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Huge 'Tonka Muskie????

blackdog1101

By blackdog1101
in MN Twin Cities Metro Area Fishing Reports - Hunting

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blackdog1101 Proficient

blackdog1101

Posted
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I just got an email forwarded to me from a friend in Rchester. It's of a photo of someone who caught a huge muskie through the ice. The email claims it was caught on Minnetonka. From the photo I'd say it's about 50". Has anyone heard if this is legit? If so it's an incredible catch through the ice.

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tednugefan Community Regular

tednugefan

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i heard bout the 40 incher on mille lacs. he thought it was a big walleye when fighting it

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dfricke1010 Enthusiast

dfricke1010

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yea his story is on the mille lacs forum under "i just have to tell you guys this" or something like that. he was fishing for perch with a waxie. but yea if there was a 50 incher through the ice that would be pretty amazing because it was a pretty tight fit to get that 40 incher through the hole and a 50 incher is a lot bigger fish girthwise unless they drilled a couple holes

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blackdog1101 Proficient

blackdog1101

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Here are two pics. I pixillated out the anglers face and numbers on his house since I don't know who he is, or if this is a legitmate photo. I'm not good at telling doctored photos from real ones. But, if this is a legitimate catch, and I really have no reason to believe it is not, my hat is off to him. That is one great catch.

Muskie2_1-13-08.JPG

Muskie1_1-13-08.JPG

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Squirtis Contributor

Squirtis

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Wow,

I can believe it. My friend's dad caught a 53" Muskie out there about 1.5 years ago. I had a large one on for a while this last spring (may have been about 48"). I caught it after I caught a small bass on a Daredevil Skeeter in a back bay. I came up and grabbed the bass and let me circle her around the boat a couple of times before she let go. There are some real monsters in that lake.

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polarsusd81 Mentor

polarsusd81

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It sure looks like a real photo. We have no reason to believe anything different, there are definitely 50s swimming in Tonka, my buddy guides down there and put one of his clients on a 54 earlier this year, mid summer so the girth wasn't there like this fish, but it is certainly possible. I would love to catch something like that through the ice. Did it give any info on the equipment used to haul that sucker up? If that was caught on a crappie/panfish rig with 2 lb test, he might be holding a new line class record there. Unfortunately it was caught out of season, so it probably wouldn't classify, but a catch and release record it may. I certainly hope the fish was released as it is out of season.

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Kyle Sandberg Mentor

Kyle Sandberg

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That is a huge fish. I wonder how long it took him to get it in. My uncle caught a 20lb sturgen that took 20 mins. I can only imagine for this pig.

The picture looks real to me and the background could definatly be Tonka. Thanks for posting it.

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Where's Walter? Collaborator

Where's Walter?

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If its the same fish I heard about on Sunday, it was 54" and he killed it. Why would it be illegal?

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cjac Proficient

cjac

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Effective Dec 15th, the Minnesota muskie season is closed. Keeping this fish would definitely be 100% illegal. By closed, you cannot intentionally target them, and if caught are to be returned to the water. Yeah, you can take a quick pic (I beleive they cleaned up that verbiage last year), but in no means keep it.

I hope it went back down the hole. Sure looks like a 'tonka coloration, but that would be the thickest 'tonka fish I've seen. Sign of good things to come I hope.

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SnipeZilla Enthusiast

SnipeZilla

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It's not illegal, just immoral. Musky season is open until Feb. 24th, so it's not out of season. But why keep it?

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SnipeZilla Enthusiast

SnipeZilla

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ok, that post before my last one came up while i was writing the other one. I just looked at the DNR regs and it said the season closes on the 24th? Was this a special reg?

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Jameson Veteran

Jameson

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 Originally Posted By: SnipeZilla
It's not illegal, just immoral. Musky season is open until Feb. 24th, so it's not out of season. But why keep it?

Yes, some sort of special reg. IF it was legal, why would you consider it immoral? IF that fish was pulled up an eight inch hole, and put down the same hole it would likely die. Can't properly revive that fish in an eight inch hole. Also the cold air is very hard on these fish just after being caught. That is some of the "reasoning" behind the new reg.

It's too bad the people that pushed for the new reg didn't use the same energy to educate the public about how often these big fish die during "normal" ice fishing. As I often sight ice fish out of a spearers size hole, the new reg frustrates me much. If a muskie caught in the winter is kept warm in a fishhouse, and released properly in a large hole, I see very little difference than open water fishing. But now we have a December 15th closing date for Muskie.

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GotOne Proficient

GotOne

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I also got his picture emailed to me from a friend. His email said it was caught on Mille Lacs. Do we have the making of a "fish story" here:)?

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Surface Tension Grand Master

Surface Tension

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Guys, haven't we learned yet that these pictures floating around the net could be from anywhere, at any time.

Lets not jump to any conclusions here.

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Matt Johnson Grand Master

Matt Johnson

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This is indeed a true story and the fish is every bit real. The pictures circulated through the Thorne Bros store. Sure is a big fish and I'd say it's right around that 50" mark. Where it was caught is not for sure, but people say Tonka....

And just for the record, the muskie season is closed... the MN DNR closed it on December 13 this year, so if he kept that muskie it was taken illegally...

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