Gino's: BEST DAY EVER

[Radar420]

Sorry to the folks who think this thread is about perch.

Went out to Gino's today out to about 10' of water to try my hand at getting some walleye and perch. Ended up catching a few dinks and a had a few hits on my jigging rod. Well, around 6:00, I checked my jigging rod for weeds and sent the lure back down. I noticed a good deal of slack when I set the rod down and thought my lure got tangled in the weeds again so I slowly pull the rod up and all of a sudden there's weight and it's game on. The rod bucks wildly towards the hole and I had to hurry to remove my glove and loosen the drag. After about 10 min of fighting the fish, I knew I either had one heckuva a walleye or a pike. I fought this fish for another 10 min, dancing around the hole and opening the bail on my perch rod since it got caught up with the fish I was fighting. By now, I knew it wasn't a walleye but I still didn't know what I had. I got the fish's head towards my hole twice but the head was so long and my swedish pimple was caught right in the corner of the mouth in such a way that every time I got the lure beneath my hole the front of the head was already past the hole. I decided that the only way this fish was coming in was with a gaff. Got the fish's head to the bottom of my hole for a third time and luckily my gaff is longer than the ice is thick. Stuck my hand down the hole and pricked the fish in the bottom lip. Boy was I in for a surprise when I realized he wasn't quite ready to come in. The fish almost yanked the gaff out of my hand and my rod down the hole but I could see that I had gaffed it perfectly through it's bottom lip. I threw my rod down and, with two huge heaves, I pulled out the largest fish I've ever seen or caught, a 50+" musky.:yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

I was as giddy as a school girl, so anyone fishing approx a mile out probably heard me hootin' and hollerin'. I hurriedly tried to take measurements since I knew it was out of season but my tape measure only went up to 40" and that went only up to approx the edge of its gill plate. So I took my spud, layed it next to it, and lo and behold the fish was a touch longer than the spud, which I later measured to be 50". I took a few pictures with an old disposable camera so I hope they come out though they won't be the best because it didn't seem that the entire fish would fit in the viewfinder. If they do, I will definitely try and scan and post them.

Interesting too was that the musky had 2 lampreyes firmly attached to it, which I promptly left on the ice before releasing the fish.

Caught on approx. 3' jigging rod spooled with 8# (though it may be 10, I can't remember) and a 2" chrome pimple tipped with 2 perch minnows.

I was so excited but I'm now slightly bummed because in my excitement and hurry to release the fish I didn't take any other measurements for a possible reproduction mount. I hope the pictures come out clear enough and that there are enough elements in the pic for scale purposes that I can get something that looks close.

Dang guys, sorry that was so long but I'm still amped.

[Joeker51]

Nice going Radar. You don't hear too much about the Muskies in ice season but a 50 +:yikes: ........... heck of a fight ,eh.:D

[ficious]

Congrats on the big ski. Seen em plenty, haven't landed a big one yet. Good thing you had a camera, and a gaff!

Harry

[icefishin nutz]

OMG....
I couldnt imagine it!!!!... LOL ... Nice job:)
Lisa

[Nascar31Fan]

That had to be a great thrill! Way to go!

[goosebustr79]

I have caught a few through the ice but never that big. Good Job!

[MAttt]

Great story and an awsome fish Radar! Congrats.

Mattt

[harsens hunter]

Nice job with the Musky. Sounds like one hell of a fight. Hopefully your pictures come out good.

[stinger63]

Very excellant job such a big fish on small equipent.Im sure your wors can hardly describe how much of a fight that fish gave you.:)

[jd_7655]

Cool story, thats an incredible catch through the ice on light equipment. I've pulled off similar feats but not that incredable. I once caught a 23 lb king salmon on 8lb line and a 6 ft walleye rod from shore. Your story blows mine away.

[Whitetail70]

That was one of the best threads I've read. Felt like I was right there w/Radar. Great job.

[eddiejohn4]

Now thats ice fishing:lol: I would of liked to see ya pull that hog in.

[Dead Bird]

nice job... that expalins why there were no perch...:yikes:

[Czarthree]

I live in Livonia and I could hear ya screaming from my house. LOL. Great job on a whopper of a `skie.

[ICEGUY]

Seemed like I was there. seeya

[Ed Michrina]

Great job on the Muskie. I've iced some nice muskie but not that big! 10" hole?

[WALLEYEvision]

Awesome job!

[mschirr]

Post those pics for confirmation on that story!

