BullsEye Strikes Again!
OnceBit
Posted 7/31/2012 12:15 AM (#574955)
Subject: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 99


Earlier I put up a video my son made of a 51" musky we caught together off of Wishbone Bar on Cass Lake, MN. Later I received a message from Bob Gray:
"Hey man I know how crazy this sounds, but I know of at least 2 more times your 51" Cass Lake musky was caught. It has that distinct bullseye mark up near it's head and 2 lamprey marks near it's tail. I caught it off of Buck Bar in 2004 at 47". In 2007 a member on fishingminnesota.com caught it off of Little Wishbone Bar at 49.5". All the markings are like fingerprints. I don't know what's mor amazing....the fact that the fish was caught at least 3 times or the fact that it was caught 3 times and I came across the pictures and recognized it!!!"
We named her BullsEye after the distict "bullseye" marking Bob noted. Could this really be the same fish? If so this gives a pretty good example of musky growth and home ranges on the Cass chain. Cool...


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(BullsEye.jpg)



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Attachments BullsEye.jpg (176KB - 159 downloads)
TC MUSKIE
Posted 7/31/2012 12:58 AM (#574956 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Location: Minneapolis
that's crazy
Guest
Posted 7/31/2012 5:35 AM (#574966 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


And only grew 4 inches since 2004! Catch and release works. Nice fish
Bob Gray
Posted 7/31/2012 6:59 AM (#574970 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 56


Location: Oak Lawn, IL
I know it looks bigger/heavier in that second picture, but that's me when I caught her in 2004 and she was 47" the last pic she was 49.5". How long do they live? Remember Cass is all natural reproduction.
JBlanck
Posted 7/31/2012 8:26 AM (#574981 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 144


Location: Loves Park, IL
That's really cool. How far away from the other spots was this year's caught? Did she move much? Also, it looks like she likes calm water conditions, huh?
OnceBit
Posted 7/31/2012 9:37 AM (#575003 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 99


Bullseye has been caught on two different spots in the last 8 years. One spot is a shallow sand/rock combination shoreline connected bar and the other is a deep cabbage midlake bar. They are about a mile apart and in between these two spots is a large expansion of open water about 50' where ciscos roam. Looks like she grew 4" in the last 8 years or approximately 1/2" per year, with growth rate a bit slower in the later years.
Guest
Posted 7/31/2012 11:00 AM (#575022 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


Very cool story. The Cass Lake fish are slow growers.
TrentM.
Posted 7/31/2012 3:29 PM (#575092 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 133


Location: South Bend, Indiana
three time?!?! awesome!!!!
greenstealth
Posted 7/31/2012 4:01 PM (#575101 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 142


Around here, catching a musky over 40 is a huge deal. Very few people release. A friend sent me a picture of a fish his friend caught, 46 incher, never returned. It's neat to see the fish thrive after being caught.
Tackle Industries
Posted 7/31/2012 6:36 PM (#575134 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 4053


Location: Land of the Musky
Very nice ad for catch and release! Very cool too!
honkermusky
Posted 7/31/2012 10:07 PM (#575172 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 383


Location: SE Wisc and Vilas County
great story and a great fish. shows why catch and release works.
Clark A
Posted 7/31/2012 10:31 PM (#575174 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 636


Location: Bloomington, MN
That is old fish that is still alive and well. Fantastic post! I have fished Cass and need to spend another evening or two in the reeds off the north end of Cedar Island, if there are any remaining. I've stayed at Sah-Kay-Tah when the Larry & Virginia Beaver owned the resort. Larry was a taxidermist and honestly the double sided leaping 56" mount he did was the best I've ever seen, and I am a long time fan of Fittante. It was a skin mount, and he was the one that caught it. The lamrey/cancerous sores that the fish had were painted to a "T"! I think he said the fish was 42 lbs. and he decided to keep it since it was bleeding so bad out of the sores. The pictures posted now indicate to me this fish may have been well over 25 years old, but all fish are different. He caught the fish in the early 90's, so most of us would have probably thunked a 56" on the knoggin back then. Not there is any place "Safe" to vacation at, but the Cass Lake area is something different. Mille Lacs is basically a "hood" also, but Cass makes it look like Disney World. Just be on your toes, if you go.

Edited by Clark A 7/31/2012 10:41 PM
woodieb8
Posted 8/1/2012 4:58 AM (#575195 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 1530


cpr does work. so many have enjoyed this 1 fish congrats guys
Commanche Jim
Posted 8/1/2012 10:22 AM (#575258 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


Hey Guys,
I'm the guy in the last picture.
Just a little clarification, the fish was actually 49" and I caught it in the summer of 2006.
It was a blast. I had no camera, so my cousin came over to take the picture. Had my 2 kids in the boat, my pregnant wife, and a friend of hers.

Great Memories!!!!
Commanche Jim
Posted 8/1/2012 10:32 AM (#575260 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


Further clarification.......
I caught it in the summer of 2007.
OnceBit
Posted 8/1/2012 11:00 AM (#575274 - in reply to #575260)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 99


Commanche Jim,
That was my bad...Bob got it right I just had the pics swapped.


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Attachments BullsEye.jpg (175KB - 149 downloads)
AndyM
Posted 8/1/2012 11:02 AM (#575277 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


this is too cool
Guest
Posted 8/2/2012 8:13 PM (#575733 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


What state is this lake in?
Top H2O
Posted 8/2/2012 9:20 PM (#575742 - in reply to #575733)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 4080


Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion
North Korea!
Read the first post,....Second sentence...........And there's your Sign !

Edited by Top H2O 8/2/2012 9:23 PM
rjhyland
Posted 8/2/2012 9:52 PM (#575748 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 456


Location: Kansas City BBQ Capitol of the world
That is awesome! Let em go to let them grow and catch and release is proven to be great for the sport. What kicks me in the pants is how much bigger they get in just 4 inches. Great post.
Ron
RugerShooter
Posted 8/3/2012 10:50 AM (#575807 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 50


Location: Hobart, Indiana
Glad to see that someone caught a fish on Cass. We fished it hard for a week but no luck last week. Can't believe that the water was so dirty his year. Good job!
tfootstalker
Posted 8/3/2012 2:10 PM (#575852 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!





Posts: 299


Location: Nowheresville, MN
I caught that fish this spring too. There's a piece of anal fin missing…
JKahler
Posted 8/3/2012 3:24 PM (#575863 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 1296


Location: WI
Too cool! Growing into a nice tank of a fish!
Ebenezer
Posted 8/4/2012 12:23 AM (#575945 - in reply to #575852)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 210


I saw BullsEye last week, but was not fortunate to touch her as some of you were...
Guest
Posted 8/6/2012 12:31 PM (#576266 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


Has there ever been a fish with multiple photos from Wisconsin?
jkslayer135
Posted 8/6/2012 9:37 PM (#576376 - in reply to #574955)
Subject: Re: BullsEye Strikes Again!




Posts: 283


no guest there isn't! We kill every fish that we catch!
BenR
Posted 8/6/2012 10:07 PM (#576383 - in reply to #576266)
Subject: RE: BullsEye Strikes Again!


Guest - 8/6/2012 12:31 PM

Has there ever been a fish with multiple photos from Wisconsin?


I believe the fish needs to get bigger before they start taking pictures of them in WI, sort of a been there done that moment. BR