monster musky

[outdoor13]

Just wanted to see what everyone's thoughts are on the monster musky caught by Dale McNair on the St. Lawrence. I was unable to attend the fishing shows in the Chicago area but my brother and father went and said the replica is nothing short of amazing. Herbie, what do you think, possible world record? Have you seen this class of fish on Eagle and if so, how recently has a huge monster like this been seen? I think if I saw a fish of that size following my bait I would probably just buckle at the knees and need a change of underwear. Never the less, I hope I get that opportunity some day. We booked our trip for Andy Myers this July, can't wait to get up there!!!

Phil Kwilose

[Steve Herbeck]

The Replica Was Impressive And Rick Lax Did An Awesome Job On It. It Was A 3d Vertical Replica Jumping On It's Tail With Water Splashes ,cool!!!
World Record? Who Knows It's A Repo But Definatly In The 60# Or Bigger Range, Remarkable Fish.
Congrats To The Angler.
It Was Some Time 6-7 Years Since I Have Had An Experience With A Super Fish,lots Of Big,even Huge Fish But Not One I Thought Would Push High 50# Or Go Over 60#. Mikie Was Chasing A Monster Several Years Ago But As With The Several I've Seen In The Past 15 Yrs You See Them Once,typically Go Crazy Trying To Find Them Again And They End Up Just Being A Nightmare,cold Sweats Etc.. Untill This Season.
We Actually Had 2 Encounters. Danny Had A Huge Fish He Estimated At 58-60" Chasing 7#+ Walleyes Off A Deep Walleye Reef And Then The Next Day It Actually Grabbed A 38-40" Pike At Boatside And Swam Around With It Sideways For A Spell. He Figured It's Head Was 18" Long And Had Eyes The Size Of Half Dollars,yes It Was That Close.of Course We All Ran Over There But No One Could Raise It.
In Aug While Fishing With Dave Olson And Zak We Had A Jumbo Up That I Would Have To Say Was In That Catagory Also,and 2 Days Later Travis Had What I Believe Was The Same Fish Doing The Same Thing As Dannys Fish About 300 Yds On A Deep Reef From Where We Saw It,had To Be The Same Fish. Dave And Zak Have Boated Alot Of Nice Fish With Us Incl Up To 53/12" And When It Swam Right By Them Following My Bait All They Could Say Was "how Big Was It!!??? It Didn't Even Look Or Swim Like A Musky!"
It Could Happen In A Number Of Fisherys Especially St Lawrence,georgian Bay,ottawa,and Definatly Eagle Cause It Has Before And The Genetics Are There.
Some Day Maybe Quite Frnakly Can't Believe It Hasn't Already But As I've Been Saying The Good Ole Days On Eagle Are Not 15-20 Yrs Ago But Now And Upcoming.
The Year Classes Of Muskys And Walleyes Coming Up Are Nothing Short Of Incredible Besides The Big Fish Already Present.
My Hat Is Off To The Mnr For Intelligent Mang, Policys And Todays Much More Conservation Minded Fishermen.

[DanR]

My heart gets that quicker beat, almost like a flutter, when I read those stories from you Herbie. Especially when we spent a few hours fishing for those exact fish in the afternoon after I caught my 54".

I fondly remember us shaking while lighting the cigarettes, and I put my arm around you and said, "Thanks again man. It's going to be tough for us to beat that (54)." And of course you looked at me and said (this is the PG rated version), "You wanna beat it right now? I'll take ya right now!!! You guys might not see another fish all day. But she's there. I gaurantee it."

Then of course when we were there casting for those fish you mentioned above, I looked over and you had a big smile on your face. And you said (again PG rated version), "Is this amazing? She's here, right here in this stretch of 600 yards. Gauranteed. We've seen her multiple times off these reefs in this area. How many people in the world right now can say they know they're casting over fish like that?"

Is it August yet?

-Dan

[esoxaddict]

"The McNair fish"

You know its a good one when they attach your name to it! Had an opportunity to talk with Dale at the Chicago show, really cool guy, down to Earth. The replica is amazing. The thing that struck me about it (well other than the length and girth of the fish!) was how fat it was at the tail, like it would be hard to even get your hand around.

Are there fish of that caliber on Eagle?? I'd venture to say yes, there are.
Considering the fish we've seen there, it's not too much of a stretch to say a fish of this caliber is definitely out there. We got pretty up close and personal with a particular fish last year, all of 54" and possibly pushing 40 pounds. Wasn't a fleeting glimpse, we had that fish up 13 times over the course of three days. Got to see Mike put a 52-1/2 in the boat, and had several other 50" class fish follow, swipe at baits, etc.

But upper 50" class fish, 50 pound class fish? The truth is that most muskies just don't get that big. They never would, regardless of habitat, forage, etc. But with every species, there are always freaks of nature. I know more than one or two people who fish Eagle regularly who have seen those freaks of nature. They are out there.

Knowing you're fishing in a place that can produce that caliber of fish? Makes every cast important. Any cast out of the hundreds of casts in a day could be the one. I don't go there expecting to catch one, or even see one like that. But it's never far from my mind that it COULD happen. Talking about it now? Man, you guys are killin me! I can't wait until August!

[DanR]

Are there fish of that caliber on Eagle?? I'd venture to say yes, there are.
Considering the fish we've seen there, it's not too much of a stretch to say a fish of this caliber is definitely out there.

They're in there, and bigger. For sure.

But upper 50" class fish, 50 pound class fish? The truth is that most muskies just don't get that big. They never would, regardless of habitat, forage, etc. But with every species, there are always freaks of nature. I know more than one or two people who fish Eagle regularly who have seen those freaks of nature. They are out there.

I was in camp when Schwengel got his 50+ lb'er in '05. Amazing. They're in there, and in greater "numbers" than you think. It is my understanding that a guest last year had a 50-55lber really close to the net. Twas a heart breaker, and these guys have been going up there a while and aren't BS'ers from what I understand.

Knowing you're fishing in a place that can produce that caliber of fish? Makes every cast important. Any cast out of the hundreds of casts in a day could be the one. I don't go there expecting to catch one, or even see one like that. But it's never far from my mind that it COULD happen. Talking about it now? Man, you guys are killin me! I can't wait until August!

I beg to differ with you on the bolded part. If you don't expect or believe it can truly happen, then it's not going to happen. Find a system and techniques that work for you, then perfect it. Believe it, expect it...and good things will happen. I probably sound like Yoda or some cr@p, but it's true. Become a "machine" that expects/believes it, you'll find yourself doing all sorts of amazing things. And maybe, just maybe, the musky gods will smile down upon you with a 50+ lber on that one cast...

-Dan