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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Does size always matter?
 
Message Subject: Does size always matter?
Guest
Posted 8/24/2009 10:13 AM (#395612)
Subject: Does size always matter?


OK…some people have a need to catch a trophy Musky at least once in their life. That's cool. But I don’t personally get the need to have every catch be a 50” fish.

Sometimes I wonder if some people that pursue Musky can be just as happy with a day that only produced a couple of 30” fish, or if it always has to be something near 50” to qualify for an good day. Personally, I prefer numbers over size, if I had to choose one over the other. But…that’s just me.

Are there still some Musky fisherman out there who are not obsessed with every fish having to be a trophy? It seems that the “Trophy” Musky mindset being over-emphasized.

Not meaning to be overly negative for those who want a trophy now and then. Just want to keep in balance that we should be able to be OK with whatever we catch. Every Musky caught is special to me.
allegheny river kid
Posted 8/24/2009 10:25 AM (#395616 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 463


Location: Sw Pennsylvania
I always try to keep things in perspective no matter what fish species i'm chasing. I'm blessed enough to be out on the water either by myself or with good friends enjoying time away from work and everyday life. I dont consider myself a trophy fisherman by any means. My goal is to catch some fish and have some fun, sometimes you catch fish sometimes you only catch some rays. Either way i'm enjoying my time outdoors. I too think every fish caught is special in its own way.
kustomboy
Posted 8/24/2009 10:27 AM (#395617 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 256


Any muskie in the boat is a reason for celebration. Trophy fish are great (pb 51.5) but nothing beats a nice mid-30's fish too. It is a reminder that there will be trophy fish in the future too!
Jim Munday
Posted 8/24/2009 10:39 AM (#395625 - in reply to #395617)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 73


Yeah...that's a tough one to keep in perspective sometimes. I’m happy with every Musky I catch, and they all get my respect. But, I’m probably a little happier with the bigger fish, just because of the simple fact that they are ususally more of a fight. And that adds up to a little more fun.

Catching a 50" doesn't make you a special fisherman. It's just that they are rare in most lakes, so it's a special day if one bites your lure.
muskie24/7
Posted 8/24/2009 10:55 AM (#395629 - in reply to #395625)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 909


They're all good! Big ones are just a bonus!

Brian
Guest
Posted 8/24/2009 11:06 AM (#395633 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


All muskies are special. A trophy is whatever YOU think it is. Anyone can catch a 50 these days. The guys who are always putting 50s in the net are doing something right though. Big ones were small once. Treat them all with care and repect.
FEVER
Posted 8/24/2009 11:46 AM (#395641 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 253


Location: On the water
I'm happy with any size musky. The way things have been going, I'm happy with a follow!
But you never know what the next cast will bring. Good fishing to everyone!
Tom
Almost-B-Good
Posted 8/24/2009 12:16 PM (#395647 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?




Posts: 433


Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Most fish musky because of the trophy aspect. They progressed up the ladder of fishing. You start trying to catch a fish. Then you try to get more fish more often. Then it's on to bigger fish and harder fish to provide more of a challenge. Finally it is trying for the biggest hardest fish. Some people make it all the way up the ladder and some don't, they are happy to stay on the rung that they are on. That's the beauty of fishing, different things for different people.

Plus you have trade offs. How much are you willing to sacrifice on size/quantity to ensure you are enjoying the scenery or not being bothered by other fishermen or pleasure boaters? We all make trade offs to some extent. For me, I can almost tolerate being out on a lake that turns into a zoo on weekends simply because it has a proven track record of putting up fish to the weighed on a scale 50# mark. Would others be happy doing that? I doubt it. When I go to Canada I fish offbeat waters with low musky populations because I want to get as far away from people as I can. I trade action for peace, quiet, and not having to take a number to fish a good spot. Still after the huge fish which are there, but not willing to sacrifice the quality of the trip to improve on the chances for a big fish or more of them.
Guest
Posted 8/24/2009 1:14 PM (#395672 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


"Most fish musky because of the trophy aspect. They progressed up the ladder of fishing."