[Week End Redneck]

10" hole?



I was wondering the same thing. Congrats on the beast Radar!!!!!!!!!!

[Radar420]

Great job on the Muskie. I've iced some nice muskie but not that big! 10" hole?

I'm pretty sure it was "only" an 8", not 100% positive though since it was already drilled but it looked about the size of my normal auger hole which is an 8. The fish actually got stuck going back down the hole, I had to grab its tail and give it a little push to get it all the way down.

And Ed I believe I have you to thank. Didn't you post about hitting some walleye .8 mi out? I've been fishing shallow all week but when I read your post I decided to try deeper water and lucked out into that fish. Thanks.

[downRIVER]

I'm calling shenanigans. (hey someone had to do it)
Get those pictures developed and prove me wrong. please.


Great description. Congrats!

[Royal Whaler]

so anyone fishing approx a mile out probably heard me hootin' and hollerin'

Hi Radar, I was the fisherman walking in with you last night and yes, i was about 300 yards west of you and could hear you hollering and could see your camera flashes when it took place. Greatest ice fishing story this season. :)

[COHO]

cool story, i have seen monsters in that area but could not get em to bite. so i almost know how you feel, gets the heart pumpin good:yikes: good job on the fresh water shark:fish:

[Mark Sylvester]

I agree with Whaler...Best story of the Winter
Congrats!!!
Hope the pics come out for you.

[Dunlap]

I saw your post before going out fishing this morning. 30 minutes into the day and I was fighting a large fish. All i could think about was your muskie story. End up being the largest smallie I have ever seen. I lost it at the hole when my 2 lb. line snapped. All I wanted was a picture :sad:

Great job!!!!!

[Salmonous Maximus]

Awesome job! Pics! Pics!

[Serge]

Great post! Good job with the light tackle. Can't wait to see the pics.

[Radar420]

Ask and though shalt receive.

I'm glad these pics came out alright. Now hopefully they post properly.

Any guesses on weight???

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/557280-R1-002-00A.jpg

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/557280-R1-004-0A.jpg

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/557280-R1-006-1A.jpg

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/557280-R1-008-2A.jpg

[Robert Hoover]

did you get a measurement on it?based on the second picture and youre stance im gonna say 19-24 lbs although it has a hella bellie on it ,I guess that is were all the jumbos went!great job nice fish bet you and youre close smell like the beast!lol

[Radar420]

did you get a measurement on it?based on the second picture and youre stance im gonna say 19-24 lbs although it has a hella bellie on it ,I guess that is were all the jumbos went!great job nice fish bet you and youre close smell like the beast!lol

The only "measurement" I got was when I layed my spud on top of it. My spud is 50" and went from the tip of the jaw to the fork in its tail so I'm estimating that it was 1-2" longer than that.

[downRIVER]

Great fish, great story, great photos.

I WAS WRONG! THIS WAS NOT SHENANIGANS.

I bet your glad you had your disposable camera. I am.

Congratulations.

[Week End Redneck]

Glad to finally see the pics! Must have been a blast. Great job. Now I want to catch one bigger.:D

[Big_Man_Brad]

Wow! Big fish great story hope you post the pic's shure would like to see them!:fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fish::fi sh: :cwm27: :yikes:

[tedshunter]

I am not a Musky fisherman but is'nt it a closed season this time of year for Muskies?Now please do'nt bash me and call me an armchair C.O. just don't want to see anyone get a ticket not knowing including me:D

[MiketheElder]

1. Season closed - yes.
2. Big belly = eggs. Muskies gotta spawn too.

[D and L]

Been anxiously awaiting those pictures. :)

That's one big mamma!!!!! :yikes:

[COHO]

I am not a Musky fisherman but is'nt it a closed season this time of year for Muskies?Now please do'nt bash me and call me an armchair C.O. just don't want to see anyone get a ticket not knowing including me:D
guess you gotta read slower,

[Mark Sylvester]

"I had gaffed it perfectly through it's bottom lip."

Post #1

[Radar420]

Mark

From your post I'm guessing you are implicating that it is illegal to gaff fish. Can you show me in the regulations where it says you can't gaff fish? Because all I found was this:

Gaffs: Gaffs may be used to help land lawfully hooked fish on all waters except on a trout stream.

