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Fat Fish Guide Service
Patrick Sheahan
680 Reserve Lane
Phelps, WI 54554
| The muskie is a grand fish, the top of the food chain in the lake. Its fighting abilities are superb. In fact, it's reputation for this is so widespread many fishermen use rods and reels far too heavy for fun. These are the ones, who go on the water with telephone poles and winches, then claim muskies have no fight. |
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| It takes a long time to grow a legal muskie - five years. No lake can produce muskies fast enough, if fishermen don't help by releasing them. Unfortunately, many muskies that are released with the good intentions of the fisherman die. |
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| If you intend to release a muskie don't net it and please do not brain it with a club. The time out of the water is critical to muskie and it can take far too long to get it and the hooks untangled from the netting. Clubbing it is certain death, whether it eventually swims away not |
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| Fight the muskie until it is tired (not to the point where it is physically exhausted because this raises the lactic acid in its system to critical levels) and work it to the side of the boat. Preferably take pictures here. Lean over the side of the boat (carefully, so you don't join the muskie in the drink) and remove the hook with a set of pliers. |
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| If you must have a picture of yourself holding it, make sure your hands are wet when you handle it. Dry skin breaks the mucus lining and allows fungus to set in. Take the picture as quickly as possible and get it back in the water. Passing the fish from one person to another so everyone can get a picture holding it is bad news. |
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| It's tempting to hold the muskie by its gills, they make handy handles. Stay away from them. The gills are extremely sensitive because they carry so much blood. A hand touching the red part of gills will certainly break the thin, protective film, bruise or scratch it. These injuries may be small enough not to notice. When you release the muskie, it will probably develop a fungus and die. |
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| Muskies are active fish and require large amounts of oxygen, especially in warm weather. The longer you keep it out of the water, the longer its recovery rate will be. If it is kept out too long, you can try muskie CPR by moving it slowly back and forth alongside the boat. This takes some experience or it can do the fish more harm than good. |
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| Releasing a muskie correctly takes skill and experience. Fat Fish Guide Service covers these important details in its Instructional Outings. |
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