I think it might be insulting to some Bass, Walleye, and Crappie fisherman to say that being a Musky fisherman is several rungs up the ladder from what they're doing. Personally, I'm a multi-species fisherman. And each species requires a skill set and knowledge of the fish to consistently catch fish throughout the year. The only thing different about Muskies is the fact that there aren't as many of them in the water. But I certainly don't consider myself to be "higher up the ladder" when I'm fishing for Musky instead of Crappie.
Guest
Posted 8/24/2009 1:42 PM (#395681 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


I am pretty sure he meant up the musky ladder not species ladder!
muskellunged
Posted 8/24/2009 1:59 PM (#395687 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Location: Illinois
yes, in regards to musky fishing, size does matter, at least to me. What I enjoy is the quest for big muskies. While I'll take whatever I can get, I will always try for the biggest fish in the system. While catching several sub 36" muskies is fun, it does not compare to the fun I have ree;ing in. netting, and holding a musky of 40 inches or more. "trophy" for me begins at 45". Give me size over action.
JRedig
Posted 8/24/2009 2:12 PM (#395690 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Location: Twin Cities
That depends on how good of a topwater hit it was...
dtaijo174
Posted 8/24/2009 2:26 PM (#395693 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 1169


Location: New Hope MN
Ask me about the trip during the trip and I'll say action over size. Ask me ten years after the trip I only remember the big girls.
Almost-B-Good
Posted 8/24/2009 5:14 PM (#395727 - in reply to #395672)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?




Posts: 433


Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Guess I should have said ladder of fishing difficulty. I have fished bass, walleyes, pike, trout and salmon, carp and a few other critters as well and still do ocassionally.

There is no comparison to the challenge presented by muskies simply by the lack of numbers and the small amount of fish in one spot. All I can say is when I found the other fish in an area like as not I hammered them. Didn't find them all the time, didn't find the bigger ones all the time, but where there was one, most often there was a bunch. You can't say that with muskies. When the fishing is poor, it takes you a couple days to pattern any other fish, but it might take you a couple weeks on muskies. It is just that magnitude of difficulty that makes it attractive for me.

There is no way I could have started on muskies and loved fishing like I do now. Without climbing the ladder slowly I'd have quit long ago. When I go out now, I don't need to prove to myself I can catch fish to be a happy fisherman. I've had single days where two or three of us put over 40 bass, or 60 walleyes or 90 pike in the boat. Had days where we filled up on salmon averaging over 14# for three guys in less than 6 hours. Other than on Lake ST. Claire, when was the last time you heard of 15 muskies caught in one day in one boat? How about 40 muskies in one day? It just doesn't happen. Order of magnitude in difficulty! That's part of what makes muskies fun, you don't need to catch a dozen every day.

The other part is size. I've never lost a 50" walleye a foot away from the boat, nor had a 45" bass jump and throw the lure clean across the boat or had a 48" carp hit on a figure 8. I've had smallies to 23" in the boat, and walleyes to 33". Special fish to me but can they compare to a big musky? No. Had a 38" steelhead and a 46" pike and a 41" chinook in the boat. Can they compare to a big musky? Darn near, but not quite. Don't know why but it just isn't the same. There is just something different about the big muskies that makes me want to come back to try again and again. That's the other part of what makes fishing muskies fun.

Guest
Posted 8/24/2009 5:28 PM (#395729 - in reply to #395727)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


i fish hard, i want to catch a 50", i'll enjoy it much more than a 45".

i don't take pictures of sunrises and sunsets.

it's not a successful trip without a fish in the net.

i don't say "we didn't catch anything, but it was a really nice evening to be on the water"

plenty of hours on the water i didn't enjoy last year in pursuit of muskies, it's not always nice to be out there, i think 30 inch fish are as much of a nuisance as walleyes, bass and pike, not much fun on a 7000 with 100# test, and more apt to hurt themselves or myself on big baits so i could do without them.

guess i'm not much fun.
allegheny river kid
Posted 8/24/2009 7:48 PM (#395757 - in reply to #395729)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?




Posts: 463


Location: Sw Pennsylvania
Guest - 8/24/2009 6:28 PM

i fish hard, i want to catch a 50", i'll enjoy it much more than a 45".

i don't take pictures of sunrises and sunsets.

it's not a successful trip without a fish in the net.

i don't say "we didn't catch anything, but it was a really nice evening to be on the water"

plenty of hours on the water i didn't enjoy last year in pursuit of muskies, it's not always nice to be out there, i think 30 inch fish are as much of a nuisance as walleyes, bass and pike, not much fun on a 7000 with 100# test, and more apt to hurt themselves or myself on big baits so i could do without them.

guess i'm not much fun.


