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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Those of you who know me, know that my search for histories big muskies never ends. Each new Compendium I've published has had lots of new photo's and I have continued to gather them in my ongoing research.
Since it will likely be some time before (and if) I do a 4th Edition, I thought that since the folks at MuskieFirst, and you the board members, have been so tolerant of my recent record rants, that I'd get to the heart of the matter of just how big these fish we love grow and share a considerable number of new photo's and information (to a point) with you.
Since I love the old history, I will start there. Also a few very nice fish from Hayward, for obvious reasons.
I will put up only one photo per post so that the captions don't get messed up and it will be easier to follow and comment on each fish.
The oldest citation I have (sadly no photo) is from 1863! I regret I do not have the info from whom I obtained this:
The citation is from the Monticello, Minnesota newspaper of May 23, 1863. It was titled: "Largest Mascalonge on Record".
"Clearwater Wright Co. May 15 To the Editor of the St. Paul Press.
"Perhaps you will be pleased to insert the following: 'I certify, that I have this day weighed the Mascalonge killed with a pitchfork by Dan Fuller, under his father's shop on the Clearwater river, in the town of Clearwater, and that the same weighed 61 1/2.
"Thomas Ponsford, Chairman Board of Supervisors"
Interesting possibility...a Mississippi River strain muskie in excess of 60-pounds in Minnesota!
The next, with poor black and white photo, comes from Lake Chautauqua, New York in 1890. The photo caption back then was the following:
"Was This The Biggest Muskie Ever Caught On A Line?-This whopper caught by George W. Scofield, Bemus Point, in 1890, weighed 52 pounds. Old timers say another muskie was landed, weighing 60 pounds but was taken with a spear through the ice..."
Wow, and a 60 pounder too. Thanks to Fletcher Ward, author of the recent book "Saving Chautauqua's Muskies" for the photo and information. Note: click on photo to see entire thing.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/6/2014 11:24 AM
(52 pounds Chautauqua Lake 1890 001.jpg)
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 52 pounds Chautauqua Lake 1890 001.jpg (353KB - 750 downloads)
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | An 1895 citation from "Thousand Islands Life" included the following: "...But in 1895 C.H. Chester of Chicago returned to the Hubbard House with a sixty-seven pound pickerel (sic)! Are we to believe this, even if it was a muskie?" Indeed!!
The next photo I have comes from the Hayward area in August of 1897. You'll have to forgive me here, as I have no clue how big this fish is, but suspect it may have been the start of "fish size enhancement" by photograph. You'll also have to forgive me as I ask could this be Louie Spray's daddy? The fish was supposedly taken on Big Round Lake.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/6/2014 11:19 AM
(Round Lake WI 1897 001.jpg)
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Round Lake WI 1897 001.jpg (251KB - 1890 downloads)
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Our next fish comes from Michigan. I guess standing behind the fish to make them look bigger took place there too! Fish was taken by a Mr. Rose on November 24, 1910 and I suspect that it was speared, which is legal in Michigan. You'll have to make up your own mind as to actual size.
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Alden,.jpg (107KB - 687 downloads)
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Let's get back to Hayward's Big Round Lake. There have been a few dandies taken there in the not too distant past. Since they are all related, I will post three photos here and hope they get up in order. The first is a 48 1/2-pounder caught by Don Mense in 1961; the second was a 48 1/2-pounder that was only 51 1/2-inches long, caught in 1993 by Jerry Nelson and the last a giant released muskie caught by Scot Wickhem on November 23, 2002 that was 53-inches long. He caught it row-trolling from a small duck boat by himself!
(Don Mense 1961 Round Lake 001.jpg)
(Jerry Nelson 48-8 Round Lake 001.jpg)
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Don Mense 1961 Round Lake 001.jpg (44KB - 669 downloads)
Jerry Nelson 48-8 Round Lake 001.jpg (70KB - 685 downloads)
Scot.jpg (79KB - 617 downloads)
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | This next one comes from the efforts of Bob Schothoffer from NY.:
51.2 POUNDS - Lee and Danette Mall and their son took their first legal muskie, which they tried to release, from the St. Lawrence River in October of 2008. It was 58 1/2-inches long.
