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Posts: 265
Location: Manitowish Waters WI | Wondering about size. What's your personal best? I got in an argument with my friend about what the average Muskie fishermans personal best is. I have caught many fish over the last 10 years that have pushed the 50 mark but have came up just short(49.5 my PB). My side of the argument is most fishermans PB is under 50, I very well could be wrong. |
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Location: MN | 54.5" for this guy! I can still visualize that fish eating my phantom 10 feet from the boat. |
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Location: Manitowish Waters WI | Very nice Tim! |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | gotta say it's nice being able to click that last button! |
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Location: Minnesota. | Tim Schmitz - 5/11/2012 9:52 AM
54.5" for this guy! I can still visualize that fish eating my phantom 10 feet from the boat.
Holy crap! Yeah, VERY nice indeed! I couldn't imagine, THAT close to the boat....!!!! Wow.
Jeremy. |
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Location: Hayward, WI | I'm surprised to see the last option in the lead. I would have also guessed a lot more would have their best under 50 than over. Everyone on here must be from MN.  I had to click the 48-49 option with my best at 48.
Tucker |
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Posts: 1086
| It's all just bar talk. It has more to do with what bodies of water the fishermen fish most often and what those lakes are most likely capable of for overall size of the fish. Some bodies of water, a 47 or a 48 inch fish is the trophy for that body of water. Some bodies of water, are capable of producing larger fish and therefore...the 50+ inch fish...or even the 52+ inch fish are the trophies for that given body of water.
It's comparing apples to oranges.
It doesn't make one fishermen better than the next to say that Joe Schmoe over there has a 52+ personal best as John Doe over here only has a 48" fish as his personal best, being the two fishermen fish two completely different bodies of water which have two completely different capabilities of producing such fish.
Carry on. |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | it's really nothing more then a combination of where you fish, where you live, how much you fish, and how lucky you are and probably lastly on the totem pole how good you are....
I think consistency far more defines how good an angler is as opposed to a personal best.... |
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Location: Smith Creek | How about PB by strain? Or state/province?
How many factored in the "Kevin Equation" for measuring their PB? |
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| MACK - 5/11/2012 10:48 AM
It doesn't make one fishermen better than the next to say that Joe Schmoe over there has a 52+ personal best as John Doe over here only has a 48" fish as his personal best, being the two fishermen fish two completely different bodies of water which have two completely different capabilities of producing such fish.
Carry on.
Especially when Joe Schmoe had to hire a guide to get the 50+. Then he thinks he's good. |
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| Lots of jealous people out there. H |
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Location: Manitowish Waters WI | Im well aware geographic location can greatly impact the numbers. I guess I could have formed the poll a little better. All the comments are relevant though. I live on a lake where my personal best is as common as a 55 in some lakes. Thanks for the input. I'm still curious with all those factors if the above/below 50 mark evens out.
With around 50 votes in it looks like my original assumption is far off. Or people are not liking casting a vote for a "small" fish. My personal best was once under 40, long time ago, but still was my PB.
Edited by esox1980 5/11/2012 11:13 AM
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| Homer - 5/11/2012 10:55 AM
Lots of jealous people out there. H
yep. i agree. |
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Location: sneaking out to get on the water ;-) | 48.5 caught on chippewa river I've lost bigger but so far she's the biggest in net got her last sep. Russ |
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| Who's jealous?
We all hold a vastly different list of priorities in life.
For me....the trophy I'm aiming for doesn't have anything do to with the fishes overall size. I couldn't care less. For me, the trophy I'm fishing for is for my two kids to catch their first and to have the photos taken to visually remember that very special moment with that very special fish. Could be a couple of 28 inchers for all I care. Those will be trophies.
For me...it's not about catching the biggest fish in the system. Heck...for me...it's not even about catching fish. Anymore these days...I couldn't care less if a single fish is boated. It's more about getting away from the city, getting away from the office, getting away from the rush and stress of daily life to just simply get out on the water to enjoy some quiet time.
Again...everyone views trophies completely differently. Different priorities. Different strokes for different folks.
The comment on the hiring of the guide to get the big fish...wow...completely different topic. Look at the angler that caught the 60" X 29-1/2" guided by Captain Rich Clark of Sign Man Charters. That was that anglers first muskie. Who knows...might be his first and last. :shrug: Where and how does that angler fit in the spectrum of the totem pole of anglers chasing personal bests?