No offense guest, but it sounds like you need a xanax or 3

Edited by allegheny river kid 8/24/2009 7:50 PM
BNelson
Posted 8/24/2009 8:50 PM (#395772 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Location: Contrarian Island
I put trophy into this perspective.
I'm fortunate enough to fish waters all over the midwest from 100 acre pot holes in Vilas Co WI to systems like Lac Seul...I love catching big fish period. "Big" is relative to the water I'm on..when I'm on a little 300 acre lake x in Vilas and I've fished it for 16 yrs never having seen a 48+ I know my chances of catching a 48 are fairly slim...now, when I'm on 50+ inch producing Canada or MN waters my goals and expectations of the size of fish I expect to move and put in the net change, but that doesn't change my goal. I'm simply there to put as many big ones as I can in the net, regardless of the lake/body of water. isn't that what most of us want to do? but I'm honestly just as proud of a 45 from the little lake x as I am of a 50+"ers that land in the net in Minny...if any of us stop to think about it..when we first got into musky fishing we were thrilled as heck to catch a musky regardless of size, even a 35 incher was "big" to us then ... don't look down on the guy that catches a 40"er and is jumping for joy, we all were there once... we are all out there for trophies but have to remember everyones definition of a trophy is different depending on where they are at in the "musky fishing ladder" as someone else put it...


Edited by MSKY HNR 8/24/2009 9:46 PM
RiddingBaits
Posted 8/24/2009 9:06 PM (#395779 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?




Posts: 31


Musky fishing has gone crazy over the past few years, I never knew so many people did it. There used to be times when I'd go out and not see another soul out lungin', even on a weekend...or in crappy weather...anyone we'd see..we'd know. All the different opionions out there over what a trophy would be called, I wouldn't call anyone wrong. You have the guys that horse every fish in they ever hook, like it's a tournament. You have the guys that don't...who knows what is "right" anymore with all the different people brought into the hobby. Ah well....I lost interest in it over the past few years..but I'd say my trophy is always going to change with each trophy caught!
deer hntr
Posted 8/24/2009 9:16 PM (#395786 - in reply to #395779)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?





Posts: 69


Location: janesville
well to me anytime you put a musky in the boat is a great day. its only when you've had a chance at big fish that i just seem to forget about the smaller ones but whenever somebody in are boat or i catch a musky its a great day and especially since i've had a hard time getting them to actually eat the lure i'll take any musky i get
jwelch
Posted 8/24/2009 9:18 PM (#395787 - in reply to #395729)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?




Posts: 233


Location: Iowa
That's too bad people have that mentality. These are the types I wish would find something else to do.

I like to fish, period. I especially like to fish for muskies. Whether it's a day of multiples or a day with a grandmommy, either one would be great. Some days I'm happy with follows. I can't say that I'm not a little disappointed when I fish for a day with no action but I still enjoy every minute that I'm out on the water.

Jeremy

Edited by jwelch 8/24/2009 9:24 PM
IAJustin
Posted 8/24/2009 9:28 PM (#395789 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 2015


To me the 50" mark is overrated. I have a 52.5 and a 53 this year - don't get me wrong I was happy to get them....but you are missing what muskie fishing is all about if it is ONLY 50" fish you want - those are the only two fish over 50 I've caught - it took me putting hundreds of muskies in the net and 17 over 47" before "it happened" ..I can think of a 48.5" fish I was much happier to catch that either one of the 52"+ fish. It was actually a little anticlimactic for me. Do I want to catch more 50's - well sure and it will happen...but I want to break my record of 7 muskies casting on LOTW in one day more(done this twice) and unlike Guest - I want to be enjoying the moment even when the muskies don't decide to bite that day. Making each day only about big fish will ruin a lot of days on the water IMO.
RiddingBaits
Posted 8/24/2009 9:39 PM (#395795 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 31


Huge muskies aren't the fish I WANT I just WANT TO BATTLE them I just like going out casting..used to cast baits around my yard without hooks on them before i started school. There isn't one musky I don't like to catch, but my favorite encounters are the ones you play with when they come back after repeated casts, definite proof Muskys are still wild animals 8|

Willing to bet however, anyone with guests opinion is probably a "post-internet" musky fisherman (i forgot the year it came out). Don't know of many people who were brought into musky fishing back before the internet sites who would say something like that hammered. However, with the publicity and stuff online I wouldn't expect anyone new to musky fishing, because of/after they read about it online, to say anything different than Guest too.

Edited by RiddingBaits 8/24/2009 9:43 PM
Mr Musky
Posted 8/24/2009 10:00 PM (#395798 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 999


I have to agree with MSKY HTR be happy with a trophy fish with the size of the lake your fishing and what's availible in that body of water. I started out many years ago on action lakes, we were just tickled to catch a dozen fish in a weekend with a 35" er taking big fish honors for the weekend trip. Then we progressed to lakes that we didnt have all that action but were rewarded with a couple high thirty to low 40 inch class fish and the occasional mid forties Then we explored different systems such as Canada where our chances at a big fish were alot better and again we were just tickled with a 40 pound caliber fish the first fall up there. Now back home in WI im happy with anysize musky in the net but more then happy when we put a quality 45" plus incher in the net. It's all about the ladder, typically you dont start out with 50 inchers being the norm. And just be thankful your on the water doing what you love instead of being at home on the computer at 10 oclock at nite typing and not fishing!

