A 50″ ‘ski is the magical goal for nearly every musky hunter. How rare is this fish? It seems that they are far more common now than they were 20 years ago – by a longshot. Out of all the musky chasers on here – what is the percentage of you that has broke the 50″ mark?
Personally, I have done it only once – and that fish was right at 50″.
Just curious – Tim
I think that with the catch and release that we all pride ourselves on, the magic 50″ fish is much more common, even on our metro lakes then it was 10 years ago. With that said, I think the new bench mark has went up. 55″+ is what most guys are gunning for now. What will the next 10 years bring 
There are lots and lots of big fish out there
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A 50″ ‘ski is the magical goal for nearly every musky hunter. How rare is this fish? It seems that they are far more common now than they were 20 years ago – by a longshot. Out of all the musky chasers on here – what is the percentage of you that has broke the 50″ mark?
Personally, I have done it only once – and that fish was right at 50″.
Just curious – Tim
Just to make this interesting, lets see some of those big pigs..Post some pic’s
I agree with Bob. 50″ isnt that rare. I would guess its about 1/20 fish on the average in waters I fish. Big Tigers arent all that rare either, I have caught several at 48″.
I think a lot depends on the lake you are fishing. Catch and release helps a ton, but some lakes just dont seem to produce really big fish, other lakes the fish thrive and get big. It seems to me that deeper lakes, or larger bodies of water tend to produce the larger fish more consistantly.
[quoteJust to make this interesting, lets see some of those big pigs..Post some pic’s
Oh sure – call me out and make me look like a liar….lol 
. I have snapshots of some 45-48″ fish, but being in the middle of a move, I have no idea where they are. I know they are in the garage in a bin, but which bin is beyond me……I guess the only honerable thing is to back off and say “I have never caught a nice fish….or any fish for that matter…..lol.” 
Tim
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[quoteJust to make this interesting, lets see some of those big pigs..Post some pic’s
Oh sure – call me out and make me look like a liar….lol . I have snapshots of some 45-48″ fish, but being in the middle of a move, I have no idea where they are. I know they are in the garage in a bin, but which bin is beyond me……I guess the only honerable thing is to back off and say “I have never caught a nice fish….or any fish for that matter…..lol.”
Tim
Thats not where I was going with that. I am in no way shape or form guessing anything other then the fact you did bag a 50″ . I just like to see big fish. Sorry if that read like I was taking a shot at ya, because that was not the means to my madness, just thought it would be cool to have a post with a lot of big lunge. I love big fish 
Bob – I was just joking around……..
I like pics of big fish too – maybe after all this chaos of the move settles down, I can actually get out and fish once. I plan on doing a day trolling on the big V later this fall – then I will hopefully post a pic or two of some 50’s…….
Tim
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Bob – I was just joking around……..
I like pics of big fish too – maybe after all this chaos of the move settles down, I can actually get out and fish once. I plan on doing a day trolling on the big V later this fall – then I will hopefully post a pic or two of some 50’s…….
Tim
Good luck on Big V, I am going to be heading up there sometime in the next month or so. Perhaps we should put together an IDA Muskie outing 
I’ve been muskie fishing for about 10 years now. I’ve probably caught between 30 and 40 fish between 40 and 46 inches. So I’m still searching for my first 50 incher. But, 99% of my muskie fishing is on the lake our cabin is on in northern WI. It is only a 350 acre lake. There just aren’t alot of 50 inch fish in the lake. If and when I do catch my first 50 inch fish, I’m probably going to end up having a picture posted of me looking like that dude that peed his pants.
[quote Good luck on Big V, I am going to be heading up there sometime in the next month or so. Perhaps we should put together an IDA Muskie outing
Bob – Shoot me a PM prior to your trip. I am only 45 miles from there. I plan on hitting a quick 4-fish limit of eyes(not too tough in Oct) – then hitting the ‘skis.
Tim
I guess I will get this posted started with my personal best. This is no 50″ but I believe it went 44-46″.
Bring on the hogs…
Awesome fish Dan Nice start
The frequency with with you will land 50″ers depends very much on the water you’re fishing. In any case, I’d LOVE to see some pics of 48″ tigers! A 48″ tiger is a truly rare fish, even in stocked lakes.
I will never forget the 1st 50″, It only took me 8 years to stick her.
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The frequency with with you will land 50″ers depends very much on the water you’re fishing. In any case, I’d LOVE to see some pics of 48″ tigers! A 48″ tiger is a truly rare fish, even in stocked lakes.
Even in stocked lakes? Aren’t all tigers stocked? Or do some occur naturally? I thought that muskie and pike spawn at different times so natural hybridization is rare. In fact, I believe that I read this is a problem in some lakes because one species hatches a few weeks before the other (can’t remember which one) and that the older fry of the one species eats the fry of the other species.
i think 50s are much more common too. past experience for me was 06′ 22% of my fish were at or above 50″. this yr 4.5% of my fish are over 50″. but last yr had alot of prime fishing weather and conditions on the days i got out. anyone else wanna share there percentage of #s of 50s??
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If and when I do catch my first 50 inch fish, I’m probably going to end up having a picture posted of me looking like that dude that peed his pants.
That is just too funny 
I’d have to say that I’d probabally do you one better by dropping a load off in my shorts I can’t wait
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If and when I do catch my first 50 inch fish, I’m probably going to end up having a picture posted of me looking like that dude that peed his pants.
