# 50"+ Musky's



## Ol'Bassman

I have heard multiple people claim to have caught 50"+ musky's in Ohio. Have any of you weighed those musky's and if so what did they weigh? The state record is 50 1/4" and weighed 55,13 lbs. I wonder if some of those 50" + ers might have be state record but were no weighed in the haste to "catch and release" them. Of course, some people may prefer saving the musky to setting a record. Is the 55.13 lb record credible? Yeah, cabin fever has set in.


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## Shad Rap

It would have to be credible to be a record.


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## riverKing

The state record is bogus. In the best fisheries in the world super heavy 54-56 in musky rarely get to 50lbs let alone 55. That fish was full on car parts lol.
Also, most "50 inch" Ohio skis seem guestimated not actually taped, but they definitely get caught. A 50in healthy ski is probably 34-38lbs, not even close.


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## overcheck

I don't know if it is still there, but thirty years ago seen state record hanging on the wall at the bait shop at piedmont lake.


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## overcheck

I don't know if it is still there, but thirty years ago seen state record hanging on the wall at the bait shop at piedmont lake.


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## fishless

riverKing said:


> The state record is bogus. In the best fisheries in the world super heavy 54-56 in musky rarely get to 50lbs let alone 55. That fish was full on car parts lol.
> Also, most "50 inch" Ohio skis seem guestimated not actually taped, but they definitely get caught. A 50in healthy ski is probably 34-38lbs, not even close.


My nephew caught a 52 inch(measured with tape ) in December approx 5 yrs ago at Leesville.Don't think he weighted it


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## monte39

I caught a 50.5 three years ago measured on a bump board it had a 21 inch girth. The weight estimate calculations said 30 pounds.


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## MuskyFan

The ODNR has shocked up two fish over the state record in one lake alone. Yes, there are 50+, 55lbs+ fish in our lakes. There’s plenty of food, nothing to eat them accept us. 

I carry a bump board to measure those I catch. I also carry a tape to measure girth if needed. While not an official weight, I would rather let it go than kill it just to get a weight. 

There’s a new state record out there swimming around somewhere. Who’s going to catch it?


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## Bronson

Wouldn't be surprised to see it come from CC

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## cincinnati

2 things to consider: First, some fish are genetically equipped to get bigger/longer/heavier than their relatives. Second, time of the season can make a substantial difference in the weight of any fish.


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## Legend killer

MuskyFan said:


> The ODNR has shocked up two fish over the state record in one lake alone. Yes, there are 50+, 55lbs+ fish in our lakes. There’s plenty of food, nothing to eat them accept us.
> 
> I carry a bump board to measure those I catch. I also carry a tape to measure girth if needed. While not an official weight, I would rather let it go than kill it just to get a weight.
> 
> There’s a new state record out there swimming around somewhere. Who’s going to catch it?


Im calling bs
Even if there was a 55lb fish swimming what is the odds of it being shocked up.


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## All Eyes

What's the difference between a 50 pound muskie and Bigfoot?

Bigfoot has been spotted.


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## Bassbme

I'd have a hard time believing a 50" muskie would weigh over 40 lbs. let alone weigh over 55 lbs. I don't fish for muskie but I do catch more than my fair share while bass fishing at West Branch. Especially during the period from mid April to about the first week in May.

My biggest is 44" I didn't weigh it but I guessed it to be between 22 - 25 lbs. As far as 50"+ fish goes ..... I had one follow a spinnerbait back to the boat at West Branch a few years back that I have no doubts was over 50". I've had a lot of muskie follow baits back to the boat over the years so it's not something I get overly excited about anymore. But this fish was huge, and it stayed there a good 20 - 30 seconds before slowly swimming off. If I were to guess its weight I would say 40 lbs. It was a tank !!! lol


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## MuskyFan

Legend killer said:


> Im calling bs
> Even if there was a 55lb fish swimming what is the odds of it being shocked up.


You are always have something derogatory to say. Have you ever posted anything positive...anywhere? About anything or anybody?


