Unorthodox Catch and Release of Musky

[FishWisconsin]

Seems with the rash of folks wanting their name in print for having the state tiger musky record, what needs to happen is that those of us that do practice catch and release, kill the next big hog and put it in the books. If the record is big enough, maybe we can save a bunch of 30 lbs'ers.

To save a bunch of musky, we have to kill one....
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I'm sure you mean well with this post, but it is likely to "stir the pot" a little. I hope not.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are quite a few of us who love the big toothy fishies and respect them. We naturally want to see them survive and continue to grow to their ultimate potential. Unfortunately, this group is definitely in the minority in Utah. Most anglers (in all states) fish just to catch any old kind of fish and when they hang a monster they gotta keep it and take it home to show it off. Many of those fish are not mounted nor are they even properly cared for and eaten in a lot of cases. At best, they stay in the freezer, to take out and show off, until they are freezer burned to cardboard and the fins are all broken off. So .[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yeah, it would be nice if a leading BFTer were able to catch the "ultimate" tiger...60 inches and 50 pounds. Yaaa Hooo! But, I guarantee that it would not stop most anglers from harvesting every fish they catch over 40 inches. Too Bad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You are preaching to the choir. Most of the serious anglers on BFT know by now that you do not have to keep a fish in order to have a mount...with the replica mount process. But, to many anglers, there is still something about keeping all the big fish they catch, to take home and show off to everybody how mighty they are.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The good news is that the bigger fish are usually smarter, and not as many of them succumb to inexperienced or unskillful anglers. But, as we have all seen, sometimes the biggest fish in the lake bites for the rankest amateur...or the guy or gal out fishing for the first time. We can't change that, and being high minded is not going to save those fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The only positive side to people keeping the larger fish is that they aren't hurting the "gene pool". Since the fish will not be spawning anyway, there is really no harm in removing them from the system. The only thing it does is end their growth cycle so that someone else will not be able to have the enjoyment of catching them later, when they are bigger.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We feel your pain, but you might have been a bit rash in your proposal. But, if you feel that strongly about it, we have no objection if you go out and do just that your own self. Good luck.[/#0000ff]
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[polokid]

[font "Arial"][red][size 4] I dont pipe up very often on controversial topics. This one I am. I have to admit I am a converted catch and release fisherman when catching hogs. Until I came to this board over 3 years ago, I would definitely keep everything I caught of size simply to show it off. After being part of this board and reading simple posts like this one, I have changed my tune quite a bit. We write this stuff for hopeful education. Do I feel i am absolutely right? No, but I stand by my opinion. [/size][/red][/font]
[font "Arial"][red][size 4]Now for musky, while it is not unlawful to keep a monster, in my book it is unethical. A hybrid fish like a tiger musky is definitely more delicate than any other fish simply due to lack of reproduction, let alone only having the ability to catch them in one body of water in the state. [/size][/red][/font]
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[font "Arial"][red][size 4]So why do we keep these fish? [/size][/red][/font]
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[font "Arial"][red][size 4]Taxidermy??? Get a cast done. It is amazing what taxidermists can do today. Get a picture, get some measurements, let it go. You will get your mount too. Win Win in my book.[/size][/red][/font]
[font "Arial"][red][size 4]I want to show my friends!!! Cameras work wonders too, plus you can make many replicas and send them with people. [/size][/red][/font]
[font "Arial"][red][size 4]Food??? Once again my opinion. But seriously have you ate a large musky steak before or large lake trout?? There is much better table fare available.[/size][/red][/font]
[font "Arial"][#ff0000][size 4]The record?? Alright you got me there, if I am holding the world record, I will definitely keep it! I am certain there is no world record fish in this state. Who knows what the Gorge has in store for lakers though? Almost forgot, bonneville cisco. I hope to catch that bad boy. [/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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[font "Arial"][#ff0000][size 4]Once again this is my opinion. Through post like this in the past, I personally gained a lot of perspective in my conservation habits! [/size][/#ff0000][/font]
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[CROSSINEYES]