That is just too funny
Ok, I got the camera, the measuring board, hook cutters and hook removal tools…….oh ya and a change of clothes
a case of this may help that little problem when you bust that 50″
I was at mille lacs two weeks ago and caught a 47 in.i had 4 follows and one was well over 50 in. followed a shalow raider i think there are plenty of them in mille lacs at least.
Nice fish
Sweet fish.
Personally I think 50’s….true 50’s…are still pretty rare. There’s no doubt that a strong catch-and-release ethic and better understanding of how fragile these fish are has increased their numbers. On the other hand, I’ve done a lot of Musky fishing and I’ve only ever seen a couple of fish that might have broken 50 inches and my PB is 49.
I think it’s like claims of “pound” sunfish that actually weigh 10 ounces, 10 pound Walleyes that weigh 7 1/2 pounds, 6 pound Largemouth that weigh 4 1/2, or “20 inch class” Smallies that are 18.25 inches long. All nice fish, very nice fish in fact, but certainly not what they were claimed to be. This is fishing, right?
50 inches has evolved into a C&R benchmark for Muskies. When was the last time you saw anyone get really excited about a 45 inch fish? It seems like nobody wants to admit that they DIDN’T catch a 50 inch monster.
Last fall I got an e-mail from a friend of mine who is NOT a serious fisherman, much less a Musky fisherman. He had an opportunity to go for one of those guided pontoon boat rides with the side planer boards on Mille Lacs. Attached to the e-mail was a picture of a big Musky he landed. He boated a very nice fish, a great fish in fact. The guide told him it was over 50 inches and weighed 40 pounds. I know this man very well and unless he has started lifting weights and has grown 18 inches taller, then this fish was in the low to mid 40’s and probably 25 pounds. It was a heck of a big fish, especially for someone who is casual about the whole thing. But there’s no way that fish weighted 40 pounds or was 50 inches long.
I probably will never break 50 inches but I’m not going to complain. I’m here to tell you that thiose 45 inch fish are pretty nice too
Rootski
Rootski – excellent post! I had a taxidermist tell me once that the average 10# walleye and 20# pike weigh 8# and 17#. That was coming from a guy that handled literally thousands of fish!
Due to some shoulder/wrist issues, I chase the big fish very little now compared to the ‘old days, but still generally manage 5-10 fish a season. MOst of these come trolling – and I hope to post a pic this fall of a trolled 50+.
Tight lines – Tim
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That is just too funny I’d have to say that I’d probabally do you one better by dropping a load off in my shorts I can’t wait
Plunge,
Man I hope when you do catch that first 50 incher that no one tries taking your picture with your pants loaded with a Cleveland Steamer. This one was bad enough…
Bob,
Where would a guy get a hold of some of that Anti Monkey Butt powder. I’m thinking that is a must for every boat. 
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If and when I do catch my first 50 inch fish, I’m probably going to end up having a picture posted of me looking like that dude that peed his pants.
That is just too funny
Ok, I got the camera, the measuring board, hook cutters and hook removal tools…….oh ya and a change of clothes
Alright Does anybody wanna help me try to achieve this goal cause I’ll provide the change of clothes and Bob you can bring the Anti Monkey Butt Powder.
I personally think the 50s are coming easier than years past. Many factors at play : Better Management, (Thanks DNR), Better CPR/ Fish Handling letting the fish mature to that size, (thanks fisherman), better tackle/ equipment that can actually land a pig (thanks manufacturers) ETC. ETC.
I am just afraid the bubble may burst when those big females meet the end of their lifespan. Then we will really have an arguement- CPR always or selective harvest.
Geez, Bob, I love that head shot!!!
Mark
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If and when I do catch my first 50 inch fish, I’m probably going to end up having a picture posted of me looking like that dude that peed his pants.
That is just too funny
Ok, I got the camera, the measuring board, hook cutters and hook removal tools…….oh ya and a change of clothes
Alright Does anybody wanna help me try to achieve this goal
I’ll agree to help you all I can but we’re using YOU’RE boat!!!
I think a 50 in most lakes is not common at all. But look at all the “hype” lakes. They’re huge and geared for producing large fish. More people are on them to catch them when they’re active. They can support more big fish. All the way around, if we’re talking about Mille Lacs, Vermillion, Leech, Lake of the Woods, Cass, and on and on and on………… these lakes get all the attention and I think 50’s are more common on them, probably for many of the reasons already stated in previous posts. But so many of us fish waters that aren’t that size. And certainly not as often as we’d like to. Take a guy that only gets out once a month vs. a guy that gets out 3-5 days a week and 50’s will certainly seem more common to the more active angler. But how many anglers are realistically chasing this magical mark on Deer Lake? Bone? Wapogasset? St. Croix River? Cedar? We all know that the possibility is there but you’re not hearing about these targets as the great 50″ producer and when a person truly gets one on any of these waters listed, it’s a special moment!
By enlarge, I think catching a 50+ is still highly saught after and not commonly accomplished. Only the avid esox chasers that are putting in a large percentage of time on the water compared to the recreational, weekend warriors, and only on the high producing waters, seem to be upping their personal anty to 55+ as the new benchmark.
That’s my impression anyway…………
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