# finally got some muskies



## rapala187 (Mar 28, 2010)

lllllllllll


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice work! You may want to invest in a net or Boga grip if you plan on releasing the fish, they are a lot more sensitive than people think. Even the cheap Berkely one for around $29 aint bad and helps in getting the hooks out too!


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Congratulations!


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## Tatonka (Aug 23, 2007)

Nice fish ya have there


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Kudo's on the catches... moreso on their release!


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## heidlers (May 24, 2010)

Nice work. Release of these guys is soooo critical. What lake did you pick them up?


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

nice.....were you fishing from shore?


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Excellent work!!


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## rapala187 (Mar 28, 2010)

lllllllllllllllllll


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## BIOMEDMAN (Jul 28, 2010)

Nice fish!


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

rapala187 said:


> thanks everyone they were out of mahoning river in newtown falls area from shore.. muskiejim i dont know what indicated that i dont have a net but i do.. i can assure you that these fish are still alive for another battle from the short fight in thanks to my 30lb power pro line and they are out and back in the water with barley enough time for my camera to focus and when they have enough energy to splash me in the face with there tail taking back off i think there doing ok


you'd be surprised in the amount of delayed mortality there is this time of year.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Congrats! More power to ya for catching them from shore!


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## reubenpa (Jun 12, 2009)

wow that is great!!! did know the mahoning river had muskies... I might have to try that river sometime!!!


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## crappiecat (Sep 7, 2010)

congrats rapala! You did nothing wrong. Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## rapala187 (Mar 28, 2010)

llllllllllllllllllllllllll


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## pj4wd (Dec 9, 2009)

Nice fish, I've seen some nice muskies caught in that river.


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## Bobinstow90 (Apr 13, 2006)

Nice goin. Sometimes it takes repeated effort before things pay off.
Can I ask what kind of bait you are using?


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## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

rapala187 said:


> Gonna hit the hole today ill post results if any
> Ps ill be bringing a portable iv and cpr kit


Totally uncalled for. I tried to keep quiet but you just dragged it out of me. Laying muskies on the ground in the mud or gravel shows your ignorance and it made me cringe when I saw your pics. I'm just glad you don't fish where I do.


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

From all the backlash this poor guy has got I would ay that everyone is perfect and does everything to the book everytime.I would have took em home and ate em.But then someone would have complained about that too


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## rapala187 (Mar 28, 2010)

I just joined this site this yr thought it'd be nice to talk to fellow fishermen but I guess I was wrong I want to than people thank have helped me out here and good luck to you I'm done with this site 
Best of luck, Brian


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

rapala187 said:


> muskiejim i dont know what indicated that i dont have a net but i do..


I apologize if I offended you man, I saw the pics of the fish covered in gravel laying on the shore and just thought maybe you were beaching them bc you didnt have a net or Boga. By no means did I mean to offend you, theres a lot of good people on here willing to give out advice. I fish from shore in the summer quite often and use the boga bc I dont have a small net (my net could fit a small child). 



rapala187 said:


> Gonna hit the hole today ill post results if any
> Ps ill be bringing a portable iv and cpr kit


Cute. Real cute. Maybe next time you should try to give the fish mouth-to-mouth. Read up before you start a new hobby. Musky fisherman are die hard C & R guys for a reason: these fish are not catfish. They're extremely sensitive. Laying them on the gravel or shell-studded shore ain't helping your cause for C & R. Esp just for a pic. 



Fishnhunt said:


> I would have took em home and ate em.But then someone would have complained about that too


Ya that makes perfect sense. Eat them. Naturally reproducing, top notch gamefish that grow very slowly. If you're that strapped for food, let me know I'll send you some McDonalds gift cards.....



reubenpa said:


> wow that is great!!! did know the mahoning river had muskies... I might have to try that river sometime!!!


This aint helping your cause either. Mahoning river ain't that big...


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## Mr.Versatility (Sep 8, 2010)

rapala187 said:


> I just joined this site this yr thought it'd be nice to talk to fellow fishermen but I guess I was wrong I want to than people thank have helped me out here and good luck to you I'm done with this site
> Best of luck, Brian



Don't fret rap187..........the native americans used to spear them and toss em in the trash........

In a nice way, someone could have taken the teacher route

Landing any fish from shore and getting a good release gets an AOK. Some guys worry too much about slime removal. Ask Big AL Lindner. Full of slime with a vertical hang??


