Posted 5/31/2012 12:43 PM (#562716) Subject: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo
Got word of this fish in a email that was caught sometime the last five days or so.Fish was around 35lbs and from the little info I have it was kept of course since every d@mn angler in the south has to keep everything they catch.Not sure if it was a musky angler or not,but dont think so.Maybe someone will chime in with more info. I have some picture/video,but cant access at work. This will be the first fish of 50" or more to be caught on rod/reel in Missouri.Netting last spring did have a 51" in it when they surveyed.
Posted 5/31/2012 12:58 PM (#562727 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo
Not Pomme...dont think that lake with ever support fish that big,never has.It was caught on my home water of Fellows Lake.I did raise a fish that size about a week ago,so who knows.Lake is only 820 acres at normal pool,so not many big fish in there.
Posted 5/31/2012 2:20 PM (#562749 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 572
I called the Fellows Lake Marina. The 51" muskie was caught yesterday. It weighed 35.7 lbs. When I asked about whether the muskie was kept or released. He said they (I assume he meant others) were trying to revive it when he had to leave. So, he didn't know what hapened.
I found it interesting that someone was trying to revive it even though it probably wasn't go to make it. Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Posted 5/31/2012 2:53 PM (#562762 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo
Some more good news on this.... Fish was in the net for over two hours,one hour in the sun,angler had no pliers, and then tried to weigh it when it died.(Probably picked fish up with scale) This is info im gathering...I wasnt there. Im betting the angler pulled the fish in the net beside the boat to the Marina to weigh it and thats that...
Posted 5/31/2012 3:28 PM (#562770 - in reply to #562762) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 816
That's interesting that it came out of Fellows, I live a few hours away from there in NE Oklahoma and have thought about going up there some day, sad to see it didn't make it though but curious to see pics of it.
Posted 5/31/2012 3:43 PM (#562774 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Location: Green Bay, WI
Education is definitely the key on these fish. Sounds like the angler maybe wasn't targeting muskellunge, so it is what it is I suppose. We see that kind of thing here on Green Bay as well--walleye anglers (typically) hook up with a musky, but don't necessarily have the gear to handle the fish once it is at the boat. In the old days, the line would simply break on many of these fish. However with the superlines and improved tackle we have these days, more and more are being caught.
We musky anglers need to do everything in our power to help educate others as to what it takes to handle a 35-40+ pound fish at the boat. A few years ago I wrote a couple articles for various web sites, talking about how to handle incidental muskellunge. I hope it helped. I also think the forums do a good job helping to educate musky guys who visit. Of course not all anglers targeting these fish frequent these forums, so there's opportunity to educate others there--and that's where the musky clubs and organizations like MI and Muskies Canada come in. But another aspect we musky anglers need to focus on is educating the incidental musky anglers...or simply helping them outright when they have a big fish at the boat, but don't have the means or knowledge to handle it.
Whatever you think about this particular fish though, realize that we were all "there" at one point. We were all in a position to be ill-prepared and/or under-educated as to the ways to best handle a very large fish. So this thread should serve as an excellent reminder as to just how much effort is required on the parts of ALL musky anglers, to help make such an experience positive for all involved...including the fish!
Posted 5/31/2012 3:52 PM (#562777 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 415
I think that fact that he at least tried to release it is the most important aspect. If he wasn't targeting them or had much knowledge of muskies then he obviously wasn't prepared to handle it. It sucks the fish died but this is better than someone clubbing it over the head just they can parade it around to their buddies because its a big fish. If lighting strikes again and this guy catches another fish then maybe he'll have a better understanding of how to handle it.
Posted 5/31/2012 5:11 PM (#562782 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 456
Location: Kansas City BBQ Capitol of the world
If the fish did weigh 35.7 it was 5.5 shy of the record. In my opinion not even close enough to prepare to weigh. A Muskie weight chart in the boat is so valuable and can prevent situations like this. Maybe this Fall that fish could of been a contender but now we will never know. I don't know anything about the angler, the branding on the fish or if this guy was even fishing for Muskies. This will come out as the dust settles and we can see what strain it was. All I know is that this is the first verified 50 incher ever caught in the State. It's possible and the benchmark has been met.
Ron
Posted 5/31/2012 5:48 PM (#562787 - in reply to #562782) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 132
Location: Missouri
rjhyland - 5/31/2012 5:11 PM
If the fish did weigh 35.7 it was 5.5 shy of the record. In my opinion not even close enough to prepare to weigh. A Muskie weight chart in the boat is so valuable and can prevent situations like this. Maybe this Fall that fish could of been a contender but now we will never know. I don't know anything about the angler, the branding on the fish or if this guy was even fishing for Muskies. This will come out as the dust settles and we can see what strain it was. All I know is that this is the first verified 50 incher ever caught in the State. It's possible and the benchmark has been met.
Ron
Yup, it's the first 50" caught in the state. Despite what happened to the fish, having an angler catching (target or non target) a musky of this size is an accomplishment for the MO Musky program. And provides encouragement for the future of the program.
Posted 5/31/2012 7:52 PM (#562796 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo
Was finally able to watch the 30 second clip and the guy was after musky. Older gentleman who only trolls and hopefully a friend of mine will have the link up soon. Im glad someone caught a 50+ out of Missouri and I have known for three years at any moment it would happen on this lake.Very disturbed to see the way the fish was handled.It was in the net for two hours after being towed to the marina and then waited on MDC to arrive to see if it verified for a record with a scale.
ProFishermanJones
Posted 5/31/2012 8:36 PM (#562803 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Posted 5/31/2012 8:53 PM (#562811 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 638
Location: Bloomington, MN
"We musky anglers need to do everything in our power to help educate others as to what it takes to handle a 35-40+ pound fish at the boat."
