I have a contact that lives on Croton and has been fishing for Pike there since the 1960's….. He fishes in the ice tourny every year where I am usually a staple, but not this year. I will try to verify this report, but that is a long fish? So far I've witnessed (from this credible source) a monster 44×23 through the ice, 43 and 42 on his wall, and several over 40". I've only seen one Northern approach the 50" mark and that was taken from Lake Independence in it's hay day (most impressive Pike I've ever seen outside of Europe and Canada) Will call him…..

That is an awfully long northern for Michigan. That would really be something if it is indeed 51". Even in the famed sub-arctic lakes like Athabasca, Great Slave, Nonacho and so on,50 inchers are not all that common.

He heard about it, but has seen no evidence of this "fish."

Yeah, i'm sure a few legit 50" were caught in Michigan and i'm sure alot of these guys that report 50 inchers, lets just say their measuring tapes start at 6".
I had a guy at work last week tell me he caught a 5 ft. (60") chinook out of lake Michigan. He was Absolutely, positively sure of it.