A whole 'nother can of worms this topic typically becomes.
Way too many different variables. Again: Bar talk.
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| MACK - 5/11/2012 11:26 AM
Who's jealous?
We all hold a vastly different list of priorities in life.
For me....the trophy I'm aiming for doesn't have anything do to with the fishes overall size. I couldn't care less. For me, the trophy I'm fishing for is for my two kids to catch their first and to have the photos taken to visually remember that very special moment with that very special fish. Could be a couple of 28 inchers for all I care. Those will be trophies.
For me...it's not about catching the biggest fish in the system. Heck...for me...it's not even about catching fish. Anymore these days...I couldn't care less if a single fish is boated. It's more about getting away from the city, getting away from the office, getting away from the rush and stress of daily life to just simply get out on the water to enjoy some quiet time.
Again...everyone views trophies completely differently. Different priorities. Different strokes for different folks.
The comment on the hiring of the guide to get the big fish...wow...completely different topic. Look at the angler that caught the 60" X 29-1/2" guided by Captain Rich Clark of Sign Man Charters. That was that anglers first muskie. Who knows...might be his first and last. :shrug: Where and how does that angler fit in the spectrum of the totem pole of anglers chasing personal bests?
A whole 'nother can of worms this topic typically becomes.
Way too many different variables. Again: Bar talk.
Great post. Some of my best fishing memories come from days with little or no fish boated. Enjoy your time on the water regardless of how the fishing goes. |
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| MACK - 5/11/2012 11:26 AM
Who's jealous?
We all hold a vastly different list of priorities in life.
For me....the trophy I'm aiming for doesn't have anything do to with the fishes overall size. I couldn't care less. For me, the trophy I'm fishing for is for my two kids to catch their first and to have the photos taken to visually remember that very special moment with that very special fish. Could be a couple of 28 inchers for all I care. Those will be trophies.
For me...it's not about catching the biggest fish in the system. Heck...for me...it's not even about catching fish. Anymore these days...I couldn't care less if a single fish is boated. It's more about getting away from the city, getting away from the office, getting away from the rush and stress of daily life to just simply get out on the water to enjoy some quiet time.
Again...everyone views trophies completely differently. Different priorities. Different strokes for different folks.
The comment on the hiring of the guide to get the big fish...wow...completely different topic. Look at the angler that caught the 60" X 29-1/2" guided by Captain Rich Clark of Sign Man Charters. That was that anglers first muskie. Who knows...might be his first and last. :shrug: Where and how does that angler fit in the spectrum of the totem pole of anglers chasing personal bests?
A whole 'nother can of worms this topic typically becomes.
Way too many different variables. Again: Bar talk.
Why post this if you are not jealous? Proves the point. Geez. |
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Location: WI | Results may be a little skewed toward the bigger fish. When your PB is under 45", ppl might not want to be "compared" to the folks rightfully choosing the bottom option. My PB happens to be in the 2nd shortest catagory.  |
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| My personal Best is a 49.5, and it isn't from a lack of trying either. How many fish have you seen that measure exactly 50 inches, yet the lunge log and release boards are FULL of 50 inch fish. Am I disapointed that my PB didn't stretch the tape to 50, yes a little, but the fish are only getting bigger and maybe this will be my year. |
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Location: Manitowish Waters WI | Emptynet - 5/11/2012 12:40 PM
Results may be a little skewed toward the bigger fish. When your PB is under 45", ppl might not want to be "compared" to the folks rightfully choosing the bottom option. My PB happens to be in the 2nd shortest catagory. :-(
My thoughts exactly, I guess some people are ashamed their fish might not measure up to the percentage of people with larger fish. Thanks for the honesty, I'm going to loose my bet with my friend but I also know some hardcore fisherman are voting. Most novice or beginners aren't burning time on Muskie forms like us nuts. |
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| Homer i think your missing mack's point. All he i saying is dont get cuaght up in the chest pumping that is musky fihing these days. Have fun My personal best 42. I guess im not that good of an angler. I have fun thou. A mask, some brewskis, and some dirty white boys!!! thats how I roll. |
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| Homer - 5/11/2012 11:33 AM
Why post this if you are not jealous? Proves the point. Geez.