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

Ya that makes perfect sense. Eat them. Naturally reproducing, top notch gamefish that grow very slowly. If you're that strapped for food, let me know I'll send you some McDonalds gift cards.....



I think if I am not mistaken the state has a limit on these fish. That means it is well within my rights as a license buying fisherman. I am strapped for cash so how bout sending some cards this way. I will always except charity from proplr who cant see the light cause their head is stuck somewhere. As for fish I love my some tasty sportfish, bass, muskies, and pike


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## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

Fishnhunt said:


> I think if I am not mistaken the state has a limit on these fish. That means it is well within my rights as a license buying fisherman.


Yes, you are correct you can keep muskies. But if everyone in the state thought their $20 a year licence was a free pass to keep every fish they caught there wouldnt be anything left. Its really common sense. A 40" fish from the Mahoning is like 10 years old man, not quite like a bass or perch.


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

This isn't entirely following the thread but I feel its time to talk.

If all obey the state fish harvest laws than that is good. If many choose to release thats good too. If someone wants to eat their catch (within laws) then that is perfectly exceptable and should be respected.

If a particular population is in danger then the state will ban keeping that fish,.....i.e. you cannot take a brown trout from the Chagrin River.


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## rapala187 (Mar 28, 2010)

Until I find out how to cancel my account and this tread I would like no more posts


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

MuskieJim said:


> Yes, you are correct you can keep muskies. But if everyone in the state thought their $20 a year licence was a free pass to keep every fish they caught there wouldnt be anything left. Its really common sense. A 40" fish from the Mahoning is like 10 years old man, not quite like a bass or perch.


Until they make it against the law to keep the muskie then as far as I see it it is the same as keeping a bass. You cannot keep every fish you catch if you have a license there are limits and as long as I obey the limits I will continue to keep every fish that is legal to be kept.


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## Mr.Versatility (Sep 8, 2010)

There is a 30 perch limit on Lake Erie. Do you wanna know what happens to the other 30each guy catches that day?

Simple. Their air bladders are hangin from their mouths from the "bends" from being horsed up from the depths and they become gull food. They never make it back to grow and populate. Better to raise the limit and keep em all.


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

Mr.Versatility said:


> There is a 30 perch limit on Lake Erie. Do you wanna know what happens to the other 30each guy catches that day?
> 
> Simple. Their air bladders are hangin from their mouths from the "bends" from being horsed up from the depths and they become gull food. They never make it back to grow and populate. Better to raise the limit and keep em all.


The only problem with that is that guys would still try to get the biggest 60 and end up throwing 60 away and have the same fate brought to them


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## Mr.Versatility (Sep 8, 2010)

Fishnhunt said:


> The only problem with that is that guys would still try to get the biggest 60 and end up throwing 60 away and have the same fate brought to them


I agree..............you have a solution. I don't!!


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

If you feel the laws are wrong, are you doing something about it? Are you lobbing to have a new limit of perch established? If the state limits are wrong, then change the limits.


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

pardon my typo


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## TheFilthyOar (Apr 16, 2010)

Fishnhunt said:


> Until they make it against the law to keep the muskie then as far as I see it it is the same as keeping a bass. You cannot keep every fish you catch if you have a license there are limits and as long as I obey the limits I will continue to keep every fish that is legal to be kept.


Musky's rarely reproduce in Ohio waters. It takes a tremendous effort and a lot of money to have what we have. Why perch or bass are being compared with them is beyond me. In Ohio, we have a 1 fish limit on musky and that is meant for a wall hanger, not table fair. 

Just try to be careful with em and enjoy em for what they are! nice fish rapala


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

Mr.Versatility said:


> I agree..............you have a solution. I don't!!


No, I wasn't trying to say anything just stating a fact. I am not sure how I feel about the limits of anything. I understand that we need them, but I have not done any research to know how are limts are in action


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

TheFilthyOar said:


> Musky's rarely reproduce in Ohio waters. It takes a tremendous effort and a lot of money to have what we have. Why perch or bass are being compared with them is beyond me. In Ohio, we have a 1 fish limit on musky and that is meant for a wall hanger, not table fair.
> 
> Just try to be careful with em and enjoy em for what they are! nice fish rapala


I just looked at my state law book and nowhere does it say that the muskie you keep has to be a wallhanger. This thread has got rediculus,the guy was proud of his fish and wanted to show them off, and people who cant mind there own business have to get involved, me being one of them.


