Pennsylvania State Record Muskellunge - 1924

I woulnt despute that a 70 inch muskyinsnt possible, but in PA i think not. That was a interesting read. Thats PDF sums up the "muddy" musky world records. And how fish get imbelished over time. I think that on avg. bigger muskies swim today becuase of better management and a change in angler mind set. The current fly caught world record in the 36 pound tippet class was caught by Brad Bohen. A 51 .25 inch fish in Wis. Bohen record musky article For a shot @ a true beast like the in the 50 pound class on a fly well, Im gonna need a 12 wt. and work on my 16 inch sucker pattern, move to canada and become a musky tramp !
 
I would bet that lake Erie could hold a monster muskie. There is so much water to cover it would be possible for a true moster to be lurking around. I know that shenango lake in sharon pa has some big muskies along with the shenango river. Believe it or not there are some huge muskies in the neshanock creek. There are some deep holes in there where I have seen huge muskies crush trout after they are stocked. Plus the neshanock creek connects the the shenango river. Also moraine lake in butler has some big muskies. Another muskie lake is pymatuming. There are some large fish in there.
 
Theres the standard huge fish a 50 incher. Were talkin a record class musky near 60 pound. Yeah Erie, ARTHUR, Pymy, Kinzua and the a Allegheny those are a gimmy. I dont see a 60 pound fish coming outta Neshanock or Shenango or any medium sz river. And let alone catching it on fly gear. We cant compete with pace, casting diastance, lure size, and the amount of water a guy with a baitcaster can cover. Gear fishing for musky is just more effiecent in every way. I didnt even mention fishing a lure or bait ( a 6 pound sucker) at a depth more than 20ft. Which is a real problem to solve with fly gear.
 
Well your shot at a large muskie with fly gear does limit you. That is why the shenango river below the dam might be your best option at a large muskie. Its the deepest point with large numbers of fish gathering there so small fish combined with bait fish draws in larger predators. In the evening fish move in closer from the dam. I am not sure if a 60 pound muskie is in there but you might be able to get into a really nice one on fly gear. If you do hook one there is a lot of rebarb in there and it will be tough to keep them out of this. I have seen guys hook into huge muskies in there but landing them is another story.
 
You poor soles,
12wt with a 550 gr. lead core will get those 16" sucker flies to the 20'+ depths..got the rig here as a matter of fact..
 
I suppose someone who was really dedicated and innovative could set up a fly rod with specs like Sandfly suggests above that would make it somewhat possible to target deep muskies in a place like Lake Erie, Lake St Clair, Kinzua, or St Lawrence River.

Just speaking honestly for myself, catching small river muskies on fly gear is so darn difficult in and of itself..... that actually trying to fish deep water just doesn't have any appeal to me. I'd stick to trolling conventional gear if I really wanted that trophy fish.

With regards to places in PA for trophies: I'd add Raystown as a sleeper. It's not really known for muskies like Pymatuning or Kinzua but has produced fish in the mid 50" class over the years. Definitely has the forage and deep water.
Not a place I'd care to FF for muskies however.
 
yeah might be taking a trip to the st. Lawrence this year in the motor home. will take the 12 along to play with..
 
River fish are awsome 90 percent of the time you get to see the fish take the fly. And the fish just comes outta nowhere. Its the most violent and brutal strike youll ever have. I had about 30 muskys strikes on a fly gear last yr. And I could go out and hook 1 tomorrow and it would still shake me up. If it didnt I'd quit.
 
I would like to get into some muskies with the fly rod this year. I have never tried them but I want to. I think it would be crazy to have a large muskie come out of nowhere and murder your fly.
 
I agree with FishIdiot on fishing deep with flies. At some point, it becomes more work than fun. But even more than that, other than technically the rod and reel being a fly rod, it's not really fly fishing...to me anyway.

I'm okay with catching the small 40 - 50" fish while fly fishing...:lol:

BTW, great pics guys. Some real beasts on a fly rod. Good job!
 
Its all work no matter what depth your fishing.
 
I remember reading somewhere a few years ago, I think on the PFBC website, that someone caught a huge musky outa Pymatuning during the tournament and it exceeded the state record by a pound, but it was a C&R tournament and the fish was released.

