"mskyprey" said:
Will;Talk about stirring the pot, try telling Kevin you want to keep one of those silver fish when you are fly fishing with him…He once told my brother to get out and walk back (on the M. River) after a discussion on keeping a wall mounter a few years back.
Yep… I have a hard time when a friend wants to take one from there, even when it is a clipped hatchery fish. If we're in downtown GR the opposite is true and I'm even happy to keep one for them.
I have to say that personally the allure of crushing all the record shenanigans is attractive. I think we need to not try and Cinderella the scenario, that is to say the same shoe does not fit us all. If he keeps it he earned it, this is a guy who let a lot of other fish swim. The stress of the capture may kill it anyway, we have all killed fish, many that we dont know about and would like to pretend we didn't. Post release mortality is still mortality. Musky fishing survived the "all-harvest era" and is thriving once again thanks to consistent ethical releases and more so to consistent and heavy stocking. If an angler keeps a fish we as a community have to stop judging them. If that same guy has donated thousands of dollars to stocking is he really on the negative side of the scale? Does that fish really need to spawn one more time or can we hope that her genetics are already out there from the previous attempts? Is it even the code that is responsible for her size or is she a freak anomaly? If he would have kept it I would be no less envious and no more critical than I would be of a bad hold, for all we know he dropped her in the boat and tore her visceral mesenteries and the release is pointless because she can no longer eat etc etc etc…
My point in all this is that if we didn't know about that fish it would not affect our lives or our chances at a big fish so why should seeing the pictures elicit responses that are judgmental? When any one catches a fish that size they can do what they feel is right and keep it or not they should never be made to feel "wrong" about the decision. I honestly think that this issue is where people who have a negative view of "elitist" musky fishermen get it from. We judge people we dont even know and that makes them defensive and angry.
Forgive the length and I am NOT pointing fingers at anyone, it just occurred to me that this is a sore spot with the public and I think a source of some consternation for us as a club.
Kevin
Did anyone go to this guy's web site? He has only been musky fishing for 2 years and his personal best before this was 51.5, I give this guy alot of credit for releasing this fish. Remember you only want the fish out of water as long as you can hold your breath. He had to make a split decision. If you read thru the posts, Larry Rammsel, said this won't be a world record because it wasn't weighted1 Aren't we supposed to pratice CPR? Steve
"Cyberlunge" said:
I honestly think that this issue is where people who have a negative view of "elitist" musky fishermen get it from.
Very true! The trick is to remember that fact when we encounter the old guy who's killing muskies because "they're eating all the other fish", eh? [smilie=brows.gif]
"Cyberlunge" said:
Does that fish really need to spawn one more time or can we hope that her genetics are already out there from the previous attempts?
You have another great point. On the other hand, releasing a monster fish affords the angler the opportunity to, in the future, promote the catch-and-release ethic with complete integrity.
I dont know what Id do ????
Keep in mind though, Its an older fish probably with only a few years
left in her, and even though one might take that big bitch its only one
fish. How many little muskies will she eat in her remaining years….
1 , 10 , 100 ????
I have always said(not that I like it) if its a legal fish,do with it
what you want. As long as you did buy a license.
"kid coulson" said:
if its a legal fish,do with it
what you want. As long as you did buy a license.
It's the law… But it seriously turns my stomach inside-out when I see a muskie on the bottom of a boat, or hanging from a tree. The worst is when it's laying on the bottom getting it's few last breaths. [smilie=puke.gif]
Guys, we are talking about a potential legitimate place in the record books. Not meaning any disrespect, but with a very rare exception of a couple outings within a given year, nobody in our club fishes water that holds that fish, so this is really a mute point.
I would never kill anything on any water I fish. Even though I spend some time on St. Lawrence, I don't fish it when the fish have their max size potential. As a result, I would know I didn't have a true record.
Thorpe has fished Ottawa and St. Lawrence for over 15 years and has boated fish to 58++, but swears he has not caught a fish he knew was 50 lbs, let alone 60, or 65lbs.
A legit 57 x 33 in December is worth a whack… I can say it, cause it will never happen to me… And if I paid for the license, I can do it…
"john c" said:
…It certainly is a moot point for me.Sorry Chad. I'm terrible, terrible, terrible. I couldn't help myself.
You make a great point though. …I'm sure John E. just knew how easy it would be to get us goin' on this one.
moot – mute, mox nix – nix mox… You guys are easy…
It would be an increadible oppotunity just to be in the situation where you could be scratching your head and truely able to make that final call. Again, the reality is, unless we start traveling and packing on the layers, it ain't gonna happen…
I couldn't tell you what I would do in that situation. I would like to think I'd release it, but in the heat of the moment anything could happen.
Good thing I'll never have to make that decision. I'm still trying to find a fish half that size!!!!
I don't have any problem with the harvesting or releasing of record size fish. And as for genetics… if they have been in the system long enough to reach record size, they've already spread their eggs around a good number of times.
Scott
Has anyone read how long it took him to land it? Or how big/tyoe of bait was used? Or the rod/reel combo? Geogian Bay fisherman trolling those huge cranks are using something like salt water equipment to land those 60 lbers. Does the time of year determine how hard long a fish of that size is going to fight? Will, how long did that guppy fight up north a few years back??? Wouldnt you think that that fish had to be landed quickly because of those problems one would have releasing a spent fish??? Seeing that size makes me wonder about the story I heard of an angler who hooked a fish in the back of McGregor Bay Ontario 3 falls ago, and it ran, spooled him, and broke his new Abu. Never slowed it down. I believe he was casting when he hooked it. A member of Muskies Canada. Though it might have been a lodge owner trying to drum up some business…… [smilie=shrug.gif]
55 x 28.5
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