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

You should lobby the state to change the limit to 1 per day, wall hanger size only and wall hanging only! Is a wall hanging a more noble fate than food?


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

nice fish rapala!!


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

Mr.Versatility said:


> I agree..............you have a solution. I don't!!


Growth hormones! If they're all big there'll be less need to cull.


Ya all need to lighten up!!!! This rapalla dude seems like a good guy that pissed of a coupple hard core and "expert" jumbo pike fishermen by doing what the steelhead guys do all the time. He caught a few fish and released them....WOW!! the man must be evil


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## Mr.Versatility (Sep 8, 2010)

Me thinks some are missing the point. Rap released his fish to the best of his capabilities. It ain't easy from shore. You wanna bring the cradle when you shore fish, just get a boat! I give the guy credit for tackling the muskie's with a line that limits playing the fish. Think about that!! Isn't part of fun fishing playing the fish? Not with muskie. Horse it in, take a picture like the great Lindner without harming it, even from his aquariumand then release it?


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## qpan13 (May 30, 2010)

nice fish man!!! I'm not a muskie guy but I think you did everything you should have.


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## davie1989 (Mar 31, 2010)

mabe this guy didnt know u have to act like ur hold a new born baby lol ... ive never caught a muskie in my life ID LOVE TOO and guess wat i didnt know u have to be so carefull eaither soo my pics coulda ended up the same darn way sooo why dont sum of u think bout wat ur gona say 1st plz b4 u come off as a**hole or sumthing no need to start wars over it ...

congrats rap those are great lookin fish =) 

p.s dude dont leave the site cuz of a few rude ppl theres alot of very nice ppl on here that love to share advice and storys


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## thephildo0916 (Mar 4, 2009)

nice fish!


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

They are very nice fish indeed. However, if the angler's intention is to release the fish so they can live to fight again then some measures could have been taken to handle the fish in a better way. Musky are extremely fragile fish. Delayed mortality is a real problem for these fish especially in warm waters and in rivers with low water and extremely low flow rate. There is very little dissolved oxygen in the water which hampers their abillity to recover from a fight. Most musky anglers I know use 65 or 80 lb braided line. When it comes to braid the diameter of the line should dictate the application rather than the lb test rating. I could care less if a guy wants to keep a musky to eat. However, to turn them loose in a poor condition that increases their chance for delayed mortality is the same as turning them into turtle food. So, yeah, most die hard musky fishermen will cringe when they see the pictures of the fish laying on the ground. It's just a very poor way to handle them. The ideal way when fishing from bank, kayak or canoe is with some type of boga style gripper. This will reduce the chance for injury to you and/or the fish. If release is the intention, and it is a noble one, then you want to be sure you do it right. Best of luck to you in your future musky hunts.


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## Ozdog (Jul 30, 2007)

Nice fish guy, you should be proud of yourself for making a good efort to get the fish back in the water.

I just want to add one observation here..

I live by and grew up fishing @ Clear Fork no doubt a top notch muskie lake. I know of many and I mean many bass anglers that kill every one of the muskies they manage to land or at least get to the side of the boat. I also see the mortality rate for the fish being caught by the self proclaimed muskie pro's when they wear the fish down to a frazil fighting it.


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

I'm curious why none of the musky experts who chimed in and told this guy how wrong he was didn't extend a pm. Instead, you've chased a new member from the site for no good reason. At one point, each and every one of you was new to musky fishing. The vast majority of you didn't have all the answers when you started. Have any of you experts caught this same species from a boat, handled it correctly, and still had a fish die? After all, with delayed mortality being such an issue, can any of you truly answer no to that question?

No doubt, musky are a beloved species by the anglers that target them, but this dude reported on his catch, released them to the best of his ability, and got trashed for it. I'm surprised by some of the names that have flamed this guy rather than extend a PRIVATE message offering advice on making his next trip even better - people I definitely thought were above that behavior. Instead of doing that, another thread takes an unnecessarily negative turn and OGF loses a member who is clearly dedicated to fishing, was willing to post reports, and seemed to care about their preservation.

His intentions were to photo and release the fish, same as the rest of you. Clearly, in your mind, he could've done it better. Perhaps your intentions were to give him advice to assist him in his future musky fishing. Pot meets kettle here, because you could've done it better as well.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Very well put JC. I've been asked to close this thread.


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