Biggest PA muskies from lakes or rivers?

[muskie52]

Howard Wagner's PIG from a few years ago shows that it could happen. And it will probably be him that does it.

Unfortunately, I feel that in order to grow really big muskies consistantly, you need really big water. PA has very little of that.

If I had to pick somewhere that it could happen though, I would say......

Kinzua.......who know what luring in there??? Some piggies for sure! But I don't think many (if any) have the patience to figure that place out.

Allegheny River.......not really a BIG river when compared to the St. Larry or Niagra, but big enough. From Harmarville north, there are some stretches that don't get much pressure. With plenty of forage available, at least a few should be able to grow old and fat.

Raystown......we don't hear much about it. It's big and deep. I'm sure there are some piggies in there, and I'd bet that they're suspended the majority of the time. Sorta like Kinzua...not many (if any) have figured out how to get to them. It's also loaded with forage.

Tony

[Red Childress]

I was referring to the 57x33 caught last November on the Larry.

The PA record musky, like all records, will have to be have the right genetics, abundant food and have the opportunity to grow that big before someone drags her home to lay in a freezer. There has been 1 walleye caught in my section of river wtihin a pound of the 17lb. 6oz. record and it was killed...........those genes are gone now.

Allegheny River fish can grow huge but I agree the record will probably come from a lake or reservoir but you never know.

The musky record is the oldest record we have. Maybe it will never happen.....

[HBmusky]

57 by 33 is ungodly that was caught bby a women ? I think? anyway that is huge! I wounder what the wieght was on that fish? I think you are right about the ginetic .16lb walleye thats a monster! there are going to have to be a lot of factors I think.

[Red Childress]

The dead walleye weighed 16lb. 9oz on certified scales at the taxidermist so who knows how much weight was lost during the transition. That is less than a pound off the state record and was caught in February. How much would it weigh just before the season closed?? Hmmmm, makes you think a little.

As for the 57x33, it was a 3-man crew on a boat fishing the St. Lawrence. The woman was driving the boat and the other 2 guys were dealing with the fish and bringing in their trolling spread.

The guy who actually reeled in the fish was Dale MacNair but is was an absolute team effort, like most musky catches are.


Glendale Lake is another body of water that has to be considered in this big fish discussion. Lake Marburg has a history of big fish dating back to the 60's and 70's as well.

Here is an interesting story for you guys...

There is also a small farm pond being fed by a spring located in a "nearby county" that has a huge musky in it that someone stocked there back in the early-90's. The lady that owns the property is a seasoned musky and walleye fisherman so she knows what a big musky looks like......she said it is easily over 50 inches. She stocked gills and suckers in there after she saw the musky was in there and has pretty much fed it for over 15 years. (She is not sure how it got in there but it must have been stocked by the former property owner.) She called my partner last year to see if he would catch it and get it out of there.....the only "catch" is that he has to transport it to Kinzua without killing it. We will probably go catch it while her eggs are ripe and before the air temps get too warm for the trek to Kinzua. Our plan is to put a kiddie swimming pool filled with the same spring water and try to haul it out of there in the bed of my truck. This pond is barely over 1 acre in size and she sees it on a weekly basis just cruising around.

It is no state record but still a very nice fish. The point I am trying to make is that if a musky with the right genes gets the chance to grow and an endless supply of food, who knows what could happen in any body of water.