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## Troy Dave

I really don't care how much they weigh, I just like to catch them or even have one and watch it jump off.


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## cincinnati

Gotta love “the follow” & the strike! If you aren’t excited when a fish just shows up @ the boat w/its mouth open, I can’t understand.


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## Shad Rap

cincinnati said:


> Gotta love “the follow” & the strike! If you aren’t excited when a fish just shows up @ the boat w/its mouth open, I can’t understand.


The figure 8.


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## Shad Rap

Legend killer said:


> Im calling bs
> Even if there was a 55lb fish swimming what is the odds of it being shocked up.


The odds would be slim...but surely not impossible.


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## Kevin05

This was a 53 inch that weighed 32 lbs. 











This was a 50 inch that didn’t get weighed cause it took a long time to get hooks out and wanted to get it back in the water as fast as possible. It was defiantly heavier cause I held both fish. Also Canadian fish. But it my opinion all depends on the fish. I have seen heavy short fish and light long fish. Also time of the year I have never caught one pre spawn full of eggs and fat build up. If you walleye fish you know how much weight a fish puts on right before they lay there eggs so I could see a musky getting that big.


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## MuskyFan

Fish are like people...tall and thin, short and round. My coworker is about 4" shorter and 80-90 lbs (being nice here) heavier than me. I've caught bass that were more like a pickerel and others shaped like a bowling ball.


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## Blackdawg

http://muskie_guy.tripod.com/cgi-bin/staterecord.html


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## 1more

Kevin05 said:


> This was a 53 inch that weighed 32 lbs.
> View attachment 296175
> 
> 
> In 1975 I caught a 50 1/2” musky in the Georgian Bay at Black River Lodge the day of the opener and it weighed 31# way before digital scales.
> 
> This was a 50 inch that didn’t get weighed cause it took a long time to get hooks out and wanted to get it back in the water as fast as possible. It was defiantly heavier cause I held both fish. Also Canadian fish. But it my opinion all depends on the fish. I have seen heavy short fish and light long fish. Also time of the year I have never caught one pre spawn full of eggs and fat build up. If you walleye fish you know how much weight a fish puts on right before they lay there eggs so I could see a musky getting that big.
> 
> View attachment 296171


In


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## Farmhand

Mine weighed 35lbs on a fairly decent scale probably plus or minus 1lb. It was just shy of 51”


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## Kevin05

That was a true man holding 50 plus pounds like it was nothing. Lol. No arched back.


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## TopRaider15

All about forage and genetics. Is there a 50lb musky swimming in Ohio, very likely but like any 50lb musky it's a genetic freak. Unfortunately given the lack of natural reproduction in OH waters those genes won't likely be passed on. LOTW, the Larry, Mille Lacs, Leech, St. Clair and GB all have naturally reproducing populations that increase the probability of these freaks passing on the genes.

Also riverine (OH, WV,KY and TN) strain tend to grow quicker and live shorter lives, hence the longer skinnier fish. Larry Ramsell's posts in the below thread help shed light on the subject. 

https://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=117416&posts=14&start=1

PS Legend Killer is at least consistent, check his posts on the musky forums and content is still the same


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## MuskyFan

Yeah, ya gotta give him that.


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## $diesel$

TopRaider15 said:


> All about forage and genetics. Is there a 50lb musky swimming in Ohio, very likely but like any 50lb musky it's a genetic freak. Unfortunately given the lack of natural reproduction in OH waters those genes won't likely be passed on. LOTW, the Larry, Mille Lacs, Leech, St. Clair and GB all have naturally reproducing populations that increase the probability of these freaks passing on the genes.
> 
> Also riverine (OH, WV,KY and TN) strain tend to grow quicker and live shorter lives, hence the longer skinnier fish. Larry Ramsell's posts in the below thread help shed light on the subject.
> 
> https://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=117416&posts=14&start=1
> 
> PS Legend Killer is at least consistent, check his posts on the musky forums and content is still the same


Very interesting read and post. I'm thinking about getting into musky fishing as i've caught quite a few little ones in the river (mahoning) by my place, they are a ball to catch.

