Capt. Richard Clark
ravigne
Posted 4/19/2011 7:51 PM (#493964)
Subject: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 50


I am just a bit curious fellow hunters, as to why Capt. Richard Clark never really gets mentioned on this website. With all the talk about de bunked record yadda yadda yadda, no one has yet mentioned him when talking about big fish. His website ( http://www.1000islandsfishing.com/01PGGeneral.htm ) has many fish over 55", a few over 57, and even one that measured 59"! He also has legitimate fish over the 55# mark. I believe that he will be the one to put the real record up in the next few years. He has the best display of fish over 55 inches and 40# that I have ever seen.

He has one fish that is 58" x 28 1/2" He does not give a weight for this fish, but it is a true beast. Another was 57" x 29 1/2" and it weighed 51#. His longest fish was 59" x 26 1/2". One more fish to mention is 56 1/2" x 28 3/4" and weighed 46# 9oz.

I know that Capt Clarke has been mentioned in Musky Hunter a few times, but just curious why no one mentions him on here. His fish seem legitimate because they all seem balanced. I know a few fisherman that would claim a 56 1/2 x 28 3/4 is a 55# class fish.



Let me know what you guys think.



Regards
tcbetka
Posted 4/19/2011 8:07 PM (#493966 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: RE: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: Green Bay, WI
I've checked out his site--he puts some tremendous fish in the boat. I would love to fish with him, simply for the educational value of it alone. So I'll definitely put him on my list of the "top 50 guys to fish with when I win the lottery and don't have to work anymore."

TB
ravigne
Posted 4/19/2011 8:45 PM (#493971 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 50


Any idea how much it costs for a guided trip with Captain Clarke?
tcbetka
Posted 4/19/2011 8:53 PM (#493972 - in reply to #493971)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: Green Bay, WI
Nope. I've never inquired, because I would find it very difficult to take the time from work to go out there. Maybe someday though.

TB
IAJustin
Posted 4/20/2011 11:56 AM (#494066 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 2015


The size of the fish are impressive! but would you really pay $500 to have someone hand you a rod and say "start reeling"? If I'm gonna troll all day put me on the pacific ocean with a corona in my hand and marlin on the chew
tcbetka
Posted 4/21/2011 6:43 AM (#494239 - in reply to #494066)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: Green Bay, WI
Yes, I probably would in this case. It wouldn't be so much for the catch, but for the education.

I've been fishing musky for well over 30 years. I may not be Louie Spray or Art Lawton, but I can find my way around a weed bed. However for the past few years, I've been concentrating more on trolling due to a bad orthopedic situation. So for me at least, going to fish with guys like this is nothing more than getting the very best education you can find. Guys like Richard Clark, Doug Johnson, Mike Lazarus, Marc Thorpe and Larry Jones (just to name a few) represent some of the very best knowledge you can acquire in that facet of our sport. It's a bit like going to college to be an engineer, and choosing to go to MIT.

Not that I'm made of money or anything, but I would gladly pay that kind of money for a day of fishing with guys like this. In fact, I'd likely take my wife or daughter and let them reel in most of the fish, as "catching" the fish would probably mean much more to them than it does to me. So if I was fishing alone with one of these guys, I wouldn't even *care* if we caught a fish for the most part. I can catch giant muskies here in Green Bay--trust me, I already have! I want to learn WHY we catch them, so that I can do it more consistently, in areas where nobody else fishes. THAT, my friend, is the point.

So in a sense, it's not really the catch you're paying for while fishing with one of these guys...it's the strike!

TB

Edited by tcbetka 4/21/2011 6:59 AM
Jerry Newman
Posted 4/21/2011 10:08 PM (#494397 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: 31
Although I have never met Richard Clarke, he is definitely one of my muskie heroes! Very impressive!!!
Ryan Marlowe
Posted 4/22/2011 1:10 AM (#494414 - in reply to #494239)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark





Posts: 143


Location: Lake of The Woods
tcbetka - 4/21/2011 6:43 AM

Yes, I probably would in this case. It wouldn't be so much for the catch, but for the education.