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51.2.jpg (110KB - 629 downloads)
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Location: Chisholm, MN | All I can say is I'm jacked for summer! |
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| Those are all some dandy ski's. Thanks for sharing Larry! |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Cool images, Larry! |
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Location: Minneapolis | Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow and it will be june. Thanks for sharing. |
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| larry, i know it is a very sensitive subject with us musky fishermen especially in the hayward area but what is the biggest musky you have heard of being speared lately. and also i have always heard stories from lotw about some found dead that choked on a goose. any truth to that?
Edited by HANS79 3/6/2014 12:39 PM
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Posts: 75
| Did the Wickhem Round Lake fish have an unusual coloration for a Hayward area fish? |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | Great photos Larry !
While some clearly have been staged to make the catch look larger (who hasn't seen recent photos with fish held at arms length ?) they certainly are fun to look at/read about and a nice diversion to severe cases of winternet and spring fever.
Speaking of speared fish, didn't you once mention the fish hanging in The Stove Works on Cty B was speared ? That one is impressive.
Edited by dfkiii 3/6/2014 11:56 AM
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Posts: 42
Location: Shoepack | big fish. i enjoy the history of fishing. thanks for posting. |
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Location: Ontario, Canada | Great stuff here!
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to seeing more historical photo's. |
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Location: PA | I love those old pictures with the people all dressed up in suits and ties with their catch. Lots of old Chautauqua Lake photos like that around. Also, note the crowd in the background. Those fish must have been the talk of the towns back then. |
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Posts: 182
| Larry Ramsell - 3/6/2014 10:19 AM
An 1895 citation from "Thousand Islands Life" included the following: "...But in 1895 C.H. Chester of Chicago returned to the Hubbard House with a sixty-seven pound pickerel (sic)! Are we to believe this, even if it was a muskie?" Indeed!!
The next photo I have comes from the Hayward area in August of 1897. You'll have to forgive me here, as I have no clue how big this fish is, but suspect it may have been the start of "fish size enhancement" by photograph. You'll also have to forgive me as I ask could this be Louie Spray's daddy? The fish was supposedly taken on Big Round Lake.
Is he 3'6"? |
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | HANS79 wrote:
" larry, i know it is a very sensitive subject with us musky fishermen especially in the hayward area but what is the biggest musky you have heard of being speared. and also i have always heard stories from lotw about some found dead that choked on a goose. any truth to that?
LR: Hans, the largest I know of speared was the fish known as the Baker fish that was supposedly 60-inches and 61-pounds. Also, large muskies have sometimes been found choked to death on a meal too big to swallow. I have heard about one with a goose, but have heard of loons and recently in Mille Lacs a 60-incher was found dead with a 5-pound carp stuck in its throat.
bwalsh wrote:
"Did the Wickhem Round Lake fish have an unusual coloration for a Hayward area fish?
LR: Not necessarily for a lake as clear as Round is.
dfkiii wrote:
"Great photos Larry ! While some clearly have been staged to make the catch look larger (who hasn't seen recent photos with fish held at arms length ?) they certainly are fun to look at/read about and a nice diversion to severe cases of winternet and spring fever. Speaking of speared fish, didn't you once mention the fish hanging in The Stove Works on Cty B was speared ? That one is impressive."
LR: That is the Baker fish referenced above. It was obtained by Widmer Smith (Louie Spray's ol' buddy) illegally and kept in a freezer for several years. He then personally mounted it, trying to enhance it like Spray's fish. However, he added length to the front part of the fish rather than the back and a simple look tells one that the front paired fins are far rearward of where they should be. Widmer later said he wished he hadn't done that.
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| What do you know about the fish from Bear Paw sports in Rice Lake. Supposedly caught out of Shell lake? That sucker is huge. |
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| Guy in second picture holding a Fly Rod!!!!!!
Amazing!!!!!!!!
Edited by eightweight 3/6/2014 12:48 PM
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | chasintails wrote:
"What do you know about the fish from Bear Paw sports in Rice Lake. Supposedly caught out of Shell lake? That sucker is huge."
LR: I know that it is a fiberglass replica, one of the earlier attempts to emulate the Lawton World Record done in MN, and it is NOT the fish "speared", not caught, from Shell Lake that was 56-pounds (full of eggs before season). |
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Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | Always great stuff Larry and great to see you in Chicago this year |
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| Larry, what do you know about this one from the MI DNR archives? Other than the size being just a tad overstated...