Question; is it true that back in the day when folks were still eating them, was it a common practice to shoot them before bringing them aboard? I have heard this story a few times.


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## MuskyFan

So the story goes. Shoot it and it stops fighting. Easier to grab and fillet.


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## cincinnati

For several decades, a .22 pistol was standard equipment in a northern Wisconsin musky guide’s tackle box. Eventually outlawed - in the ‘60’s I think - there are lots of stories about mishaps in the boat. 

A friend & old time guide told me that he lost his enthusiasm for shooting fish when an errant shot shattered a Pikie Minnow & sent a big fish swimming away w/half the bait.


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## TopRaider15

Yup a .22 or small bat like a police baton to knock em out. 

My dad grew up in Detroit and used to troll St. Clair with his grandpa. Can remember clubbing little musky to bring home for dinner.


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## Famecity Fisherman

Why can you not eat them. I eat northern quite often.


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## Snakecharmer

Famecity Fisherman said:


> Why can you not eat them. I eat northern quite often.


Because some musky diehards would tar and feather you...I would think they would taste similar to Northerns. Same fish family.


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## Shad Rap

Snakecharmer said:


> Because some musky diehards would tar and feather you...I would think they would taste similar to Northerns. Same fish family.


I know smallmouth taste just as good as largemouth...


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## TopRaider15

Famecity Fisherman said:


> Why can you not eat them. I eat northern quite often.


I'll eat small 21-24 inch northern all day. Much bigger than that and they taste like garbage. 

Real reason you shouldn't eat a musky is bioaccumulation. They are loaded with Mercury, BPH and who the hell knows what else the coal companies have leaked into the rivers. Same reason its not a good idea to eat large catfish. Oh yea its also stupid because musky are an apex predator, a lot fewer of them, so a population can be ruined through harvest quite easily. 

It's a good thing they are tough to catch and destroy gear.


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## Legend killer

TopRaider15 said:


> I'll eat small 21-24 inch northern all day. Much bigger than that and they taste like garbage.
> 
> Real reason you shouldn't eat a musky is bioaccumulation. They are loaded with Mercury, BPH and who the hell knows what else the coal companies have leaked into the rivers. Same reason its not a good idea to eat large catfish. Oh yea its also stupid because musky are an apex predator, a lot fewer of them, so a population can be ruined through harvest quite easily.
> 
> It's a good thing they are tough to catch and destroy gear.


Same goes for fishing for them in hot water, see muskyfan.


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## Hatchetman

Kevin05 said:


> That was a true man holding 50 plus pounds like it was nothing. Lol. No arched back.


If you even take one second to look at both pics of Lykins Ohio record Muskie, you can see it's hanging on a cable, his hand is simply positioned in front of the fishes mouth. As far as some of you so called "experts", legend, there are far more 50's swimming around than you may think. Lykins was one of the top dog muskie guys in his day, he died not to long after catching that fish. The muskie was also egg bound, totally full, hadn't spawned. A fish in good health of that length would carry 10-15 lbs of eggs. My avatar shows a pic of my former IGFA 8 lb line class record. She weighed 40lb 12 oz and had recently spawned and nothing in her stomach and was 51 1/2 in long,also caught in Piedmont. I was fishing for saugeye with a light action rod. My buddy and I tried for half an hour to revive her for release but she died so I had her mounted. The current Mich state record is the fish that beat mine for the IGFA 8lb class record. He caught it drifting suckers for smallmouths, neither one of us was fishing for muskies.
It really makes me sick to see these guys want to call people liars and cheats when they don't know the people or have any idea what it takes to get a fish certified for a state record or IGFA record. It took me almost 6 months to get mine certified and I held it for 13 years. Mr. Lykins fish is still displayed in the Piedmont Lake Marina. And yes I knew him and know what kind of man he was....