Heavily misguided individual. If it makes you feel good to think so? COOL! :thumbsup: Whatever floats your boat.
You're at a much different stage of your fishing hobby/career/interest than I. After 30 some years of fishing....certain things become less important in life. I used to think this kind of stuff was important to me. And at one time, in my earlier years, it was. But it isn't any longer.
I just posted in here with the idea that we see this same topic year after year after year on all of the fishing sites, no matter the species, no matter the site. It's a dead beaten horse that turns into nothing more than chest thumping game.
To each their own... |
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Location: Minnesota. | Funny how a topic can go to H-LL in a hurry.
I fly fish - a lot - from trout to panfish, bass, pike and the occasional muskie. On a home FF forum a general mood/quote is oft paraphrased..."Many'a fisherman spend their entire lives fishing without realizing it's not the fish they're after."
I like it!
Jeremy. |
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Location: Money, PA | 53 = PB.......Oh but how the fish I lost on the Pickerel River years ago still exists vividly in my memory. Easily 50+ lbs and engulphed an 11" Jimmy jerkbait T-boned and GONE! The monster's head was at least that wide. I'll never forget how it seemed to look as white as a ghost, kinda like me just a few minutes after the short battle. One of the reasons I'm still hooked today. |
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| If half you guys spent as much time fishing as you do worrying about what everybody else does, you'd probably ALL be able to check that last box... |
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Location: Hayward, WI | esoxaddict - 5/11/2012 1:35 PM
If half you guys spent as much time fishing as you do worrying about what everybody else does, you'd probably ALL be able to check that last box...
I do quite a bit of the 1st part of your sentence and very little of the 2nd, and I am still a couple boxes away from checking the last box...
Are you able to check the last box?  |
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| I completely agree with MACK.
A 51"er on Larry and a 51" on Lake Minocqua are two TOTALLY different accomplishments. A six fish day on Ballard in Vilas County and a six fish day on some low density lake in Canada are two totally different accomplishments.
Hard to compare. |
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Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Personal Best?.... 120 +13/20 So there.
It's all relative and I would agree with MACK on this...very well spoken my friend, and spot on!! There is much more to being out there than largest or longest fish. Whatever any of you have caught for your largest fish I say congratulations and great job on getting it to the boat!!
Steve
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| curleytail - 5/11/2012 1:41 PM
esoxaddict - 5/11/2012 1:35 PM
If half you guys spent as much time fishing as you do worrying about what everybody else does, you'd probably ALL be able to check that last box...
I do quite a bit of the 1st part of your sentence and very little of the 2nd, and I am still a couple boxes away from checking the last box...
Are you able to check the last box? : )
I can't check any of the boxes - I fish with guides and friends, so my fish don't count. Not sure what the guide deduction is as far as length, but I'm using lures that I heard about from someone else, and rods and reels I heard about from someone else. Whatever I do as far as lure selection and casting and how I work the lures came from a combination of internet forums, magazines, books, TV shows and whatever various guides have shown me or taught me. When you factor all of that in, I think my fish (despite their actual length) average about 9-1/2". Except that I didn't actually find them myself, which I think puts me into the negative as far as length. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Yes, it's no wonder folks visit waters like Mille Lacs, the Big V, Leech, Rowan, LOTW, the Larry, Claire, Minnetonka, the Bay of GreenBay, and a few others with camera batteries fully charged. For many, the opportunities to catch fish of magnum proportions are available on home waters of much smaller acreages then those listed above, but when you accomplish that feat, the whole area hears about it. There are an aweful lot of good sticks who fish these smaller local ponds, for instance, around my neck of the woods in Lake Country area of SE Wisconsin or Madison, Wisconsin, but they can usually count on one or two hands how many 50"+ fish they've caught on these waters, if any. Some of these very same anglers have visited the above mentioned lakes and can say in a 3-day to a 10-day trip, they caught as many or more 50"+ fish as they have here at home in the last 20 years...
Waters matter, plain and simple, but what doesn't matter is what the next guy caught. It's cheesy, BUT true, it's all about what you get out of it. I love the above quote that ..."Many'a fisherman spend their entire lives fishing without realizing it's not the fish they're after." from Jeremy.
We fish for arguably the largest predatory game fish in the world, well, aside from cats, so as sorry as I am to say it, we'll never escape the chest thumping mentality some folks have.
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