Big Muskie Report – how heavy?

With the ? about the state record Muskie being discussed I thought I would Post a little Info. about a HUGE muskie that one of my friends caught early this week out at Minnetonka. It was 56″ long and had a Girth of 18 1/2 ” caught Shallow on a Plastic worm and light tackle ( Who says you need a big baits and pool cue rods to catch big fish) I saw a picture of the fish. He was holding it up near his chin and its tail was was within a inch or so of the ground – how heavy would a fish of that size weigh?

More importantly, how much would the fillets weigh?

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More importantly, how much would the fillets weigh?

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We gonna be eatin’ on that fish a long time!

i would say 30lb ish this time of year…18 1/2 is a skinny 56″ fish. that fish in november would probably go closer to 50lb …..

I can happily say that after a few quick picture with a crappy Cell phone the fish was returned back to the water to live to fight another day.

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i would say 30lb ish this time of year…18 1/2 is a skinny 56″ fish. that fish in november would probably go closer to 50lb …..

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It did look rather skinny in the picture. I was guessing in the upper to mid 30’s. Would have thought that by this point they would be starting to put on a little of the fall feedbag.

That’s an impressive fish on muskie tackle let alone bass stuff!

Based off the different formulas out there that would be between 24-31 lbs with an average of 27 lbs. At least according to the Muskie Weight Calculator.

ya they should be thats for sure!! but i think it also depends on the lake… a 40″ fish from the metro looks atle different than a 40″ from say mille lacs. some lakes just build thicker, heavier fish…

Using the widely accepted formula of length x girth x girth divided by 800

56 x 18.5 x 18.5

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800

= 23.9575 lbs

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Using the widely accepted formula of length x girth x girth divided by 800

56 x 18.5 x 18.5
________________
800

= 23.9575 lbs

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I just rounded it up to 24.

I had a 10 yr old kid catch a 41″ x 15″ Muskie last Saturday. We let it go but got a quick weight on it and it was close to 18 lbs. Based on the formula above it should’ve weighed less than 12 lbs. I guess I’m not a big fan of that formula.

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I had a 10 yr old kid catch a 41″ x 15″ Muskie last Saturday. We let it go but got a quick weight on it and it was close to 18 lbs. Based on the formula above it should’ve weighed less than 12 lbs. I guess I’m not a big fan of that formula.

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24 lbs does sound light for a 56incher even with a slender girth.

Standard = 23.96
Crawford = 31.44
Wilkinson = 22.05
Casselman = 29.95
Average = 26.85

56x 18.5?? That must look like a ghost of a fish! The 55-56 inch fish I have encountered had a 24 inch girth range and weighed around 40-44 lbs on the charts. Never have actually put a fish like that on a scale tho…

And in regards to this fish being 50lbs in the fall… Not a chance. Some fish are just naturally more “fit” and some fish are more “fat”. I’m sure there are plenty of 55-56 inch fish in Tonka RIGHT NOW in August who are carrying a 22-25″ girth… All depends on the fish and where they live/what they eat. I would put money that this fish spends a lot of tome chasing small panfish in the shallows. Just my theory … Now I have to prove it