Dead Monster

[38poundbeauty]

I was on the lake last night and stumbled across a dead hybrid completely wrapped in cabbage. Looked to be deceased pretty recently. Put the measuring stick on her and it measured 46". It was an incredibly fat fish...most likely 30+ pounds. Really a shame when you see a fish that size, especially a tiger, belly up.....

[JIGGIN']

Just curious as to what your thoughts might've been on the cause of death? Mishandled fish maybe?

[38poundbeauty]

Could have been....Although the fact that it was on the surface trailing about 10 feet of really thick weeds off of her makes me wonder what exactly happened....The water temps rose almost 4 degrees in 24 hours, so whether it was mishandled or natural causes, rises in water temps like that are deadly for muskies.

[thewalleyeguy]

Too bad, it never feels good to see a fish like that.

[38poundbeauty]

I didn't even mention the 27" walleye that was floating on the other side of the lake as well.....

[drizzle]

I was out on Mille Lacs 2 days ago and seen a 45" floating. Didn't look like it was mishandled, but what do I know. I might be able find out if I had access to a crime lab..LOL

Any way I've been fishing mille lacs since walleye opener and I haven't seen a dead fish floating (not that there wasn't any) but since muskie opener was last weekend I'm guessing it was mishandled.

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Kind of sad. The fast increase in water temps may have had an impact. It certainly seems to have effected the panfish as I have seen a bunch of them floating.

[Smallmouth]

Another sad sight this spring after ice-out, found a 51" on shore at my buddies off of Hawkbill point. More than likely mishandled last fall. I will see if I can track down a picture.

[Boedigheimer]

38poundbeauty, Its alittle late now, but it would have been cool to chop it up and see if maybe a crankbait or jig was caught in its throat or stomach. Do you think that it broke someones line and trailed the line long enough to get tangled in the weeds. The gob of cabbage stuck to its side seems really odd.

[38poundbeauty]

That's what I was wondering. The massive amount of trailing weeds that was wrapped around the fish suggests that they could've lost it in the weeds and either it choked or couldn't get out of them. Guess we'll never know. All I know is that it was a huge tiger. Most likely not quite the state record but pushing it.

[lots of luck]

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Just curious as to what your thoughts might've been on the cause of death? Mishandled fish maybe?

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I am not pickin on you Jiggin' or anyone else. But it seems as though anytime a fish is found dead, mishandled seems to come up quickly. Maybe that muskie had high cholestreol? Maybe natural causes? Do they play dead? Conspiracy theory, hmmm......

[83walleye]

Frickin' cigarettes, that's what I say...

[nofishfisherman]

maybe it committed suicide, just couldn't take the misses nagging him anymore. Life can be tough sometimes, you hate to see the fish take the easy way out though. They have so much to live for.

[MuskyBrian]

I agree, I don't like this new trend of attacking people over dead fish found. Even if human handling was the cause of death, you can't be sure a fish was "mishandled", sometimes things go wrong and there is nothing that can be done. I think either way, while in todays world the success rate is not 100% it is FAR better then it was 20 years ago and we should be thankful for that

[Boedigheimer]

A musky of that caliber is an old fish, it could have died of old age, even though the big gut and gob of cabbage would not suggest that.

Since they are sterile, my geuss is that the thought of a lifetime without hanky-panky caused him to jump in front of a Ranger going mach1.

[38poundbeauty]

A fish like that wasn't even that old. As we all know, hybrids grow much faster than trues. I don't think it was from old age at all.

[Pistol Pete]

Mishandled or not, know matter how careful we handle a fish some don't make it. It is just that simple. I wish it wasn't so but it is. We can as anglers help reduce the chance of mortality but we can't prevent it 100% know matter how careful we are. There is one way to prevent this and thats to stop fishing all together, that is just not going to happen in my boat,unless the water temps get to high in summer. Handle with care, it does make a difference.

[Sonicrunch]

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either it choked or couldn't get out of them.

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I know a fish doesn't really "choke".

Do you mean it gills get stuck open?

[Random guy]

Old age, sickness, ate something bad, got hit by a boat, osprey attacked it, bigger fish smashed it, tangled/wrapped in the weeds, a ufo landed on it, water temps got it, hard to say what killed the critter off. The only answer would be science, or CSI. (If we can Emily Proctor from CSI Miami to come look at I want to help )

[JIGGIN']

YIKES! I ask a simple question and someone is right away flying to conclusions... I never assumed that anyone here would try to attack me for simply asking the plain question of a mishandled fish. I realize we all do the best we can to release fish. Shoot me for wondering if we can do a better job at the release.

[JIGGIN']

And by the way, I was never attacking anyone of a poor release,, read the post next time........

[chris63]

Hello all..............I think it was those killer perch that ganged up and wraped that tiger up in cabbage for a fathers day grill/cook out and never came back for their snack!!!!!!!!!!!!lol.Happy fathers day.c63

[Random guy]

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I think it was those killer perch

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Can we get Emily Proctor from CSI up here to check that out?

I don't care how the fish tipped over to be honest with you. All living critters die somehow. CPR has come a long ways in the last few years and we should be happy with that. Heck I remember seeing muskies clubbed in the bottom of the boat before getting tossed over board or trophy pike killed during spawn because they would eat all the walleye. Today most do what they can to release musky and sad to say some will die from it. Its just the numbers of it. Lets not go witch hunting, musky season is open we don't have time for that. I am as curoius as the rest of us as to what killed it but lets not kill the messenger.

[lots of luck]

Jiggin' take a deep breath and relax. First of all I was not attacking you, guess you missed on some of my humor along with the others that also posted in a similar fashion. It is just an observation or trend that seems to be on many muskie related fishing sites.

Yes, we can always try harder and work at improving ways of releasing fish. BUT, we must almost remember that we are fishing and fish don't always rememeber to get hooked on the snoot or in the corner of the mouth.

There is going to be a rate of mortality, in fact it is 100% for all living creatures.

Mortality rates related to fishing I don't have the answer.

[BorderView]

I'll tell you what it is. I've seen it a hundred times. I'll tell you exactly what killed that Tiger.

That (Contact Us Please) rap music. That's what killed it.

Case closed