The BIG fish are much easier to release, if the angler intially wants to. The 35"-40" incidental fish is where the mortality issue comes into play. I want the education with my own 35 lb.++ fish one of these days! Many moons ago Pomme de Terre did cough up a 30+ lber and a 28 lber in the same day during a Muskies Inc. outing, so the potential was there. Congrats to the angler for the 1st "Show Me" state 50"! I hope he doesn't eat it or drop it off at Carl's Taxidermy and Squirrel Jerky Emporium!
Posted 5/31/2012 9:30 PM (#562820 - in reply to #562811) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Location: Green Bay, WI
Except for the fact that there are far more 35-40" muskies, than 35-40 POUND muskies. And for the average bass or walleye angler, I'll wager they are just plain afraid of the larger fish. So you and I know that the really big fish aren't much different to release, but the average "little fish" angler probably doesn't. A 51" musky may be the biggest fish they've ever seen in their life, in terms of being in the net.
All things considered, I think it's the really big fish we need to provide the most education on. Not that any musky isn't valuable, because they all take years to replace. But the really big fish have beaten the odds longer, contributed more genetic material and (depending upon who you believe) are likely to make the greatest contribution to the gene pool in terms of "big fish genes." Some biologists don't believe in that concept, but I for one do. All you have to do is look at the 95% confidence interval around the average ultimate length of a female musky on a growth model curve, and you can basically see my point. The "average" ultimate fish is just that--an average. There are fish smaller than that value, and fish larger.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'd love to see a bunch of 50-55" female muskies in my spawning grounds, if I was a musky biologist...
TB
Edited by tcbetka 5/31/2012 9:31 PM
Guest
Posted 5/31/2012 10:23 PM (#562829 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Doesn't anyone remember Jackie Wackerman's 52.5" fish he claimed to catch in Pomme back in like 1992? LOL
But this is the real deal and congrats to the angler and to MDC for a successful muskie program.
Posted 5/31/2012 10:26 PM (#562831 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Posts: 572
"It was in the net for two hours after being towed to the marina and then waited on MDC to arrive to see if it verified for a record with a scale."
I don't get it. It looks like someone should have taken a girth measurement and called someone to look up an estimate weight. Afterall, this fish ended up being over 5 lbs shy of the state record. Duh, there should have been someone with a cell phone. 2 hours in the net and no one thinks about measuring the girth to get an estimate of the weight?????
Perhaps the Conservation Department could provide all the marina's on lakes stocked with muskies a chart to estimate the weight.
BenR
Posted 5/31/2012 10:58 PM (#562833 - in reply to #562716) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
I love that fact the video is being produced by Muskies Inc. cracks me up! BR
Guest
Posted 6/1/2012 7:37 AM (#562848 - in reply to #562833) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
BenR - 5/31/2012 10:58 PM
I love that fact the video is being produced by Muskies Inc. cracks me up! BR
I want in on the joke. What's funny?
BenR
Posted 6/1/2012 7:38 AM (#562849 - in reply to #562848) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Guest - 6/1/2012 7:37 AM
BenR - 5/31/2012 10:58 PM
I love that fact the video is being produced by Muskies Inc. cracks me up! BR
Posted 6/1/2012 9:26 AM (#562873 - in reply to #562849) Subject: Re: 51" out of Missouri
Location: Green Bay, WI
OK then, I don't get it: What's ironic about this?
Was the MI person there for the catch?
Was the MI person there when the decision was made to drag the fish to the pier while in the net?
The fish was in the water while the MI person was filming.
For all we know, someone in MI heard about the fish being caught and went to see the fish. MI members usually *are* musky anglers, you know--it isn't unusual for "one of us" to take an interest in a large fish having been caught. For all we know the fish would have been laying ON the dock waiting for someone to verify it as a record, were it not for the (MI) videographer doing the filming. For all we know, SHE was the one who suggested that the fish be kept in the net.
I'm not making excuses for anyone in MI, nor am I condemning anyone related to this fish. If it was within the angler's right to possess (and harvest) the fish, it was within their right. And although I don't speak for the entire organization, I feel I know it well enough to say that while we encourage catch and release of all muskies, we also believe in the angler's right to make the decision to keep a fish. It is the law you know.
I really don't understand why these types of threads always have to deteriorate whenever posted on a musky forum. Maybe it's human nature...I don't know. I certainly agree that it would have been better if the angler had access to information indicating that the estimated weight of the fish was nowhere near the Missouri record--so they simply could have released the fish immediately after taking a picture or two. THIS, in fact, is the main reason why Larry Ramsell and I spent over a month back in 2005 researching the origins of all the known equations that estimate the weight of a musky based upon it's morphological measurements. And then I spent another few weeks writing a computer program to provide those estimations for all of those known equations...and then I made it available on all of the musky forums I could find...and then watched as all of about 200 people actually downloaded it.
(Sigh)
You can barely please some of the people some of the time, I guess...
TB
Edited by tcbetka 6/1/2012 10:08 AM
Mark. K
Posted 6/1/2012 10:20 AM (#562879 - in reply to #562716) Subject: RE: 51" out of Missouri
Funny...Everything re why or how the fish was not released up to this point is speculative. Yet some are already slinging mud because this fish was kept. No laws were broken, maybe the fish could not be revived, maybe this angler has released every musky he has ever landed and decided to keep one special fish. It really is his business and his right. On the up side this fish has already been spawning and her dna is in this water system. I wouldn't worry so much if once in awhile a large fish is kept. I would focus my time on pollution, invasive species, degredation of spawning grounds etc. Seems everything is Ok as long as every angler on this sight agrees to 100% catch and release. If not, your opinion is deemed invalid and your are to be considered uneducated and of the old school mentality.
51" out of Missouri