Poll: 50 inches

[muskie bill]

My personal best 47inch hybrid. Biggest in boat 48 inch by best friend. Both fish released.

[releaseher]

Jax,

i agree, it is quite hard to keep pounding the water after you lose a tanker right at the boat. work pretty dang hard for those fish--and to lose one that is right there, heartbreaking. hooked the fish, fought the fish, saw the fish, bagged the fish....but out she goes, now its just a story (with no picture, replica, etc). basically like an olympic athlete leading the whole race and falling right before the finish line. or maybe winning the race but being disqualified before the medal ceremony?

all that being said---your second story might even be a tougher pill to swallow. i've always thought it is even WORSE when you get broke off or lose what feels like a complete monster and you never see the fish. even when you are panfishing or jigging with lighter mono and a fish breaks you off--was it an 18" snake? probably--but its the whole "you never know" deal. to have hooks straightened out on a muskie lure? i'd have a hard time sleeping for a little while after that one.

[jkahler]

Surprising how many PB's are tigers on here!

After I lost the big one mentioned above, I did the same thing...hung my head a little, then called it a day. I might have made a few more casts first, but not many. My failure on that fish was a locked down drag, the fish wanted to run but I wanted to try and turn it and get it in the net. It didn't turn. Heavy like a snag until the lure popped out. That was opening day 2009. If only I had hit freespool and thumbed the line, I'm positive I would have caught it!

My first one was in 2007, then I caught the other 2 last fall. I put in a lot of time last year, as much as I could! If you fish 410 hours something cool should happen right? You just have to believe that it will happen, put yourself in the right place and keep plugging away and it will!

[Thumperman]

Personal best is 45 and that is from the Chip. Had the biggest fish of my life on July 20th 2002. Fish quitely came up and took my Lelure thumper about 10 feet from the boat. Not hooked well at all. Seemed like it happened in slow motion. After that is where the story gets hard to relive. My brother had the fish on the rim ot the net and the fish would just not go it. One little headshake and she was off. Sat there on the surface for a few seconds and gone. Fish was at least 52". That also was on the Chip. And to prove there is no justice in this sport my brother took his friend out, who has never musky fished in his life, and on day 3 boated a 50 incher from the Chip. He has not fished a day since.

[wicked]

Personal best is 48.5 caught from chippewa river but not out of the flowage.I've had two chances at fish larger but didn't get them in the net.Would love toget a tiger but haven't even seen one yet. Russ

[MCR_at_BigMusky]

47 from the Chip

[pikldik]

I caught a 50 fishing with Ty in October 2009

[muskieman]

I have got 4 over 50, all MN fish. 2 52's and 1 51 out of Minnetonka and one 50 out of Miltona. Biggest Chip fish is a 46. Had a low 50 on and lost it boat side, which sucked!