I LIKE GLASS MOUNTS, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE FISH I CATCH AND NEVER WILL BE. WHEN IT COMES TO DETAIL THEY JUST DONT HAVE IT. THEY DO LOOK GREAT AND THEY DO LAST ALOT LONGER. ALL THE FISH ON MY WALL ARE SKIN MOUNTS. AND ALWAYS WILL BE. IM NOT GOING TO KILL MOORE THAN ONE FOR THE WALL OF ANY FISH, AND SOME FISH I JUST DONT WANT ON THE WALL. SLIMERS MOSTLEY. I GET THE CATCH AND REALES THING AND PRACTICE IT. BUT WHEN THE TROPHY IM HUNTING COMES ALONG ITS LIFE IS OVER. LOOK AT DEER HUNTING DOES ANYONE EVER GO TAKE A PIC OF A JIANT MULEY AND HAVE A REPLICA MADE? AND SAY ITS THEIR BUCK? DOESNT WORK FOR ME.
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[polokid]

[font "Arial"][red][size 3]I dont want to come across as a total catch and release guy, because that would be a lie. I am just hoping that on limited fish in this state like 45+ inch muskys and 35+ lb macks people are not keeping these fish just to come home for bragging rights and nothing more. I am in debt with my taxidermist more than I need to to be.[cool] Just like mentioned in TD post above too many people want to actually show their catch and do nothing else. I used to do this exact thing. But have a different perspective now. I personally have friends/family that have actual fish mounts that I am envious of. I too hope to have a few fish besides my deer/elk mounts. I will weigh the difference of skin mounts vs. glass, and also weigh the ability to go to places more abundant in these species!
Overall I am just jealous I have not caught a tiger musky or a mack over 25lbs either[]
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[Mc_Lennon]

For me, I would love to take the record. BUT I wouldn't really want to kill the fish. If I were a few years younger, then sure, I'd keep one! But, they're a valuable fish. I've only had the pleasure of hooking into 3 little guys, and all three of them fought harder than most fish I've ever caught in fresh water. Now if they were salt water, I'd say a big Ling Cod's got em beat hands down. If more people released them there would be more bigger fish, and even more records. But reasonably, I can see why a person would want to keep one.

It used to be I'd keep every last big fish I caught. I mean every one. I've got a 10LB Largemouth I kept when I was five... That was mostly my dad's decision, but it was still in my bag limit. I've kept pleanty of 5 Lb bass whenever I could catch them(Nothing better than a big bass fillet). Who knows honestly how many big trout I've kept of big Rainbows, Cutthroats, Browns, Brookies... All atleast 18"ers or better. I have memories of limiting on 16"+ Brookies and 22"+ Rainbows up in Idaho for 6 people. Heck, even last spring I kept a potential record-crashing Albino. Someone else could have caught it, too, but instead the cycle ended with me.

And pretty well every fish I've got on my wall's a skin mount, with, I believe, 3 trout(brown, albino and rainbow), a big Smallmouth out of the Sevier, a whopper Ling Cod, and a massive Cabazon, all still in the shop. And everyone of them were kept. What can I say. I like skin mounts. Synthetics certainly are fine and dandy, but for a true likeness of the fish, rather than just a generality, you want a skin mount.

That's about where it ends, though. I've taken heat before for RELEASING big fish. To this day a lot of people, my own dad included, don't believe me that I whacked a 26" Walleye outta the Jordan. They don't believe that I nailed a 30" Channel and let it go. Even the Tigers' I've gotten are questionable. I carry a camera with me most times now, but on those days I didn't have it on me. Or it was dunked in water.