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## Legend killer

Hatchetman cool story. What i am calling bs on is a 55lb fish.


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## Hatchetman

Legend killer said:


> Hatchetman cool story. What i am calling bs on is a 55lb fish.


Lykins Muskie is not bs in any way, shape or form


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## Hatchetman

riverKing said:


> The state record is bogus. In the best fisheries in the world super heavy 54-56 in musky rarely get to 50lbs let alone 55. That fish was full on car parts lol.
> Also, most "50 inch" Ohio skis seem guestimated not actually taped, but they definitely get caught. A 50in healthy ski is probably 34-38lbs, not even close.


Now there's a load of bs....


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## Legend killer

50" at this size does not equal 55lbs. No disrespect.


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## Ol'Bassman

Blackdawg said:


> http://muskie_guy.tripod.com/cgi-bin/staterecord.html


Thanks for the post. It's awesome!


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## PapawSmith

Legend killer said:


> 50" at this size does not equal 55lbs. No disrespect.


So if that guy in the pic is 200 lbs, there is no way that fish is 55 lbs? If it was photographed, weighed, witnessed and recorded how can you call it BS?


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## Shad Rap

PapawSmith said:


> So if that guy in the pic is 200 lbs, there is no way that fish is 55 lbs? If it was photographed, weighed, witnessed and recorded how can you call it BS?


He can't...maybe in his own little fairytale world he can...I still haven't figured out what's so unbelievable about this fish...jealousy I can understand...but to say it's not legit is ridiculous...


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## Hatchetman

Legend killer said:


> 50" at this size does not equal 55lbs. No disrespect.


It's both disrespect and ignorance....


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## Blackdawg

I remember when Ron Daehner at A Suburban Taxidermy in Bedford mounted Lykins muskie. He also did several reproductions of it. When you viewed it up close and personal, it was a tremendous fish!!!! It hung in his shops window for a while. He was a couple of doors down from the old Bedford Gun and Tackle store. Does anyone recall that Lykins had just received permission from his doctor to resume moderate activity after open heart surgery? I seem to recall his wife was opposed to him going fishing that day.


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## Snakecharmer

Blackdawg said:


> I remember when Ron Daehner at A Suburban Taxidermy in Bedford mounted Lykins muskie. He also did several reproductions of it. When you viewed it up close and personal, it was a tremendous fish!!!! It hung in his shops window for a while. He was a couple of doors down from the old Bedford Gun and Tackle store. Does anyone recall that Lykins had just received permission from his doctor to resume moderate activity after open heart surgery? I seem to recall his wife was opposed to him going fishing that day.


I remember the old Bedford Gun and Tackle store bringing up memories....


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## rickerd

Blackdawg said:


> I remember .... Does anyone recall that Lykins had just received permission from his doctor to resume moderate activity after open heart surgery? I seem to recall his wife was opposed to him going fishing that day.


Really, his wife was opposed to his fishing that day, my wife's opposition hasn't helped me yet.

But I keep trying!
Rickerd


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## Mason52

The fish in my avatar was 50 x 27 7/8. Bump board and taped.. I do have better pics somewhere 
It weighed a little over 46 lbs on a weight calculator that musky hunter has on it’s site. It was a complete slob. Also in one of the pictures I have it was squirting eggs.. caught in April. I turned it loose


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## Snakecharmer

Mason52 said:


> The fish in my avatar was 50 x 27 7/8. Bump board and taped.. I do have better pics somewhere
> It weighed a little over 46 lbs on a weight calculator that musky hunter has on it’s site. It was a complete slob. Also in one of the pictures I have it was squirting eggs.. caught in April. I turned it loose


That's a hog........


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## MuskyFan

Mason52 said:


> The fish in my avatar was 50 x 27 7/8. Bump board and taped.. I do have better pics somewhere
> It weighed a little over 46 lbs on a weight calculator that musky hunter has on it’s site. It was a complete slob. Also in one of the pictures I have it was squirting eggs.. caught in April. I turned it loose


Outstanding fish!


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