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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> 1955 Leech Lake Rampage
 
Message Subject: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage
Reef Hawg
Posted 4/3/2008 8:18 PM (#311561)
Subject: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 3518


Location: north central wisconsin
I am sure most here, have heard and read about the 1955 Leech Lake Muskie Rampage. I was just wondering if anyone had a couple photos of this event that could be blown up to a large size. Thanks in advance!


Edited by Reef Hawg 4/3/2008 10:27 PM
porterhouse
Posted 4/3/2008 9:43 PM (#311584 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Location: Apple Valley
Reefhog,
Check with Outdoor News. Seems like every year they do a story around Minnesota muskie opener with pictures. Maybe Rob Kimm can help you out.

Brian
floydss
Posted 4/3/2008 9:47 PM (#311585 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 282


Location: north west wisconsin
http://wcco.com/local/Finding.Minnesota.Walker.2.368767.html
Reef Hawg
Posted 4/3/2008 10:27 PM (#311600 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 3518


Location: north central wisconsin
Thanks guys. I did find a few more pics, and got them to 'upsize' pretty nicely. Cool vid' Floyd!
scott24
Posted 4/4/2008 7:45 AM (#311626 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 89


NORTHERN PIKE & MUSKIE (ISBN: 0865730377)
Sternberg, DIck

This book has a horrific shot of a group of guys with two or three dozen fish haning from a line. I bet it took that lake a full generation to recover from that slaughter.
floydss
Posted 4/4/2008 7:48 AM (#311627 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 282


Location: north west wisconsin
is it this one?



Zoom - | Zoom 100% | Zoom + | Expand / Contract | Open New window
Click to expand / contract the width of this image
(MUSKIERAMPAGE.jpg)



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Attachments MUSKIERAMPAGE.jpg (41KB - 238 downloads)
stinger
Posted 4/4/2008 8:01 AM (#311632 - in reply to #311627)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 93


Location: Minneapolis, MN
>>>(same pic)

Edited by stinger 4/4/2008 3:48 PM




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Attachments (0KB - 111 downloads)
scott24
Posted 4/4/2008 8:15 AM (#311636 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 89


You got it, the second one is what's shown in Sternberg's book. Just imagine if C & R were in vogue back then...
AFChief
Posted 4/4/2008 8:30 AM (#311641 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 550


Location: So. Illinois
What do you think they did with all those muskie? Its hard to imagine that they all went to the taxidermist. The average size on these fish is amazing.
floydss
Posted 4/4/2008 8:33 AM (#311642 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 282


Location: north west wisconsin
most likely they kept only the big ones and they probably ate em.
esox50
Posted 4/4/2008 11:22 AM (#311665 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 2024


This is a good reminder of why I/we practice C&R...

Some nice fish though
brmusky
Posted 4/4/2008 1:41 PM (#311689 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 335


Location: Minnesota
If you are going to use them, I would get permission since these are copyrighted photos. Some are from the Walker Pilot, there are a few around from the Grand Rapids newspaper, and a few from the Cass County Historical Society.

Here are a couple that I had scanned for something else.


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(OldCassCounty126 (Medium).jpg)


Zoom - | Zoom 100% | Zoom + | Expand / Contract | Open New window
Click to expand / contract the width of this image
(OldCassCounty114 (Medium).jpg)


Zoom - | Zoom 100% | Zoom + | Expand / Contract | Open New window
Click to expand / contract the width of this image
(OldCassCounty095 (Medium).jpg)



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Attachments OldCassCounty126 (Medium).jpg (66KB - 1657 downloads)
Attachments OldCassCounty114 (Medium).jpg (89KB - 973 downloads)
Attachments OldCassCounty095 (Medium).jpg (63KB - 375 downloads)
Andy
Posted 4/4/2008 2:04 PM (#311695 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage


I know a local place where you might just get to see something like this once in a while..that's nuts!
LOTWbeachbum
Posted 4/4/2008 3:26 PM (#311707 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 134