If it came down to credability or keeping a population of fish going for a long time, I'd take the population going. I can always catch a massive fish again further down the line as long as they're there.
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[CROSSINEYES]

JELLOUS WELL SO AM I. I STILL HAVENT CAUGHT MY FIRST MUSKEE. MY 10 YR OLD CAUGHT HIS MY BEST FREIND CAUGHT 3 THE SAME DAY MY BOY DID. HIS 1ST 2ND AND 3RD ALL IN THE SAME DAY. NONE ABOVE THE MAJIC 42. I GET WHAT YOU SAYING ALL THE WAY. DETAIL ON SCALES AND GILLS AND HEAD O AND TEATH JUST DONT COME CLOSE TO A GOOD SKIN MOUNT FROM A MASTER TAXIDERMIST. THEY DO LOOK BETTER THAN A MOUNT FROM AN AVERAGE TAXIDERMIST. AND THEIR ARE NOT MANY MASTERS AT SKIN LEFT. 1 IN UT 1 IN ID AND 1 IN CO. THAT I WOULD SEND MY TROPHIES TO. ALL ARE PURE MASTERS. NAMES IM NOT GIVING OUT. IT TOOK MANY YRS TO FIND THESE DIFFERNT GUYS AND I DONT WANT THE 1 YR WAITING LIST TO GROW.
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[jacksonlaker]

I'm no musky guy, but how old would that fish be?? would it get any bigger in a few years. I would tend to think a fish that big is not going to grow to reach 90lbs. If it is at tthe end of it's life cycle, why not put it on the wall....enlighten me!!
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[fishstalker]

I Think it is fine to keep and mount a state record fish. Come on guys, there is nothing illegal about this and most all fishermen would do this. Let's not be judge and jury over one angler keeping one fish. Is there a little jealosy involved here?? I have personaly released a 20 pound 7 ounce brown trout on film and several lake trout over 30 pounds but that is my preference. It doesn't mean that everyone else has to do this. I have no problem whatsoever with this angler keeping this fish. All I can say is congratulations to the guy that got the state record! If it is any kind of a fishery, there are more out there for you to catch and release. I heard an old saying once from a retired G & F fisheries supervisor that has stuck with me for a long time " It isn't much of a fishery that can't take a couple of days gill-netting a year to collect data". Think about the reality of that very true staement. Tight lines to all of you and let's all have fun out there on the water!
RC
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[DennisW]

Utah has a put-and-take mentality. That's why the DWR plants trout in every waterhole in the state because the majority feel they need to take something home to validate themselves and to justify the cost of their license and expenses.

There are a few anglers here who actually try to benefit the limited water resources we have here in the 2nd driest state in the nation by practicing selective harvest. But they're the minority. The majority consciously choose to be a drain of the resource for their own selfish motives.
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[polokid]

"Let's not be judge and jury over one angler keeping one fish. Is there a little jealosy involved here??" [font "Arial"][red][size 3]This isn't an issue of personally attacking one angler for keeping a fish. This is a broad issue. I for one congratulate gorgeattic on his catch. I would be compelled to mount it too, and hope to have a musky on my wall someday also. I feel this topic is more directed to the people that catch and waste. It seems this year there are alot of larger musky being caught out of pineview. First off how many people are going to break the record and feel compelled to keep that fish, and second how many fish are worthy of the title record fish in Pineview? Third, how many people will actually take the time and money to do something with that fish? For those that do, I congratulate you. It drives me crazy to hear people catch and keep all their fish especially large fish then turn around the next week and wonder why there is a shortage of larger fish in any given body of water. I have people I go fishing with that do this exact thing. My definition of insanity. In my approximate 30 years here in Utah I have watched fisheries change dramatically. Most due to fishing pressure from an increase in population. The DWR can only do so much when planting and replenishing fish, the rest is left to us anglers to manage what we can catch. [/size][/red][/font]
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[bassrods]

Don't blame me for this one but it is a good one......[crazy][sly][cool][pirate]


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[Ewetah]

Just because the law says "you can do it" does not mean it is the right thing to do. I would not operate my vehicle with a .07 BAC and I would not harvest a record Muskie or any other fish species even though the law says I can! (Well maybe a big striper at Powell)

But I know there are others who would feel compelled to do both.

