Record Class Musky!!!

I have’nt been on the boards for quite a while since I totaled my boat at the GTR in July but I had a great Musky outing on the Cisco Chain of lakes, which lie about an hour NW of Eagle River, Wisconsin.

I fished Thousand Island Lake, (just West of Watersmeet Mich), yesterday, with a friend Pete Yake of Iron Mountain. I was amazed that no other boats launched from the public access the entire day.

This lake contains muskies that surpass the current world record of 69lbs 11oz. According to the 2002 fisheries net survey, a Musky was netted and released that weighed in excess of 70# this spring!! We talked to a fisheries worker at the boat landing that verified the report. WOW if that don’t get you excited about fishing a new lake!

We had some exciting boils behind our lures and “follows” up to our boat but didn’t catch any of the toothy critters.

The most exciting strike was just off a rocky point near dusk. Pete was pulling a Bucher Top Raider across the surface when the water erupted with a huge explosion! I nearly fell out of the front of the boat! Unfortunately he didn’t connect.

Check out the attached picture of yours truly “walking the dog” for a big Musky
I wish you coulda been there….don’t you?

WI actually has numerous lakes with shocking and netting reports of world record fish. The problem is catching them, verifying your record, and still getting it back in the water! I’ve gotten reports regarding Middle Eau Claire, Yellow, Chippewa Flowage, Turtle/Flambeau, Twenty-Six, McKenzie,…………………the list goes on but you’re right………….it gets the blood going before you even get there! Just knowing the possibility exists……………it’s hard to contain the excitement!

Lake Wissota near chippewa falls is another one of those lakes with the “legend” of DNR surveys and world record musky. It even gets to me as a bass guy, a couple weeks ago I hooked a huge fish and was seriously thinking I might have had a world record musky. For the first 3 minutes each time before the fish would make a surge I could feel this big tail sweeping back and forth just like a big pike or musky does. I was actually looking around for another boat to yell to since I was alone and I didn’t have a net. After a while I got suspicious as it just felt like I was dragging it when it wasn’t running, anyway it turned out to be about a 35-40 lb carp hooked in the tail – good thing I didn’t wave in another boat to help me and make a fool of myself
I have caught quite a few bass fishing there so you never know…

I went to a beach on Wissota once about 20 years or so ago and I remember people talking about it then that there were muskie warnings for small children! I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time but now that you mention it, Wissota is indeed another one of those “predicted” to yield a new record.

Superfluke,you ever fish the Chippewa between the dams in Chippewa??
lot’s of smallies and some giant toothy’s in there also. Or how about Dells
pond for those big toothy ones. Steve

Leinieman –

I fish between the dams in chippewa falls and wissota and above the dam at Jim Falls about one afternoon/evening a week each. If your out there much you’ve probably seen me I’ve got a tan/black 16 ft crestliner. biggest musky I’ve caught on the river this year was by the railroad bridge downriver from the pumphouse rd. landing. I had actually hooked about a 10″ bass on a crankbait and the musky ended up hitting it, the bass ended up getting off and I landed the musky(about 32″). it would have really been a good trick if I had landed them both

That happened to me once only the musky was really big! I let him swim around with the bass for quite a while, then he got bored and let go of the bass. It was severely shredded. That fish was over 48″ and I was in a canoe. It kinda scared me…just a little….