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Posts: 59
| Alright ladies and gentlemen its that time of year, winternet has arrived. What is the most impressive fish you have seen in person? Any species will do, but muskies are preferred!
The most impressive fish I have seen was a muskie so fat I swear a carp was it's uncle. The thing wasn't very long, certainly under 45 inches, but holy cow the thing was about as big around as a basketball all the way through to the tail. I have seen and caught fish longer than this, but the sheer enormous girth on such a short fish will be forever embedded in my memory. The biggest kicker? The fish followed in August! I can't imagine how she would look in late fall.
Edited by Rob C 1/1/2021 11:56 PM
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | Most impressive fish was one I had follow on my middle son's bass rod with a home made 4" tube spinner I made him. I was casting for him when he took a break. Brought it to the boat twice. Was about 54". My son immediately wanted to fish again and brought up a 47"er a few minutes later.
Biggest one in my boat was a 51.5 I better for my partner. Heavy fish. |
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Posts: 2373
Location: Chisholm, MN | Biggest I have netted is a hair over 56. |
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Posts: 404
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | I tossed a set of blades past a large rock. As we approached the rock a little closer I could see a massive musky laying beside it. To my surprise (well, not really knowing muskies) it became aware of the boat and came to investigate the trolling motor. It was shockingly large.... I said to my friend (who didn't see it) - "You don't want to swim here."
A few weeks later as a scary looking storm approached I made a quick trip to the spot on my way back before end of trip - tossed some large rubber in the general area and I had it on for oh so briefly - no shrinkage. Had to get off the water before it was too late and I did wound up getting soaked. Next year...
Edited by Angling Oracle 1/2/2021 1:36 PM
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Posts: 343
| I saw a muskie around 52" or a little better that free jumped twice, that was so fat it looked like a king salmon. I fish that spot hard every time I'm there but have never been able to raise her. |
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Posts: 34
| The largest Musky was a 54" caught trolling on Green Bay. The biggest Pike was a 47" caught on a Topraider in northern Canada. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | 56" we got this October.
Buddy had one up on LOTW in 2019 I believe was an inch or 2 longer. Just crazy long.
Edited by BNelson 1/2/2021 4:29 PM
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Posts: 24
Location: Southern WI | A little under two decades ago, must’ve been a freshman or sophomore, no clue what I was doing, it was glass calm and sunny and I lost count of the follows I got on a single spot on Lac Courte Oreilles. The largest of all however did not chase a lure, it just swam up to the boat and looked at me, I really believe it was too smart to be caught. Upper 50’s is all I wanna say without sounding like a bull#*#*ter... |
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Posts: 499
Location: Northern Illinois | I've seen quite a few big ones but the biggest by far was on a small saddle between two islands in a rather remote spot on LOTW. It followed my shallow-running Manta just below the surface until 5' from the boat and then swirled down and out of sight while I futilely went into a figure 8. It was in the mid 50's but huge girth displacing an enormous amount of water. My partner and I were totally speechless except for, "did you see that!?" A true giant. We have never seen a boat on that spot, and we hit it at least a couple times every trip. We have never even seen another fish there. Such is the stuff of legends.
Edited by RLSea 1/2/2021 10:06 PM
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Posts: 186
| I have a few ill share.
1st 1 (3) was back in 2001 when I was a roofer. We were putting a new tar roof on the salt shack next to the fox chapel yacht club. Middle of August with hot tar equals some serious heat so for my lunch break I went and sat on 1 of the docks. Always cooler by the water especially the river (allegheny) . While eating a sandwich i saw i smaller fish come by so I tossed in a little piece. It didn't eat it, it actually took off so I said Owell then I see this giant black shadow come out from under the dock and eat it. My jaw dropped as I watched this 4 foot long, car tire girth carp sitting there looking at me as if asking for more. So I tossed in some more and after 2 or 3 more pieces 2 other giants came out. They all ate then sat there looking at me for more like you see when they feed dolphins. The coolest lunch break I ever had! 3 4foot 60+ lb carp just hanging out. When you hear the stories of when people inspect bridges and such of river monsters they are definitely true!!!
