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Posts: 36
Location: Blaine, MN | I read an article about 2 months ago in the Outdoors News that was similiar to this thread. Someone's benchmark is in weight and someone else's benchmark is in inches. He came up with the suggestion that there could be two state records for a fish. A record for length and a record for weight. 'Cause these days it seems everything is measured in inches. The problem with a certified length measurement means you would have to bring the fish off the lake somewhere to have it measured and most likely it would be killed. Most of the records in the past have just the weight listed, the length and girth were never measured It would be a tough thing to administer. Where to you start? Do you have to throw out some of those old records? Just an interesting article. |
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| Hahaha. Aint that the truth. Thanks for the humor. |
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Posts: 38
Location: Forest Lake, Mn | My PB best will probably never be beat. I could care less.
WS
Edited by Whopper Stopper 10/24/2008 2:15 AM
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Posts: 4266
| My PB is just a little shy of the 50" mark, but I have some 48's and 47's and a noteworthy 46.5" that I'll never forget because it probably weighed more than all of the other ones. You can set the bar as high as you want, but if you don't feel like you are any more of an angler because you haven't reached the benchmark or beat your present PB, then you better rethink why you are fishing in the first place. To me muskie fishing isn't some cosmic competition against me and all of the other muskiefishermen in the cosmos. I enjoy every trip and every fish, and when I stop enjoying it for the pure thrill that I get out of it, then I better find something else to do.
300's and holes in one are perfection. How do measure perfection in muskie fishing? Depending on their abilities, golfers and bowlers might see their PB as a low score or a high-game. I shot a 74 and a 719, both are benchmarks that I never thought that I would reach, but I did, and I'm proud of them.
I think that we put too much emphasis on what other people think about our catches than we do. |
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Posts: 714
Location: Rhinelander, WI | Other than deer hunting and the social conflict between number of points and scored inches. I think Golf is a perfect analogy for this discussion.
I don’t golf other than a scramble now and then, there just isn’t time and I am two competitive to just go out and do it for fun, I would constantly be pushing my self to be better and golf is the ultimate sport where every time you are out there you are competing against yourself. Much like musky fishing, though its you against the fish in this sport. Golf is really you against you, it can be made competitive against others but really it comes down to personal achievement, just like musky fishing.
Anyway from my golfing buddies, they are always talking about their individual score. I may be wrong with the numbers her, but it seems 100 is a big deal. The first goal of beginning to average golfers is to break 100. Then 90, then 80 and so on. Eventually you find your skill level and the improvements are very slow after that.
Much like musky fishing, musky fishing is very dependant on where you fish. I live in northern Wi. I started out and just wanted a legal fish, then I wanted one over 40, then 45, 10 years after getting that 45, I am still looking for one over 50 in Wi. You hone your skills, but there is a point where you will plateau, until you start spending more time or fishing different areas. I started going to Canada and now have a couple 50+s under my belt, but not from WI.
Round numbers are just easy targets. Is shooting 99 really that much better than shooting 100, no but it a goal.
Weight used to be the ultimate goal in musky fishing 30lbs, 40lbs, 50lbs. With the advent of catch and release the emphasis has shifted to length.
I’ll tell you I have a few 30lb class fish under my belt, both from WI and from Canada, nothing over 50 in WI, (48.5 is the largest) so my goals still are set at a 50 incher for WI. and sense I have a 50”er my next, reach for the sky, goal is a 40 pound class fish. I say class because I will not purposely kill the fish, so the weight will have to be estimated.
I like the L+G scale because it takes the need out of deciding which formula to use. My largest fish is probably 71 to 72 inches(I didn’t girth it), a 78 inch fish will be around that 40 pound mark and that’s a good enough estimate for me. It gives a pretty good scale taking into account both the length and build of the fish. 70+ is readily achievable, 80+ takes A LOT more work.
Just my opinion!
Nail A Pig!
Mike |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | great analogy mike ... it's interesting because in golf your first best chance of scoring is becoming a great chipper/putter if you take a look at what you can do to maximize scoring opportunities, the second level is getting off the tee to be able to break 90 .. breaking 80 means hitting fairways and greens ... you can't hit greens if you can't drive long and in the fairway and you can't depend on one-putt pars ... each level of accomplishment requires banking skills and performing in areas to maintain consistency. you can boil it down and practice it ... much like musky fishing where some people have a way to subtract themselves into consistency by making key choices. i've always thought around the rule of 80% of the fish live in 20% of the water and eat 10% of the time ... the guys who consistently subtract themselves into that zone become the par-shooters of musky fishing. i know two such people personally and am continually impressed to hear them score consistently under very different waters/situations and try to listen to them as much as possible.
i just got a text message from one of them ... he's 49.5 and 46 for the day today ... guess who it is ... lol |
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Posts: 371
Location: Dixon, IL | Go have fun musky fishing and goal to beat your personal best and it will climb to 50"mark then above! |
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Location: Twin Cities | My goals are to catch/see muskies when I go fishing. If I catch a bigger fish than my current PB, whatever those numbers are, great. If I trigger a fish to be interested in what i'm doing somehow, i go home pretty happy....fishing is about so much more than catching to me. |
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| One difference between golf and musky fishing is you can't hire someone to do the work for you and then claim you have scored your personal best. There are some folks out there that got there 50 while trolling with a guide that set up the equipment for them and the client just picked up the rod when it went off and reeled it in. If you had Tiger go golfing with you and put the ball 2 feet from the cup each hole and you just had to make the short putt would you believe that YOU scored your best round? |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | another difference ... most who play golf don't get jealous and bitter about what others are able to do or how they do it ... which, is a far-cry from the sport of musky fishing. |
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| You didn't answer the question Johnny. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | my answer to that would be for sure that i personally get a ton of satisfaction out of doing it on my own vs. the alternative. i've been in guide boats (at eagle) and never boated a big one with them but what they taught me allowed me to do better on my own for sure.
in the trolling argument for sure you have a point that is valid especially in comparisson as you put it
on the casting side for sure there's a component of selection of location and presentation but that's no different than playing a new tough course with a caddy who helps you do the same thing with local knowledge for best placement, shot selection and a putting line ... the "golfer" or "fisherman" still has to make the shot though.
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| I see your point. I only mentioned trolling because I too agree that if one is casting and choosing the baits and working the baits they still have to get the fish to strike and still have to set the hooks. I might be a little jealous. My PB is still 46.  |
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Posts: 15
| My goal is a little different; I have caught a 10lb walleye (10.5lb, 30.5") it's on the office wall. I have caught at 10lb Largemouth (14.5lb 29.75") replica on the office wall. I want a 50" Musky (replica... I do CPR) to add to my collection.
I feel the freshwater triple is one helluva accomplishment. My PB is only 42.5" but I know I've seen a few near 50, just haven't been lucky enough to boat one. More time, more casts, it will all work out.
SW
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