It takes a dedicated angler to get out on the frigid waters of Green Bay in December. But seasoned Sturgeon Bay locals Ron Hedsand and John Vieau took benefit of the mid-30s temps on Dec. 7 and headed out to chase bass and muskie on top-of-the-line muskellunge fisheries in a state.
It’s an excellent factor the longtime fishing companions determined to courageous the chilly climate. Just a couple of hours later, Hedsand reeled in what the Door County Pulse is reporting as one of many largest muskies ever caught in Green Bay.
The fish measured 55 inches in size, about 10 inches longer than the higher finish of the vary for common muskellunge. Dedicated muskie anglers begin drooling as soon as a “Fish of 10,000 Casts” reaches the 50-inch mark, making this one a dream come true. But it wasn’t simply the size that shocked Hedsand and Vieau.
The girth on the this fish measured a formidable 29.5 inches, placing the estimated weight of the fish at round 60 kilos. In a 2021 Outdoor Life story, Green Bay muskie information Doug Wegner mentioned the largest muskie he is aware of about coming from Green Bay is a 58.25-inch fish with an estimated weight of 54 kilos (it was caught by his muskie fishing mentor Luke Ronnestrand, a Minnesota information).
The dimensions on Hedsand’s fish have been so massive they don’t even come near becoming on this muskie weight chart from the Missouri Department of Conservation. That’s as a result of muskies within the northern states of Wisconsin and Minnesota develop to epic proportions. For context, one angler lately broke the West Virginia state report with a 51-pound muskie, which was the identical size as Hedsand’s. Add 9 kilos of weight to the fish you see right here and you’ve got an thought of the scale fish that Hedsand pulled out of Green Bay’s waters.
Infamous muskie angler Louis Spray nonetheless holds the Wisconsin report together with his 69-pound, 11-ounce catch from October 1949. His fish additionally holds the All-Tackle report within the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, even with two bullet holes in its head, put there by certainly one of Spray’s companions whereas Spray had the fish proper subsequent to the boat. Those two holes stop Spray from holding the International Game Fishing Association report, which doesn’t think about a gunshot as a authorized methodology of touchdown report fish. The validity of Spray’s muskie report is nonetheless questioned by many to today.
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When Hedsand first hooked into his monster fish, whereas working a Bulldawg in 15-20 ft of water, he initially thought he was snagged.
“As I was casting, I saw Ron’s rod bend,” Vieau instructed the Door County Pulse. “Ron said, ‘How can I be snagged?’–which turned into ‘Get the net!’ once he felt the big head shakes.”
The razor sharp tooth lining a muskie’s mouth could make them troublesome to boat and {photograph} with out harm. But Vieau snapped an excellent image of Hedsand cradling the 60-plus-pound fish, trying like an previous professional. They launched the muskie shortly thereafter to stay and eat one other day. Muskie of that size could be 20 years previous or older.
“Although we catch many different kinds of fish, Ron is a diehard muskie fisherman,” Vieau mentioned. “Always has a good attitude and confidence.”
Muskie Fishing on Green Bay
Green Bay has develop into a pink scorching muskie fishing vacation spot in recent times. Legendary muskie angler and Wisconsin resident Pete Maina wrote for Outdoor Life: “There’s little question it’s the most effective trophy muskie fishery in Wisconsin. That being mentioned, trophy-seeking muskie anglers received’t be alone as there’s loads of fishing stress. However, there’s additionally loads of room to seek for Ethel out on the Bay. It looks as if these fish journey in packs, extra usually than muskies in different fisheries. They present up in sure places persistently with their seasonal strikes. And though these conventional areas at the moment are well-known, massive fish proceed to be caught. Green Bay muskies positively roam far and large from in style zones as effectively, together with solution to the north, and yow will discover them on either side of the bay.