Location: (South of the 218)
brmusky - great photos...
did you get permission to post those? And what project was it that you were using those for? Just interested?
- I've seen something similar with LOTW Northerns from the early 80's - I think it was Cal's Resort.... I'd like to have some of those photos scanned if you know anybody that could help me with that.
out
Andy
Posted 4/4/2008 4:22 PM (#311720 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage


You can either right click on the images here to save them to your computer, or hit print screen then open a photo editing program and open a new file, hit paste, and then crop out the picture and paste it on another new tab..then save it as a jpeg
baldeaglefisherman
Posted 4/4/2008 6:07 PM (#311730 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 250


Location: Pittsburgh, PA
crazy how big and many they keep back then
Cast-n-Blast
Posted 4/4/2008 9:09 PM (#311740 - in reply to #311730)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 155


Location: North Metro
Not really surprising to me that they kept those fish. That was the culture back then. There was about ZERO fishing pressure on Leech Lake and Muskies were still hard to catch and when you did get one, YOU KEPT IT!. How would you really "Let it GO?". No matter what the little harvest there was back then, it most likely didn't make a real impact on the fishery. Think of the limited ability of anglers in 1955- no GPS, no sonar, no fancy and efficient rods/reels. What type of boats and motors were available in 1955? Nothing like we have today. Our ability to fish effectively today and the rising interest in muskie fishing has no doubt more of an impact on muskies than at any time in history. This statement echoes how important catch and release really is right now.
jwelch
Posted 4/4/2008 10:13 PM (#311745 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 233


Location: Iowa
I know one of the guys in that picture - one of my grandma's friends. I have never gotten to sit down and talk to him about it.

Cast-n-Blast, I think you nailed right on the head and I don't think anybody could of said it better.


Jeremy

Edited by jwelch 4/8/2008 11:43 PM
Reef Hawg
Posted 4/4/2008 11:34 PM (#311755 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 3518


Location: north central wisconsin
There were articles written about 'angling' for Muskies on Leech as far back as 1897, that told of taking 300 lbs of Muskie from the lake one day and only 200 the next. A fair weekend, the author said. The fishery did become depleted, which was partly to blame for the clamor for a stocking program in the early to middle 20th century, finally taking hold in the early 80's. While, the methodology was crude back then, people were still effective, lawlessness abounded, and fisheries did realize impact. Luckily, the native lakes in MN have the best track record anywhere of natural reproduction, which saved a fishery from collapse back in the day.



Edited by Reef Hawg 4/14/2008 10:41 AM
john skarie
Posted 4/5/2008 7:29 AM (#311761 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage



Zero fishing pressure on Leech back then?

You are quite mistaken.

Killing of muskies most certainly had an impact in those days. In the 70's and 80's catching a 50"er, even seeing one was much more of a rarity than today.
The change isn't due to stocking, but C&R.

JS

Obfuscate Musky
Posted 4/5/2008 7:37 AM (#311764 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 652


Location: MPLS, MN
You didn't need a GPS to catch Muskies in Portage Bay in those days. Too bad those weed beds have mostly disapeared.
castmaster
Posted 4/5/2008 8:57 AM (#311769 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 910


Location: Hastings, mn, 55033
"That said, people like to talk about how the catch and kill mentality had run most rampant in WI. With 900+ Muskellunge waters here, it was just more glaring here, than it was on the 40 lakes with Muskies in MN 50 years ago. Harvest was as big of an issue there, relative to the number of lakes where it was possible."

Unfortunately the "catch & kill" mentality pervaded for a bit longer in WI. Harvest continued to be a factor in many places in WI through the mid '90's and may still be in some localities.
Cast-n-Blast
Posted 4/5/2008 10:24 AM (#311778 - in reply to #311761)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 155


Location: North Metro
OK-maybe my statement of "about ZERO" fishing pressure was a bit exaggerated, but I was just using it as a way of comparing the apples to oranges in my point that there were just a fraction of muskie anglers who exclusively pursued muskies in 1955 as compared to today. Yes I certainly understand that catch and release is responsible for the phenomenal fishery we have here in MN and do my part to release them right as well. Just wanted to clarify my statement.
Reef Hawg
Posted 4/5/2008 10:58 AM (#311782 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 3518


Location: north central wisconsin
Harvest continues to be a factor in MN as well. I actually see a good number of harvested fish, and pics of such when over in my favorite haunts there. Other than little johnny's and incidentals, it seems the stocked/introduced lakes, especially, in MN have quite alot of folks who'd rather they were not there....