Yes the Shenango River both below the Shenango Lake and Pymatuning has big muskys. I haven't seen any personally below Shenango dam but know they're in there. I hooked a big one in the upper stretch below pyma dam a few years ago, but it was a long distance release. I caught small pike too in both stretches. Doubt there would be a state record coming out of the river or lake, but you never know...
 
The best shot @ a big river fish beside the rivers near " the Burgh" is the Allegheny or the Big "J".
A pure bred river musky are pretty. The mature 1's start loosing the bars on the sides and go clear. Most pureblood lake musky never loose bars. I dont know why.
 
On the topic of giant muskies - there's always rumors of giant fish that often turn out to be fish stories (of course). Sometimes, even old fish mounts are found to be "enhanced."

And as we've seen, these fish stories often swirl around fish caught in trap nets or electrofishing by state agencies who, according to rumor or conspiracy theory.... invariably "covered up" the catch.

Not that we don't like to hear these stories. 🙂
It is, after all, part of the muskie mystique.

Anyway, here's a pic showing some fish commission workers from NY with a giant trap net muskie that, apparently, set off rumors of a 100lb fish.
This photo is from Chautauqua Lake in the 1940s. Of note, it is from these fish in Chautauqua that PA acquired its brood fish back then. Our PA muskies are sometimes labeled "Chautauqua Lake strain."
Anyway, it's obviously an enormous fish - easily in the 60 inch range and would haunt any muskie hunter's dreams - but it's nothing near 100 pounds.

(Source: Northern Pike and Muskie, **** Sternberg; Delosse Inc, 1992, p 27)
 

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On the topic of giant muskies, thought I'd re-fresh this thread.

The fish below was caught a couple years ago in the St Lawrence River (and released). This fish was measured at 6o inches and, with it's enormous girth, was estimated to be an honest 60 lbs. In all likelihood, this is the largest muskellunge caught by an angler in the last 25 or so years and it's probably the second largest ever caught. Had it been caught in PA, this fish would easily crush the PA state record.... and most other states had it been kept and weighted on certified scales. Thankfully, most muskies guys release everything they catch these days. It's nice to know that monsters like these are still roaming around out there.

Photo Courtesy: In-Fisherman magazine, May 2013, p 38
 

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Big girls like that is what dreams are made of. There's bin 4 or five record book worthy muskys caught in the past couple of yrs. Seeburg, McNair & Obrian are the 3 I can remember reading about. Records are cool but catch a 25 plus year old fish & releasing it. Well that's the ultimate for of respect for the fish.
 
That why I got a 10Wt, That why I got a 10Wt
 
I'm a newbie here but not to muskies and certainly not to flyfishing. You guys have had some interesting discussion on the state record fish and the whole can o' worms with Ramsell and the MDWRMA.

The fish and boat commission manages our waters so that anglers can catch fish. It's not even in their peripheral view to be managing for trophy waters. Apparently the 40" size limit was a long shot suggestion from anglers that gained some momentum and support from inside, after they had wanted to go from 30" - 36". Regardless, we should be happy that angler input was taking into account and that an impact was made.

The talk of state record fish and where they would come from is all speculation.... There are sooo many things that would need to go right for a fish to be of the right length and only limited times in the year that they would reach a girth to reach 54 lbs. You're looking at a window in the late season and super early season. One of the things that would play into it would be the cold spring like this year, and a later spawn in which the fish would retain the girth longer into the spring, creating a better chance for anglers to catch her.

One of the problems in other states is the season limit. Guys on the St Lawrence/Buffalo Harbor/Georgian Bay are trying to get longer seasons, because the cold water forage movements in the fall are offset by the warmer weather, and the fish don't come shallow early enough to be targetted in season. Anyone who fishes there will tell you that the hours and hours between fish are insane, and the temps and winds make it almost unbearable in a boat, trolling. These are the diehard trophy hunters of the world.

Brad Bohen is in one of the single best places to fish for muskies in the world. There is no shortage of fish in Wisconsin, or water to target them... There are guys doing it on the big waters of St Clair with pretty good success, I'd think that is where the next fly monster will come from. The late fall window when the shad are moving in the rivers is the time to be there.... But the big ticket is finding the place before it gets hyped like that fishery.
 
Here's some more giant muskie news: on the same day earlier this month, two giants were caught and released from the St Lawrence River that will probably be new C&R length records:

Big Muskies
 
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