyone especially a 22 year old would embellish a story, no way. Maybe it's the shot in the arm again to get us to tell everyone about musky fisheries. He could've took that mount money from the past and bought the best camera to film his fishing episodes and cherish that for life and not the dust collectors, could've got awesome replicas and help preserve the very lake he fishes exclusively. I wish he could've stated I'll never keep another musky the rest of my days so it just lends itself toward greed, I , Me, and My. If he has currently a debilitating disease or something like that I take back every word I said and will pray for forgiveness.

To alter a quote from the movie Billy Madison a little: I am now dumber for reading that.

Come on man.

Again, you have NO idea what really happened do you, or if the other 3 fish are dead or replicas, or if greedy little non resident plot was to expose the secret MN musky fishery, or if he kept it beceause he's greedy. Good grief man.

Hey guess what? Fish DIE! It happens! No matter what they don't live forever. That fish may have been hit by a prop the next day anyway and then nobody would have ever seen it.

Give it a rest or get some facts.

[ANYFISH2]

Sorry guys,

This ridicule of a fellow angler, lawfully harvesting(unitenional or not)a FISH, is why MANY of us("normal" anglers) dislike musky anglers(Not the individual, but "THE" group). Who gave any of you the right to bad mouth others because they mount a legal fish? MY non'muskie angling money has gone to research and stocking of these fish (I am in favor of it) too, if I wish to harvest one or more over the years it my privlage to under the law, YOU have no say in it.

You guys don't play nice!

[BrianLucky13]

I will be turning this guy in for keeping fish less than 48 inches!! He keeps most of the fish he catches and doesnt need to fish in this state again!!!

[CaptainMusky]

I will be turning this guy in for keeping fish less than 48 inches!! He keeps most of the fish he catches and doesnt need to fish in this state again!!!

so you must know him?