That said, this wasn't meant to be an us against them thread. I'd love to see more pics from the Rampage of 1955? Does anyone else have relatives or friends who were around then? Was it just relegated to 1955, or were there more 'glory' years out there, that were just not given the press? Also, I am not interested in debating the harvest of fish, either, during the 'rampage' as I am just researching the fact that people were just plain catching Muskies wide open for a period in time for several reasons.

Edited by Reef Hawg 4/5/2008 11:05 AM
Cast-n-Blast
Posted 4/5/2008 11:13 AM (#311784 - in reply to #311782)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 155


Location: North Metro
I don't think this has turned into an us against them thread at all. I hope no one read any defensiveness into my last post, I just wanted to clarify what I said. I think it is a good discussion on an interesting topic.

Dan Craven knows a lot of what happened during the 1955 Rampage and has written at least one article about it in Esox Angler I believe a few years back. You may want to contact him if you are interested in getting more info? I am sure there are others on this board that know more about the History of Leech Lake as well.
Reef Hawg
Posted 4/5/2008 1:08 PM (#311791 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 3518


Location: north central wisconsin
Cast and Blast. Hey, you've added some very insightful and thought provoking discussion to this thread. I think you are definately right. We should stop to think and realize first off that people back then, kept every fish of every species they caught, end of story. And, as you said, if technology had been much better, they'd have realized a bigger impact alot sooner, possibly?....

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll contact Mr. Craven. Some great stories came out of Federal Dam back then. I also talked to Larry Ramsell, and I am pretty sure that the books I just orderred from him, have some information regarding the great summer of '55.

Edited by Reef Hawg 4/8/2008 11:03 PM
muskydeceiver
Posted 4/5/2008 7:59 PM (#311825 - in reply to #311740)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Cast-n-Blast - 4/4/2008 9:09 PM

Think of the limited ability of anglers in 1955- no GPS, no sonar, no fancy and efficient rods/reels. What type of boats and motors were available in 1955? Nothing like we have today.


Maybe this means we don't need $50,000 worth of crap to catch muskies. How on earth did they catch them without GPS, sonar, lures that look so real people try and eat them occasionaly, $500 reels that almost cast themselves, rods that could be part of the space program, line that could pull a Mack Truck, leaders that are invisible under water, etc. etc? How on earth did they catch fish???????
sworrall
Posted 4/5/2008 11:30 PM (#311855 - in reply to #311561)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





Posts: 32803


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Nothing wrong with the advancements made in the sport since the 50's, on all counts.
muskydeceiver
Posted 4/6/2008 8:33 AM (#311881 - in reply to #311855)
Subject: Re: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage





No argument with that at all. The point I was trying to make was I think we all, myself included, fall into the trap of the next newest and better thing. Comment doesn't fit into this tread well, just came to my head. I like the new stuff just as much as the next guy.
Don Pfeiffer
Posted 4/8/2008 9:39 PM (#312367 - in reply to #311707)
Subject: RE: 1955 Leech Lake Rampage




Posts: 929


Location: Rhinelander.
I'd like to know what could have triggerd such a bite. Be interesting to know the weather pattern for two weeks prior and the week after. Was it an extreme front?
I have no clue but know back in the late 70's I recall a sat in june that was strange. It was first sat. in june and my friend and I saw more muskies in one day then I had ever seen in any one month. They followed like crazy and we caught our share that day. It hit 90 degrees and that night,you guessed it as it froze. I think a front of that proportion can really make them crazy.

Maybe some kind of hatch that the muskies were keyed into also that could cause this. Anyone have any thoughts on it?

Pfeiff
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