As far as I'm concerned, the fish was lawfully hooked (ie not snagged). Furthermore, until the point I got it on the ice, for all I know it could have been a large pike. I've gaffed many fish through the lip in my time and I can honestly say that my gaffing technique does less harm to the fish than my jaw spreader or the larger trebles I use on my tip-ups. Heck it probably did less damage than the two lampreys I took off it.

Oh well, I guess next time I'll spud out a 6' x 4' hole so I can net it.

[tedshunter]

By the looks of that pic that fish looks frozen and dead to me.That is why I asked if they were in season or not.

[Renegade]

Rule of thumb for us musky fisherman:
on average a 50" fish will have a girth of 19-22 inches and will weigh 28-32#. That is definitely a 30# plus fish, looked healthy, and glad to hear those lampreys stayed on the ice, even better that a fish of that caliber is here spawning on the American side. If you want a quality reproduction mount, St. Clair Flats Taxidermy in Algonac does amazing work on muskies, and with some thereabouts dimensions of the fish he can make it "come to life".
Congrats, great fish.

Renegade

MOMC
MSSC

[Salmonous Maximus]

Great, great catch! Don't bother with the crap that some jealous guys are gonna inevitably dish out. Way to go dude!

[Radar420]

By the looks of that pic that fish looks frozen and dead to me.That is why I asked if they were in season or not.

Appreciate the concern but if you notice in my first post I mentioned "releasing it" at least twice. I had that fish out on the ice no longer than 5 min and if you look at the first picture you can see that the spud is off-kilter as opposed to the other pics. It is because the fish flipped over as I was taking the pic. The fish is also upside down in relation to the other pics.

Anyways if I had kept it, I would have at least liked to have a pic of me holding it.;)

[Mark Sylvester]

I agree with Whaler...Best story of the Winter
Congrats!!!
Hope the pics come out for you.

See what I MEAN!!!!:nono:

APOLOGY ACCEPTED!!!:hide:

I must admitt I am a little pizzed right now...I beter go to bed!

Please go over my previous posts and I dare anyone to find anything NEGATIVE about any one or ANYTHING!!!!!


AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!!!!!:irked:

[Mark Sylvester]

Now I had a post not go thru...
A few mins ago I stated that the only reason that I posted about the gaff is to SUPPORT YOU By pointing out that YOU in fact gaffed the fish the proper way and that THE FISH WILL BE FINE!!!!!:rant:

[Mark Sylvester]

Also Read My Sig!!!!!

[Mark Sylvester]

I Am NOT a jealous person and if you and radar would read a little closer and more throughly you would have see that!!!!!
YOU SHOULDN"T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!!!!!:rant:

[Renegade]

Would it be less sportsman like to gaff a fish at a 8" hole rather than one trolling at 4.5 mph?????
No....
Great catch, even through the ice......
Let him go, let him grow....
Renegade
MOMC
MSSC

[Radar420]

Mark,

My sincerest apologies. When I saw the post questioning the legality of the fish, you had a post a few spots down that was only a quote from my story. I thought you were to trying to implicate that the gaff was illegal based on that quote and the fact it was posted shortly after the legality question. I am truly sorry for the mix-up and hope you haven't been getting bashed:hide:

To everyone else,

Thank you for your kind words. It truly was an awesome fish and I had an awesome time catching it. Now it's time to get out and try and enjoy these last few days of ice we have left.:)

[Mark Sylvester]

Would it be less sportsman like to gaff a fish at a 8" hole rather than one trolling at 4.5 mph?????
No....
Great catch, even through the ice......
Let him go, let him grow....
Renegade
MOMC
MSSC
Whats the difference?????:confused:
I don't get your point!!!:confused:

[tedshunter]

Sorry:evil:

[Mark Sylvester]

Mark,

My sincerest apologies. When I saw the post questioning the legality of the fish, you had a post a few spots down that was only a quote from my story. I thought you were to trying to implicate that the gaff was illegal based on that quote and the fact it was posted shortly after the legality question. I am truly sorry for the mix-up and hope you haven't been getting bashed:hide:

To everyone else,

Thank you for your kind words. It truly was an awesome fish and I had an awesome time catching it. Now it's time to get out and try and enjoy these last few days of ice we have left.:)

Thank you for the apology!:coolgleam
That was the stand up thing to do!!!! It shows the thing that I pride myself in the most...INTRGRITY!!!!

Now I am going to wait and see if Salmonous Maximus has that quality as well!!!
I Hope So!!! There is to little Integrity in this world as it is!!!!