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1084/905939166_d20a235de6_z.jpg
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Location: Sawyer County, WI |
Thanks Larry. I'll have to have a closer look at it when I stop in next time.
Larry Ramsell - 3/6/2014 12:42 PM
LR: That is the Baker fish referenced above. It was obtained by Widmer Smith (Louie Spray's ol' buddy) illegally and kept in a freezer for several years. He then personally mounted it, trying to enhance it like Spray's fish. However, he added length to the front part of the fish rather than the back and a simple look tells one that the front paired fins are far rearward of where they should be. Widmer later said he wished he hadn't done that.
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Location: Money, PA | <p>Thank you Larry! Very interesting stuff to say the least...<br /><br />Anyone notice any sort of trend here?? And a few from my neck of the woods...</p><p>PA State record 1924 - Conneaut Lake 54lbs and a few ounces</p><p><img border="0" src="http://muskie_guy.tripod.com/pasr" width="188" height="304" /></p><p>Ohio State Record - Piedmont Lake 1972 - 55lbs</p><p><img border="0" src="http://muskie_guy.tripod.com/staterecord72" width="299" height="405" /></p>
Edited by ShutUpNFish 3/6/2014 1:01 PM
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Location: Hayward, WI | Cool pictures Larry! I think that Jerry Nelson fish is mounted at Famous Dave's. I'm always in awe of the girth of that fish when we eat there.
Sure wish there were more of them like that in Round these days.
Edited by curleytail 3/6/2014 1:04 PM
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Posts: 1275
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | IM Musky Time:
I know that is likely the greatest muskie Hoax of all time! I have, as have others, written extensively about that photo/post card (a very expensive post card by the way). It was yet another speared fish from the Torch River in Michigan, one of five taken by two characters/violator's in one night. A photographer named Bebee happened by and made the Hoax shot (actually two different ones with the two guys and one of himself) by photographing first the fish hanging by itself (itself only 27 pounds!) and one of the guys standing with their arms extended, and you see the result. It was claimed to be a muskie of 110 pounds. This took place in 1908 and a different photo (with the other guy) was published first. The photo you linked to wasn't released until around 1932.
If you get a chance to buy that or the other PC at a reasonable price, do so...they usually go for between $350 and $400 each in decent condition! I have three...
LR: ShutUpNFish, your post is garbled. The two fish you refer too are, in my mind, legitimate.
curleytail wrote:!
"Cool pictures Larry! I think that Jerry Nelson fish is mounted at Famous Dave's. I'm always in awe of the girth of that fish when we eat there. Sure wish there were more of them like that in Round these days."
LR: Curly, the Nelson fish is definitely in Famous Daves and awesome to look at. After the Muskie's, Inc. Chapter stocking of yearlings there in Round Lake, there is a nice crop of Kalepp Fish Farm muskies coming along...stay tuned.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/6/2014 1:34 PM
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| Larry Ramsell - 3/6/2014 1:05 PM
IM Musky Time:
I know that is likely the greatest muskie Hoax of all time! I have, as have others, written extensively about that photo/post card (a very expensive post card by the way). It was yet another speared fish from the Torch River in Michigan, one of five taken by two characters/violator's in one night. A photographer named Bebee happened by and made the Hoax shot (actually two different ones with the two guys and one of himself) by photographing first the fish hanging by itself (itself only 27 pounds!) and one of the guys standing with their arms extended, and you see the result. It was claimed to be a muskie of 110 pounds. This took place in 1908 and a different photo (with the other guy) was published later. The photo you linked to wasn't released until around 1932.
If you get a chance to buy that or the other PC at a reasonable price, do so...they usually go for between $350 and $400 each in decent condition! I have three...
Thanks, Larry. Good stuff. I figured you had probably run across it before and now I'll be on the hunt for the postcards so I can head to Vegas to deal with the Pawn Stars  |
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Location: Des Moines IA | I just like looking at the old big fish picks... Keepem coming... Thanks, Larbo |
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Location: Hayward, WI | Thanks Larry. I should be more tuned in to stocking and genetics than I am. I've seen some smaller fish photos coming from Round lately. It will be interesting to see if they have the ability to achieve the excellent girth/weight potential the Round Lake fish had years ago. |
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| even if this was bs and some almost 100 years old we still talking about them
Edited by jano 3/6/2014 3:20 PM
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