2nd would be from the last Sunday in August this past year. Another 90+ day, i was tossing a husky tail for musky when I felt a freight train hit. At first I thought I had a porcupine crib, then it moved and I thought I had finally hooked my 1st musky. It fought like hell and came up to the surface, then the tell tale head shaking of a giant bass! He was probably the strongest fighting fish i ever caught.! Im glad I hooked him on a musky rod because he would've snapped my bass rod with how hard he hit and fought. Since I had musky gear I just winched him in. Perfectly hooked with 2 of the 3 trebles in his upper left mouth corner. It was a true giant especially for Pennsylvania. He had to be at least 15+ years old. It was at least 30 inches long, had a mouth that would inhale a softball, and built like a carp, solid tank!! Thats how I know it was an old man, the female's don't stay that solid after they spawn. Looking at the measurement charts it was easily 10+ lbs and probably quite a bit more than 10. I talked to a ranger after that and he said a giant had died and washed onto shore back in June. They took it and weighed,measured, checked it over. That one was about 24" and weighed 9.3lbs, so you can only guess the true size of this giant. If measured and weighed he would be the new state record largemouth bass. I wasn't going to kill him just for that though! Poor feller had glaucoma on his right eye, must be why he crushed a spinnerbait.
3rd would be the following Friday, 1st one of September. I was tossing lures for the ski's and got hung up. So I kept my line tight and walked about 50yards down shore and was able to pop it free. I figured I might as well make some casts over here too, so I did for about 20 minutes. Without any action I was about to head back to my gear and swap lures. When on the last retrieve I was bringing my lure out and saw jaws coming at me! Lol scared the hell outta me but I hooked em. Came completely out of the green abyss! And bit when the lure was completely out of the water! After a brief fight I started to walk back down the bank with it to my landing gear and tried netting it. Of course it became stubborn and wouldn't get in, I then realized that old net i had needed to be replaced with a bigger, much bigger one ( which I did with a 30-34" hoop 24" deep flat bottom). It was 19" hoop and that musky was twice that. Lol so after about 8 failed attempts to net it my trebles got snagged in the net and the fish finally spit the others and swam away. That was my 1st musky and it was a true beauty of a tiger, brilliant green sheen ,36-40" about 10-15lbs or so. Was definitely a healthy one. At least I didn't get bit up on my first one haha.
Those 2 fish were the only 2 i caught that week, matter of fact they were the only 2 i caught until November when I caught a few tiny bass and a trout. All about 12". I have to say that bass fought 10 times harder! Those 2 keep me up late at night thinking about catching some more!!! Hoping I can hook into one of these winter giants soon!!! Hope you enjoy the read
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Posts: 32924
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | My son Keith and I put a big girl in the boat (still my PB) on Wabigoon during an absolutely epic September afternoon with multiple muskies and big pike. After settling down a bit, we went for one we had a glimpse of earlier in the year. My hands were literally locking up with cramps so I went to a small bucktail hoping to be able to put a couple more fish in the net. On the first cast at the rock we had seen the fish by she followed, went around twice on the 8, and blew that small bucktail 2' out of the water trying to hit. She stopped, and simply sank out of sight.
Saw one close with Herbie on Eagle a couple years ago, but I'm pretty sure I'll never see another like that one. We went in that evening and neither of us mentioned the fish until after dinner when we both nearly said the same thing at the same time..."At least half a foot longer." Looked for that fish for 5 years never seeing her again. |
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Posts: 1209
| One summer day I busted a "60" inch musky sunning just feet away, had a good 30 second look at it. But it wasn't the biggest I have seen. I had a 57+-1" eat 15 feet away and in the struggle I lost it boat side, the girth went with it to make a real monster of a fish. I caught a record fish in 2019, a 15.91 pound Zander walleyes cousin from Europe. Funny thing about that is one day prior I was on Facebook telling people how back in 2014 I saw a 36" long walleye/Zander follow my Jerkbait to the boat and I froze, and that isn't normal as I don't miss a beat with a 50" musky behind my bait. But dang a 3 foot walleye got me shaken up, anyways my record fish was 35 and 5/8". |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | The one(s) you can never forget, I'm talking about exceptionally large specimen's of a real apex predator. Cedar Lake "Demon Alien Chopper B!t(h from Hell", Cliff Lake "Holy #*#*" & "WTF?", Kay Lake "Oh Sheeit", Anstey Lake "Anstey Pig", Derby Lake "Bad Dream".
What Steve W. said. Maybe + more!
Cliff lake a huge +50 tiger- "Gorgeous B!t(h!"
