MN State Muskie Record

NO,,Not a new record. I came across this post by James in 2003. I’m not a Muskie guy but I see this record still stands. These old records blow my mind. I’d be interested to know what the #2 Muskie comes in at…

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James Holst

August 27, 2003 at 12:41 pm #274383

Not to open a can of worms here but has anyone else ever wondered about the length and girth measurements for our current state record muskie? I mean, here’s this 58.5″ beast that weighs 44#. Our state record, forgive me if I’m wrong, taped 56″ and weighed 54#. Huh? Must have been feeding on small lap dogs and muskrats that week? Does anyone know how credible that record is? Again, just curious. So many of the old “records” have been disproven or proved as fakery in the recent past that it makes me a bit pessimistic some times.

There have been several muskies caught and released since 2003 that probably if not definitely would have been new MN state records.

Yeah muskies are kind of like lake trout in the aspect that two fish that are the exact same length can vary tons in weight. I’m not saying that the weight on that fish couldn’t be wrong, but it’s definitely believable. Like John said, that record will probably stand for a long time as muskie anglers hardly ever keep fish now days, even if it is pushing the record weight.

This would certainly be it, caught last November day before Thanksgiving. Estimated easily at 60-61 lbs. Well documented, there’s a video even. Second one from Mille lacs last November that were record setting…if only?

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On one hand, I would like to see somebody(preferably a young kid or an old codger fishing for something else…..accidently) clobber a 60lb fish and remove any and all question as to whether or not the fish listed in the book is factual. On the other hand, I can’t imagine the bellyaching and criticism that would ensue from the musky world should that event take place. I will just say that if I caught one like that, there would be no doubt as to the actual weight of it…..right down to the ounce.

There’s a reason the state record has been broken so many times. Catch and release works!

Muskie anglers have done a great job supporting muskies. There’s no reason to kill a MN state record because the fish has probably already been bested. It’s a record in name only, so what would be the point?

For all realistic purposes, MN is already a total C&R state for muskys. The percentage of fish caught over 54″ is so small, it is virtually nil. In that thought, if someone wants to take a legal fish for the wall, I can’t find fault in that. Most people will never, ever have the chance, and the actual hardcore guys will probably release it anyways (as has been demonstrated repeatedly already )

MN sure has become a world class destination for them, so hats of to the MN DNR for that success.

Timmy,
A big part of the push for the 55″ size limit was to eliminate the fish going home. The limit is now 54″ but it was pushed for as 55″ due to the fact that we were loosing to many large fish that still had not reached maturity or quit growing.
Spawning success in MN even on lakes like Vermilion is not enough to keep the population of fish up.
The fisheries on some of the big lakes and rivers that were created with Stocking have matured and we have a lot smaller population of fish in these waters now. We need to work together with the DNR to increase stocking of these great bodies of water.
What percentage of fish that were kept at 48″ or above with the intent of mounting really ended up on someone’s wall? How many were brought to hack taxidermist and never ended up on display? How many kept a 50″ fish and found out it would be $400.00 or more to mount and passed? How many got damaged while trying to freeze or had freezer burn after years in a freezer?
There truly is not enough large fish 54″ and over for everyone to take one home and stick on a wall. If I caught that special fish like those caught on Milac’s last fall I would probably release them myself. However World Class Fish deserve World Class Taxidermy work. Probably way more expensive than a replica.
It is everyone’s right to keep 1 and I will not bash them if that is the case. Just treat them right.

Steve