Mr Musky
RiddingBaits
Posted 8/24/2009 10:27 PM (#395808 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 31


Definitely want to agree with that where it depends where you are fishing deal too...that really weighs in on whether or not I talk about it and feel like I accomplished something great. And yeah mr musky...that first canada trip always shows the potential of the fish you can catch..I won't forget that 1 fish, ever. #*^@ you colemans reef

Edited by RiddingBaits 8/24/2009 10:32 PM
ESOXER
Posted 8/24/2009 11:02 PM (#395817 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 232


Location: Sun Prairie, WI
Any fish that is caught, regardless of species is a "trophy" in it's own right. Weather you are after panfish, bass, walleye, salmon, or any other species, you are out in the great outdoors doing something you want to do. It can be as relaxing or pressured as you make it and unfortunately many people have made muskie fishing too materialistic of a sport. Too many of us don't remember how we started with a smaller boat and few lures and sometimes second hand equipment. Now it seems you need and must have the bigger, better boats and motors and all the latest expensive lures just so you fit in with the "musky crowd". If you don't land and post about your 50 inchers, you don't belong with this crowd it seems.
I fish for all species and enjoy every minute on the water, to me it's not about being with the "in people" its about enjoying what I do. Remember, it's called "fishing, not catching".
sworrall
Posted 8/24/2009 11:16 PM (#395818 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Posts: 32886


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Hey, I'm on Vermilion in the evenings this week, and we fish BLUEGILLS every evening for an hour or so...for the pan. Well worth it, too. Any muskie in the net is a good one. Any day on the water is a good day. Any day on the water with family or friends....is a GREAT day.
Hawkeye
Posted 8/25/2009 9:32 AM (#395860 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


Pretty good thread, really. It shows diversity in why people fish. Every person has a right to his own opinion and his own ‘quest”.

It’s probably just the way it is that some prefer the challenges of a trophy hunt, and some prefer a get away from the stress and high expectations that their jobs already bring. So to them, fishing needs to be about some R & R time.

Seems to me what’s that most important is to allow for some diversity among our reasons for fishing, and give the fish and the fisherman both the respect they deserve…whatever be the species pursued, or the style of fishing.
Matt DeVos
Posted 8/25/2009 11:42 AM (#395898 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?




Posts: 580


Couple things that may or may not be worth noting. My humble opinion only, take it for what it's worth.

There seems to be a consistent theme amongst some anglers regarding this "muskie ladder" thing, which goes like this: As you get further accomplished as a muskie angler, you start to switch from being a "numbers" fisherman, and start being a "trophy" fisherman. Then, someday, when you get to be really, really good, you start to purposely shake off sub 45"ers, and you are only searching for the trophy, which seems to be defined as a 50+"er.

The reality is that many guys have proceeded up the "muskie ladder" and have become dyed-in-the-wool trophy fisherman, and I think that's fine. Good for them.

But the "ladder" analogy can potentially be a bit problematic, because it infers that anyone who remains excited to catch non-trophy fish are less further along in their "progression" and therefore less accomplished as anglers. In that way, the analogy can be a bit denigrating.

Personally, I still get plenty excited to catch a 34"er. I truly hope that I always will. I just love to catch muskies. Period. Yes, I'm looking for bigger fish, and my excitement level increases proportionately inch-by-inch. Honestly, I really don't care too much about what other people might or might not think about my fishing exploits, but admittedly, I would take some level of offense to anyone who scoffs at me, and thinks that I'm still a long way down on the "muskie ladder" because I enjoy catching non-trophy fish.

I don't know that anyone does think that way, but swinging the "muskie ladder" analogy around too much could infer it....
Sam Ubl
Posted 8/27/2009 3:45 PM (#396390 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: Re: Does size always matter?





Location: SE Wisconsin
Tell you what, size made a big impact in Bob's life after losing this fish. . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2ixsy8mNIk



Edited by Sam Ubl 8/27/2009 3:52 PM
Guest
Posted 8/27/2009 4:03 PM (#396393 - in reply to #395612)
Subject: RE: Does size always matter?


anyone else think that fish is not nearly as big as Bob claims?
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