TB


Chasin50
Posted 4/22/2011 7:42 AM (#494425 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 380


Location: Michigan
Great question... He boats some seriously big fish with little hype... A 5 day trip in Oct/Nov with Richard is on my bucket list...
zach2626
Posted 4/25/2011 6:49 AM (#494942 - in reply to #494425)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 184


If he was from WI or MN more people would know of him. NY doesn't get the respect it deserves.
Lunge Master
Posted 4/25/2011 5:29 PM (#495050 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 41


Capt. Clarke doesn't get much mention because he is from outside the mid west. Why on earth is arguably the most successful charter captain in the past 50 years of muskie fishing not covered in depth in the muskie fishing magazines?
Sure, short little mentions here and there over the years, a short paragraph and a photo. Wow.
If this man was guiding and catching those fish in the mid west there would be scant other subject matter put in print in muskie fishing circles. Every step he makes and every breath he takes would be documented ad nauseum.
Towns would be named after him. Parades and festivals held in his honor.
Alas, he hails from New York and grapples with those monsters on the St. Lawrence so what does he matter? It would be so much more convenient if he would just quietly fade away.
tcbetka
Posted 4/25/2011 5:54 PM (#495055 - in reply to #495050)
Subject: Re: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: Green Bay, WI
I don't know either of these fine anglers, but I think it's safe to say that they are fairly low-key because they want to be. I mean, if you have as many clients as you can handle and want to do your part to "protect your waters" from (real or perceived) over-pressure, why would you want to be all over the Internet forums, telling everyone how great you are? I don't think it's a matter of them wanting the recognition but not getting it, as much as them not needing that recognition; so they don't really want it. It's a double-edged sword, I suppose--by telling everyone how many fish you catch all the time, you're giving away your spots. The next thing you know, you aren't catching as many fish because there are 50 other boats trolling through your spots. Now you have to work that much harder to put fish in the boat for your clients.

If you're truly great, then you really don't have to tell everyone how great you are...they'll all figure it out.

TB
g1pper23
Posted 4/28/2011 2:32 PM (#495726 - in reply to #493964)
Subject: RE: Capt. Richard Clark




Posts: 9


I have gone up to the Larry the past two years. i fish with my uncle, him and rich are good fishing buddies. each year i have gone up i have gotten to talk to rich about muskie fishing. he is not in it to glory hunt, he is a school teacher in clayton, new york and plays a role in preserving the fishery up there. he is part of tagging programs for studies of the fish. he does it as a side business because he loves to do it. he is booked up at least a year in advance and is a stand up guy. he has caught numerous giants up there for years.
MuskieJim
Posted 5/1/2011 9:42 AM (#496198 - in reply to #495726)
Subject: RE: Capt. Richard Clark





Posts: 114


Like g1pper said before, Richie is a super nice down-to-earth guy who loves to talk fishing. G1pper's uncle and Rich have been friends for years and I've had the pleasure of getting to fish with Gip and his uncle. If you look at the Muskie Hunts page on Rich's site, look at the Goldberg/Frustereo fish. 55" and a 57" on the SAME DAY. Yikes. These are some of the other fish that Gip's uncle, Ken Delphs has caught over the years. They used to think nothing of these big fish, they caught them frequently and didn't make a big fuss about it. The Larry is the only place in the world that I hear of 48" muskies that are 30+ pounds being shaken off boatside and referred to as "punks".

Keep in mind, Ken is 6'4". These fish are absolute brutes. I was hesitant to post these. I (and he) have nothing to prove and will remove them instantly if it gets dragged through the mud

57"
Photobucket

59"
Photobucket

Edited by MuskieJim 5/1/2011 9:46 AM
tcbetka
Posted 5/1/2011 10:23 AM (#496203 - in reply to #496198)
Subject: RE: Capt. Richard Clark




Location: Green Bay, WI
Wow...SWEET FISH! Very nice indeed. Thanks for posting them!

TB