Oh almost forgot one, LOTW Knoche Island - "What the Hell".....her swirl and miss lifted the back of my 17.6" Skeeter. I thought my partner had fallen overboard. I think she was in the category of WR fish. My fishing partner was a bit shaken by the experience.
Have fun!
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 1/3/2021 8:51 AM
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Posts: 390
| longest 55" LSC, heaviest 54" GB, pike 47" GB.
I have been chasing a giant blonde fish on GB for about 4 years, shows up for a few days in spring and then again in fall, as have 2 of my fishing buddies. We have all raised it and two of us have had her swing, and know her spot, one of us will get her someday. I would estimate her at 56-58". Always much chunkier we we see her in fall. It is the strange light color that makes her easy to spot and identify.
.....someday.... |
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Posts: 719
| I’ve seen ‘The One’ on the surface during a St. Clair bass trip. Every bite now has my heart skipping a beat. ‘Clarice’ is still out there... |
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| Bondy - 1/5/2021 7:51 PM
I’ve seen ‘The One’ on the surface during a St. Clair bass trip. Every bite now has my heart skipping a beat. ‘Clarice’ is still out there...
Ok, for a guy with your experience and success to feel this way, that must be some fish! |
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Posts: 719
| At first I was certain it was a sturgeon... |
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Posts: 112
Location: Illinois | I was bass fishing a small clear water lake in NW WI. Flipping jigs around outside weed edge and catching a few. Decided to slide to inside edge where it was sandy and super clear. After moving along I noticed this log in about 6’ of water (easily 10’ visibility’s in this water) and tossed over to it. When it started casually swimming lol. Got a real good look at it and was easily mid 50’s Muskie that just sauntered off out into the depths. I went back to the cabin grabbed my musky gear (small boat back then couldn’t hold all my tackle) and spent the better part of 3 days trying to at least see it again but to no avail. Went to that lake for another 5 years and never even seen a Muskie there again. Some nice pike but no ski.
The other one was a huge blonde that came up out of nowhere and followed the trolling motor for awhile lol. Just stayed nosed up on the prop for at least 2 minutes. |
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Posts: 100
| Pike:
48" Beaver Lake, NWT
46" fat, Beaver Lake, NWT
Of note the grayling in the McKenzie River were most impressive. Very large.
Muskie:
52.5", LOTW, released
54", 45lb, witnessed on the dock at Eagle Lake, ON, harvested
SMB:
21.5" Lake Superior
LMB:
21", small lake west of Cook, MN
Mahi Mahi:
First saltwater fish encountered. Very impressed with the strength of the saltwater fish upon first encounter.
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Posts: 2059
| definitely have been part of a handful of impressive muskies, but most impressive (take your breath away) experience was on saltwater 40 miles offshore in Puerto Vallerta...lots of bait busting and small 5-8 pound tuna were everywhere...caught a dozen or so on "bass weight" spinning gear on small rapalas..which in itself is pretty dam fun!...we were catching them for bait!..so after an hour of that the Captain suggested its time to run another 5 miles to a sea mound...we began to slow troll 3 of the tuna and we weren't there 20 minutes when what looked like a Volkswagen came up 20 yards from the stern and sucked down a 8lb tuna like it was a tootsie roll...long story short an estimated 700-800lb Black Marlin pulled the circle hook 10 minutes into the fight after several spectacular jumps...visions that never leave your head!!! |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | iA we had a cuda cleave a bonita in half and another which ate one and broke the steel leader. That was going to be my fish they thought it was a big shark. Happened again trolling this big muscle dude could barely hold the rod and was going to strap it to me when the steel leader broke. I was a kid back then probably about to go water skiing. |
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Posts: 200
Location: Milwaukee, WI | “Oscar” on Cedar lake in Hatfield Bay. Floated over the beast and it did not even sweat my 19’ boat. I’m guessing at least 56++ and built like a submarine. The legend lives on, anybody ever tangle with the beast?
I believe....
They do exist... |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Cabbage Patch - 1/7/2021 5:18 PM
“Oscar” on Cedar lake in Hatfield Bay. Floated over the beast and it did not even sweat my 19’ boat. I’m guessing at least 56++ and built like a submarine. The legend lives on, anybody ever tangle with the beast?
I believe....
They do exist...
Nope, but saw and lost her mama a bit northwest of there in 2012. Cedar Lake "Demon Alien Chopper B!t(h from Hell"
Have fun!
Al |
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Most impressive fish