There are consumptive and conservative users of our game fish oppurtunities in Utah. I prefer to be conservative and I can respect those who choose to be consumptive but I will do my best to persuade them to join the conservation side.
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[FishWisconsin]

Comments on the comments:


TubeDude - I meant to have discussions and educate. The pot needs to be stirred, or it goes stagnant. If this site is to sing kumbaya and try to keep everybody happy, I am in the wrong place. Appreciate your wishing me luck, but luck has little to do with fishing for musky.

Polokid - thanks for listing the alternatives available instead of taking the fish out of the fishery, I failed to do so. If this post enlightens just one other, as this board did for you a couple of years ago...our fishing systems just got better.

JacksonLaker - Musky can live up to 30 years. The world record Tiger Musky ( I believe) came out of Wisconsin in 1919: 51 lbs, 3 oz., the world record musky was 69 lbs, 11 oz, also out of Wisconsin. Both of these fish were harvested, due to a lack of conservation knowledge. The philosophy has now changed, with some lakes moving the minimum keep size to 50". Fish being harvested is in the 1-2% category. It us just not done "up north" (where probably most of you would like to see m go back to, however I am here for the foreseeable future).
How large is the biggest musky in pineview?...anybody's guess but I would think there is a couple 40+lbers.

The age of a musky can be determined by measuring the Cleithrum, the large bone that extends from the base of the pectoral fin and forms the posterior edge of the gill chamber. This bone is used to determine the age of some fish (for example, muskies and northern pike) because each year the fish's body adds a new layer of bone.

There is an urban legend about a 70+" musky being shocked at pineview a couple of years ago.


Fishstalker - the legality was never the issue, my issue is the future. It has taken Wisconsin and Minnesota about 40 years to recover from the harvesting of musky and pike that occured up until the 1960's. Quote from George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy), a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist:

Those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes

To the musky catch and keep crowd: Check out the alternatives...being able to say you caught and released a big one, and is still alive today, ready hit tomorrow...is awesome... then go try and catch it again with your kids or grandkids.



Fish on.
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[GORGEATTIC]

''FISH WISCONSIN''I HAVE FISHED FOR TIGER MUSKIE FOR OVER 6-7 YEARS AND I DONT JUST WANT THE FAME IN HAVING MY NAME IN THE RECORD BOOK,I CAUGHT A BIG MUSKIE THAT I WANT TO PUT ON MY WALL,AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT IM GOING TO DO,YEA IT MADE IT THE RECORD FISH ,GREAT,BUT DONT YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO THAN GRIPE ABOUT SOMEONE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW!!!!!! AND YEA I ALREADY HAVE A REPLICA MOUNT AND ITS NOTHING LIKE A SKIN MOUNT.
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[GORGEATTIC]

EXACTLY I HAVE A GLASS MOUNT OF A TIGER MUSKIE ,AND IT DOESNT EVEN COMPARE TO A SKIN MOUNT,I TOTALLY AGREE NO ONE TAKES PICTURES OF DEER AND THEN PUTS A REPLICA ON THEIR WALL, SO WHATS WRONG WITH KEEPING TWO TIGER MUSKIES OUT OF 12 OVER 40 INCHES AND 25 TOTAL.,I DO TOTALLY BELEIVE IF YOU DONT WANT TO MOUNT IT DONT KEEP ANY OVER 40 ,BUT THATS MY OPINION,I DONT CALL OTHERS EDIOTS, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KEEP A BIG FISH THEY CATCH.
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[polokid]

Congrats on the fish. I can only imagine the fight. I hope to see a picture in the next year of the mount. I have seen a few musky mounts and they are awesome.

I hope you understand I am not attacking you for keeping that fish. I just get disguisted with people that keep fish for worthless reasons. Obviously you are not! (taxidermy is not worthless) Tight lines!!!!
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[GORGEATTIC]

THANKS I APPRECIATE IT,
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