59.5 incher caught – 2 Giants in 10 Casts – Legal Musky Spearing?
Be the FIRST to see Musky Insider every week by signing up for the email version of this newsletter. It's 100% free and we will never sell your email address! Click here to sign up and never miss another issue.
MONSTERS EXIST!
A 50 inch musky is a monster of a fish, no doubt.
A 55 inch musky is an absolute fish of a lifetime.
But what about a 'skie that's just short of 60 inches??? Now that's something truly special! Speaking of which....
Mike Chisamore hooked this absolutely unthinkable 59.5-incher fishing with guide Marc Thorpe this summer (8/30/2023) on the Ottawa River – check it out:
It's a 100% guarantee that haters and doubters will come outta the woodwork when anyone claims a musky of these proportions. But Mike is legit, and he's not doing the notorious social media long-arm pose.
Also, here's a picture of the monster chillin' in a cradle:
Those Frabill cradles have 60 inch black netting, so this photo is a better size reference than Mike holding the fish.
(And just to be 100% clear, this cradle photo isn't used as "proof" of the length, but we thought the pic was way too cool not to share here.)
Here's some info on the catch – first up, the type of location:
"It was a fairly lengthy weed bed. She came out of what we consider the spot-on-the-spot (where most of the big fish have been caught), while plenty of fish have been caught down the whole weed line over the years. The weed spot is shallow, 8 feet. But it is not far from deep water / deep channel area with nice current."
Mike caught the fish on a custom Maryanne Lucic bucktail.
Here's some more deets of the big moment:
"I was reeling with a medium speed retrieve. Just as I started my boatside turn, the biggest (at least longest) muskie I have ever seen appears gliding by my feet about a foot under the water tracking my bucktail. Gigantic head, huge black eyes.
"She sucked in my bucktail on the first turn of the figure 8, then turned to deep water and I set the hook. I yelled out something like 'big fish' (implying she was hooked) and then belted out 3 times 'Where are you, Marc?'.…
"She had incredibly powerful headshakes with her long body and huge head - gills flaring, she took out line, went around the bow and Marc netted her."
Mike is no stranger to big muskies. He's logged thirty-seven 50+ inch fish in the Lunge Log, including six fish over 55 inches. His previous PB was 57.75 inches (also caught fishing with Marc Thorpe).
Congrats to both Mike and Marc on the amazing fish!
#BiteWindow
One thing that's 100% true for most fish species – but especially for muskies – is you need to capitalize when the window is open!
Don't screw around when the fish are feeding, because magical things can happen when the light switch is turned "on" – and it doesn't usually last long!
This story from Eagle Lake guide Danny Herbeck is the perfect example:
"I was fishing with a long-time family friend and client John Anderson (76 years old).... We pulled up to our first spot of the morning, and 5 casts in, he was hooked up with a true eagle lake giant; the ‘one’ muskie that people travel great distances and fish a lifetime hoping to experience.
"I am pictured holding his fish because after the fight he felt he could not properly hold the fish and did not want to chance hurting her."
Exhibit A:
Giant! 💪
But like we mentioned earlier, when the window is open, you need to take advantage! Here's the rest of Danny's story:
"John wanted to relax after his accomplishment and asked if I wanted to cast while we reminisced about what just had happened. I quickly jumped at the opportunity.
"I got crushed on the third rip of my fifth cast. The fish immediately came to the surface, and I told John we had another one just as big if not bigger. He grabbed the net and after another hard battle, I was able to bring it to net the for him."
Here's the photo:
Muskies might be "The Fish of 10,000 Casts".... but you can do a lot better than that when the fish are on the chew!
Btw, Danny is the son of legendary guide Steve Herbeck who guides outta Andy Myers Lodge. Guessing some of you were curious! Also shoutout to MuskiesFIRST for publishing this story first 👍
Legal Musky Spearing?
Did you know that anglers can legally SPEAR muskies in the state of Michigan?
I feel sick to my stomach just typing that out....
Honestly, didn't know a ton about it until we stumbled on this pic on FB and decided to dig deeper:
According to the Michigan DNR, it looks like there's a legal spearing season from December 1st through March 15th for pike & muskies.
There are some spots where it's not allowed, including Lake St. Clair.
Could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Michigan is the one of the ONLY states/provinces that allows non-tribal musky spearing. Not cool....
Makes ya wonder if the MDNR knows how this makes them look to everyone else livin' in the 21st century.
I just read that Washington state has one million acres of land designated as an official Sasquatch Protection and Refuge Area because "if Bigfoot exists, it would be an endangered species, and therefore in need of protection".... and that still makes more sense than Michigan's stance on musky spearing. 🤮
This Week's Mashup:
Mashup time!
#1 – Some really cool musky-themed art by Charles Weiss. I need this shirt!
#2 – Saw these sweet lookin' trollin' bucktails on the Ezoko website. They're called the Mad Chasse Monster Troller. At 20 inches long and 10 ounces, this is a big heavy bait. Looks like they only have a few in stock at the moment.
#3 – Anyone else need this advice?? 😂 We're always enjoying the fishing/hunting-themed cartoons from Tim Spike Davis.
#4 – Ever hear your walleye fishin' buddies complain about a tough bite??
QUICK HITTERS:
– Fall musky chasin’ in WI w/ Todays Angler (video)
– Fall LOTW musky fishing w/ Maina & Gillespie (video)
– "2023 Musky Crisis on the Madison Chain" (link)
– Joe Cooper & Cullen Veiders w/ Musky Road Rules (video)
– Trolling St. John River for ‘skies w/ Master Crow (video)
– Wisconsin tiger musky catch w/ Matt Vavroch (video)
THIS WEEK'S MONSTER MUSKIES:
This big porker from Josh Borovsky was the first of multiple 50+ inch fish that hit the net during an excellent day of late fall musky fishing on Lake Vermilion.
Props to James Madigan on poppin' his new PB with this pot-bellied double-nickel that was chasin' tullibee off the breakline. Best part is his 12 year old son got to experience the catch and scoop her up with the net. Gotta love it!
Big congrats to Mike Harris on joining the 50 Club with this late season bruiser fishin' with buddy Darcy Cox:
Wanna be featured in Musky Insider? Send in your recent trophy musky photos by replying to this email. You might just see your pic in next week's newsletter. 🤙
Want to see more from Musky Insider? Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content throughout the week!
Send all business inquiries to josh@muskyinsider.com