We Need Your Feedback!

I understand that a muskie is a prised catch but when you are only 17 and spent every last penny that you have on muskie gear it is pretty dissapointing to be told that i cant keep a giant fish that could be a 47 incher. I have always said that a 50+ is going on the wall for sure but now it looks like i wont even have the choice to decide if i want to hold on to a fat 40+ incher. i dont try to make myself sound like a jerk here and it looks like some of you muskie “fisherman” dont like opinions that are different from yours. i respect peoples choices on what they want to do with a fish that they caught and i congraduate them on nice fish. wether or not they keep it. looks like you cant even be proud of a muskie if you mount it huh?

Well being 17 I think we can now understand why you feel the way you do. Its about attitude and we can surely understand your passion to hang one on the wall. But you should really listen to what these folks have to say. They have been fishing muskies before you were born and I think they would hate to see you get started on the wrong foot and mount a fish that you would later regret in life and have to deal with the guilt ever time you walked by it.

Your views will change the older you get.

Sorry if I came down on you hard before but many of us have fought for years and years for this fishery to become what it has. Release fishing is one of the major reasons we have the fishing for Muskies that we now have. We listened to excuses for killing Muskies much like yours for decades and watched as every Muskie fisherman kept their first, then their first 40 incher, then their first 48 incher and then anything bigger.(sometimes in inch increments) The nature and the numbers of the Muskie coundn’t survive that ethic and things didn’t get better until Muskie fisherman decided that the resource is more important than ego. Take a picture – learn correct release techniques and be happy you are starting in an era of the best Muskie fishing I have seen in thirty years. (maybe ever, yes now could be the good old days in the future)

I actually had a man tell me that he and his family eat every legal fish they catch on the north shore of Mille Lacs. They’re reasoning is that the muskie is not a native species of the lake, so they then consider it an invasive species.

I darn near fell off my chair when he told me that!!

Maybe Steve Fellegy will see this and answer, or at least correct me if I don’t get this quite straight. My understanding is that the native strain of muskies in Mille Lacs were called a “silver muskie”. They were not known as a large fish, nor the great fighters that the strain that was eventually stocked into Mille Lacs is. The very first stocking took place out from the old “Jacks Twin Bay” which is now Mac’s Twin Bay. The first stocking was only 40 small fish which were brought in by a small upstart group called “Muskies Inc.”, who had bought them and trucked these fish in from Wisconsin. I’ve heard people argue that it was Leech Lake, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was actually Wisconsin. This all started circa 1969(?).

Anyways, the muskies in Mille Lacs are a great success story, and killing any of them for personal satisfaction just isn’t right.

Generally, you’re right Jack. The original “mousekie’s”, as I call them, were a smaller strain that have since been replaced in stocking efforts by the much larger growing gene make-up.

“Fish4fish? PLEASE take me up on my offer to fish with you this next season! I truly would welcome the opportunity to introduce you, a 17 yearold, to how I go about muskie hunting on mighty Mille Lacs. Give me a call asap so we can schedule a day in mid to late July. My treat–NOT a guide trip! Bring a camera?

I promise to make you the best Mille Lacs muskie hunter you can be–from ALL aspects. I’m serious–give me call. 218-678-3103

Keep a tight line….

Steve Fellegy
NPAA #49

50″ or 52″ Gets my vote.

fish4fish:

Take Steve up on his great offer!!! Those kinds of opportunities don’t come along very often.

Steve: Outstanding gesture!!! If I were lucky eonough to live in the area, I would make the same offer!!!

Make the limit 50″!!!

Mark

Fish4Fish……..If you don’t take Steve’s offer, I’m changing my name to yours and taking his offer for ME!!!!!!

Bud, I had the EXACT SAME mentality as yours. I wanted a muskie for the wall. AND I WAS GOING TO DO IT!!! Friends that already were musky hunters really pressured me to change my thinking……..I never caught a 20lb fish before, and my first 20lb muskie was going on the wall……It was my right and I thought that those “friends” were just being greedy, not wanting me to take “their” fish.

As my search went on for a year, I finally hooked up and caught 45″ on Mille Lacs. I looked and looked and stared at the fish………I was ready to put it on the wall……Then my buddy said: “Why do you want that scrub??? You know that there are bigger and you know you are going to catch bigger……., I give you no credit or respect for it……..It ain’t that big!!!”

I let it go and I’m ever gratefull to this day that I did.

I also have a few friends from years back who have mounted their first “fifty incher”. They ALL REGRET IT today!!!

It is tough trying to catch that first one, but once you do, you will be addicted. Take up the offer from Steve, if you get your “game plan” right, it is not uncommon to have 4 fish days on Mille Lacs, with a 20+ pound pike thrown into the mix as well!!!!

Steve I will gladly accept your offer and go fishing with ya. when is a good time to reach you? hope to talk to you soon. thank you for the offer and i cant wait!

Feel free to call anytime! Like a cagey , old muskie, I’m in and out—-ya just never know. So, if ya miss me—leave a message with your number. Or make another cast–I’m mean call.

Steve Fellegy
NPAA #49

Thanks to everyone for your comments and opinions. I will be printed this thread but you are welcome to keep the discussion going. Remember, the only way to make change is to let your voice be heard. Thanks again.

Fish4Fish,
First let me say, “Lucky Dog!” Learn all you can on that outing w/ Steve!
Second let me tell you that many years ago,(when I was about your age!)I felt the same way you do. But being 17ish, I didn’t have that much time and/or knowledge on the water to be able to catch large fish, of any species. But as the years went by, and by learning as much as I could thru time spent on water or fishing with more knowledgable people, my catch rate and size has gone up. You may not think this yet, but when you let that first Trophy go, (you get to decide what Trophy “IS”), and see that fish swim back to the depths, unharmed, You will feel something that is hard to discribe. I always said that I would keep my first 10lb. Walleye. About 9 years ago, I finally did catch one that would have been 10 or a little over. I was fighting myself over keeping or releasing. After a couple of pictures, I let her gain her strenght back, and let her go, watching her tail thump back to the deep! I felt great! And when we got back to the resort, it was reliving the story over and over with the satisfaction at the end of the story of releasing it. All I can say is “try it”, and you will see what I, and others on this forum are talking about!

I think one of the best trophies you could ever have is a replica mount of a big beautiful fish with a photograph next to it of you releasing that fish after you caught him. The best of both worlds!

Couldn’t agree more Jack!

Wait a minute , I don’t have what you mentioned above, but I can still agree with it right????

Haven’t been lucky enough or put enough time in chasing these critters to have one big enough to ge a replica made along with the pic of me relasing her back to the depths.

Quote:

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A 50″ minimum was discussed at the meeting also, either way, 48, 50 or 54 people really do not harvest a lot of Muskie from Mille Lacs.

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I would like to see a no harvest reg put in place. Take a picture please and let this majestic fish live on.

I don’t make it up noth to fish the big waters you guys do, but heres my .02 worth. Make it a big enough number or catch and release. Mankind thinks we know best and always seem to find a way to screw things up. Put em back and let nature decide ! I know my next mount will be a replica, photos and measurments make for easy sorting when time comes to put a mount on the wall.