[Mark Sylvester]

Mark,

My sincerest apologies. When I saw the post questioning the legality of the fish, you had a post a few spots down that was only a quote from my story. I thought you were to trying to implicate that the gaff was illegal based on that quote and the fact it was posted shortly after the legality question. I am truly sorry for the mix-up and hope you haven't been getting bashed:hide:

To everyone else,

Thank you for your kind words. It truly was an awesome fish and I had an awesome time catching it. Now it's time to get out and try and enjoy these last few days of ice we have left.:)

Thank you for the apology!:coolgleam I really appreciate the fact that you put it out for all to see. That was the right thing to do!;)
That was the stand up thing to do!!!! It shows the thing that I pride myself in the most...INTRGRITY!!!!

Now I am going to wait and see if Salmonous Maximus has that quality as well!!!
I Hope So!!! There is to little Integrity in this world as it is!!!!

[Mark Sylvester]

Sorry:evil:

Sorry with an evil face... I don't get IT either!!!:confused:

[Mark Sylvester]

I apologize for the order of my posts...for some reason they are messing up and even a double post I don't know what's going on with posts today!
I hope everything can still be understood without too much confusion!

[Salmonous Maximus]

I hope everything can still be understood without too much confusion!


Ummmm....excuse me?:confused: Why the HELL are you implicating that I lack integrity?? I never said anything about YOU in particular. I just was telling Radar that he should not get bent out of shape about any crap some jealous guys might dish out. You know how quickly some members like to turn a good post to crap. That's it. I never wrote anything about you!!

BTW- Nice fish Radar...again! Mark- sorry you are now bent out of shape, but don't call me out.

[sweatyspartan]

It shows the thing that I pride myself in the most...INTRGRITY!!!!

Does anyone else see the irony in "INTRGRITY" having a typo?:lol:

not making fun of anyone...just a funny thing I noticed.

Lets get back to the point though - THAT'S AN AWESOME FISH!:yikes:

[yellowbelly80]

nice fish but the post whoreing is kinda getting out of hand on this thread

[Mark Sylvester]

Ummmm....excuse me?:confused: Why the HELL are you implicating that I lack integrity?? I never said anything about YOU in particular. I just was telling Radar that he should not get bent out of shape about any crap some jealous guys might dish out. You know how quickly some members like to turn a good post to crap. That's it. I never wrote anything about you!!

BTW- Nice fish Radar...again! Mark- sorry you are now bent out of shape, but don't call me out.
Did you or did you not include me in the jealous people you refer to?

[Mark Sylvester]

nice fish but the post whoreing is kinda getting out of hand on this thread
And I don't consider it "Post whoring" When I am defending myself!!
Please consider the time of night I wrote those things.
If you don't get my point... I was very angry and I would write something and tell myself to go to bed! Then my anger would get the better of me, and I would write something else! Thats all! No whoring just anger!
I personally think that anything that shows the amount of posts someone has pubically should be removed!

[Mark Sylvester]

Does anyone else see the irony in "INTRGRITY" having a typo?:lol:

not making fun of anyone...just a funny thing I noticed.

Lets get back to the point though - THAT'S AN AWESOME FISH!:yikes:
Sorry for the typo! I will correct it.

[Salmonous Maximus]

Did you or did you not include me in the jealous people you refer to?

To be quite honest with you Mark, I did not read your post until after you mentioned my name in yours. I don't have the time to read 100 posts in one thread. I saw that Radar was getting irritated by some negative comments when I came to this thread to see the pics, and I wrote a harmless comment that you are blowing way, way out of proportion. I really should not have to defend myself any further. Stop getting so angry and go fish. I'm sorry if you feel that I singled you out.....I was just making an innocent comment, which is allowed ( I think):irked:

[MiketheElder]

Mark, I think you've had your moment.

[shadow7663]

This thread has run its course, nothing good will come of it now.

Congrats on a nice fish.

MARK GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND GO FISHING!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark Sylvester]

After dwelling on this last night I agree that I may have gone a bit overboard and for that I apologise to the entire forum!!! I am SORRY!!!
But please try to understand that I protect my reputation as a person that puts a high emphasis on truth and honor. I guess sometimes I can get carried away. I hope that at this time Any on the forum that I have offended will forgive me. OH and also...

NICE FISH ROCKY!!!
I HOPE YOU CAN GET A MOUNT OUT OF THE PIC!!!( Damm cap lock!!)
Now lets fish!!!