What if we caught a 60 pounder

I was looking at the fish pics from the 38 pounder from the susky river. That is a great fish alright..... What if anyone of us would be lucky enough to get a 55 pound plus to break the PA state record? Would you keep her???? I have not had a fish that big to the boat ( the susky fish) so it would probably seem like a 40 - 50 pounder to me when it was at boatside and in the net....
I have a 50 pound scale for such the occasion when I fish certain waters.
When do you draw the line if someone would catch a 51 pound muskie and keep her thinking she was the new state record? Would they be a hated muskie fisherman because they should have let it go????
I have seen replica mounts of a 50 pounder and a replica mount of a 70 pound muskie, made just to see how BIG it would be.

I guess that guy is a walleye fisherman - That was the catch of his life. I am simply trying to get some input on what is feasible on keeping a record fish... They should all be returned to the water unless she is the new PA state record fish. AND----

( I plan on getting her )

For the state record fish if i caught it, there would be a few factors on weather i keep it or not.

1. if i got it on a bait i made.
2. where i got it, because you would have to tell the public the waters it came from. I would not want to ruin a spot that i primarily have to myself
3. who was with me, because there are hoops to jump through to verify the record. You need an honest boat partner

But world record, (long shot, really long) I think i would have to take her home. It would end many debates and childish arguement on other sights, and you would be famous for 15minutes. A fish that big was past breeding prime and it would most likely die the next day from trying to eat a beachball (something crazy like that) only to have a 8 year old find it washed up on the beach...

I would have zero doubt about keeping a state record or a world record muskie but will continue to release all others. It's not a record if it is not kept and weighed. You will need a very fat double nickel to do it, so you won't have to worry about weighing many fish. I have a 60lb Boga so I will know if I am ever lucky enough to boat the fish. If you got a 55x28+ in PA you would have to make your decision.

I'm not sure our fish in PA live long enough to attain those lengths, so you would probably need an obese 53 or something. It would be nice to have to make the decision though.

I agree with Adam. If it hits the 55lb mark on my 60lb Boga, it is going home. I release all the other muskies I catch.

Last year while fishing together, my compadre Joel, brought a hog to the net. 49.5" - 27.5" girth. According to the weight calculators, the fishs' weight approximated 45+ lbs. I believe it - since I have never seen one that girthy in all my years of fishing. 35 to 38 lbers are among the biggest to have entered my boat and this one was certainly special and a cut above. Joel chose to release that fish. It was his choice and I respected his decision either way.

I kept my first 50" inch fish that took me approximately 8 years of fishing hard to get. In a time period that I believe that caliber of fish was a bit harder to come by than today. The preservation and conservation by muskie anglers in the past 10 to 20 years is certainly to be commended. Anyway, like most, the magic # 50 was my goal and I was determined to get it. After so many years, hard hours of fishing and hundreds of released muskies; I finally reached my goal and I bonked her. A 52.5" Kawartha Lakes beauty. Some ridiculed me, but most commended me for a nice catch. I didn't care either way. Bottom line is that I'm proud of that fish everytime I look at her on my wall and I know I worked hard to get her. I have done my part for the sport by releasing hundreds more than just that one taken and so have many other dedicated muskie fishermen/women. Nobody should be ashamed of keeping a trophy fish, nobody! So here I am 20 some years and 7 50"+ fish later. Would I keep one of those special "cut above" 50lb+ fish? NO I would not kill another muskie other than in only one circumstance....The new state record. Thats my choice and I simply do not believe in the comical "Release Records" these days...Just, IMO, another product of extremism/fanaticism. A record must be witnessed, officially weighed and recorded in order to be a record; as with any other record in any other facet of life.

I'm 42 today and hope to live to see the state record broken which I believe will be a very tough feat if ever broken. 50+ lbers do not come by too often, anywhere, let alone in Pennsylvania. I sure am proud to live in a state where a 54+lber is bigger than most records around the country, especially in the dream-world of the midwwest. Lets not let those attitudes spread out here to us. We have a very underrated fishery here and we should be proud and stick together to preserve/conserve it the right way and without extreme/elitist attitudes. As my old man used to say "Everything in moderation son".

I wish you all the best in 2011. Be safe out on the waters and get some big ones!!

Paul Fec

After some soul searching and deep thought, I think I would keep a state or world record but I would keep it alive as long as possible to prevent weight loss via dehydration. A perfect situation would be to have her certified alive and then let the PFBC take her.

World record from PA ? I don't think it would ever happen. PA state record being broken in my lifetime? I would like to see it, just to see the fish and the body of water it came out of. Then we can all say-- Damn I fished there and that mother was in there.

the information center at kinzua point used to have one displayed that was trap or gill netted out of kinzua in the late 80's/ early 90's that was right there. it was 53 or 54 lbs, and about the same length. i guess it died in the net. red probably knows all the details, but it sure is an impressive fish. it always gave me chills to know that there is probably a fish or two swimming around in that reservoir that big or bigger.

i remember that fish.. it had a plaque that said KINZUA GIANT under her. if i remember correctly it had a 29 inch girth and was 54 inches long.

yep, thats the one. all i ever thought when i looked at that fish, is how incredible it would look the first time it came up beside the boat and you got a good look at her, a fish that long with that kind of girth. makes you wonder, all the times i've trolled around up there, and had the drag "chirp" for a couple seconds, could one of them have been something like that fish?

If I knew I had the record I would keep it aand hopefully it would open some doors to get me back into the fishing industry.