53 muskies in 2 days!

[2000subaru]

Now that I have your attention...

Just saw this on the North American Fishing Club website. Below the photo is the text from the site.




Some fish tales you have to see to believe. This is one of them. It’s no fisherman’s lie; it’s a true incident that’s never been told. Until now. Thanks to NAFC member Bill Gautche, founder of the Billy Finn Lure Company, who discovered and unveiled this mind-boggling photo from decades ago.

The year: 1962. The scene: An old rec hall on the shores of Lake St. Clair, with a motley crew of muskie addicts from Detroit and St. Clair Shores. The legend: 53 muskies displayed by 47 anglers… caught in a two-day span that might be the hottest muskie blitz ever documented.

“People were talking about it all over the place, but nobody could believe it,” says Gautche, a board member on the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, who’s only shown the photo to a half-dozen friends before. “We went out in 18-foot open boats or 27-foot small cabin boats and trolled with four rods to a boat in 4- to 8-feet of water.”

The hot lure: The newly invented SwimWhizz, fished by the inventor himself, Capt. Homer LeBlanc (pictured in the front row with the black hat… and the biggest muskie).

[Rich McVey]

Wheres the photo? (Fixed Now)

[dilbert]

[2000subaru]

Thanks seth, it shows on mine though?

[Rich McVey]

Odd, Mine is showing a little pic that says,"This Image Or Video Has Been Moved or Deleted, Photobucket" (Fixed Now)

The one dilbert posted is showing fine.

That is an amazing photo.

[dilbert]

Thanks dilbert, it shows on mine though?

This is all we see. The pic is probably cached on your computer. Did you load it into photo bucket then move it to the fishing folder? When I navigated backwards it took me directly to your main folder and then I had to go into the fishing one to find the photo.

[dilbert]

Is that Drew Carey in the front left wearing the suit? People just don't get dressed up for fishing like they used to.

[ProAngler'sDaughter]

Too funny!!

What an awesome feat!! Thanks for sharing...

PAD

[TroutCowboy]

Reminds me of old-time photos of my grandfather fishing at the old family lake cabin on Bay Lake, MN. They'd have bass, pike & trout strung across a stick held between two fisherman. Both of them wearing ties! I can still remember him wearing a tie when he'd take me fishing (I now own the boat). It was a clip-on tie by then (arthritis, probably) and a button-down short-sleeved shirt. A different era (classier, in my opinion), for sure.

Thanks for sharing, brought back some great memories!

[Marc Martyn]

Without digging through my old family pictures, I think that I also have a picture of my grandfather wearing a tie fishing. I think it stems from the old belief that a true gentleman always dressed presentably. The dress code has certainly changed.

I remember going out to dinner with my grandparents to a exclusive restaurant in the Minneapolis . I was around 5 years old (1956). I can vividly remember the maitre d' (head waiter) telling my grandfather "The young man, sir, must have a tie." To this day, I can still remember grandpa saying firmly as he clinched his pipe between his teeth, "Well then, the young man and his family will be dining at another establishment!"

[Kenster]

Look's like 53 potential world class ancestry fish to me! I wonder if that put a dent in that lake's Musky fishery of today? If musky live on average 8 years those fish could have been 6-7 generation grandfish if they were released! (that's some fishing club)

Kenster

[muskyhunter]

If I am not mistaken a couple years later Gil Hamm started Muskies Inc and started the first catch and release program ever by a fishing club...Is that Don W in there in the third row?

[ProAngler'sDaughter]

Yep Gil started things in 1966 and made Muskie Fishing history...

PAD

[bad esox]

Wow! What a picture! When one thinks about it catching 53 muskies in two days is really an amazing feat! The "conditions" must of made for the "perfect storm". I've had some good days back in the Hayward Wisconsin area but nothing like that. I guess here in 2008 I can be thankful that Mr. Hamm came along and made the sacrifices he did, along with others who helped him, to get Muskies Inc. going. Thanks for "C-P-R" and the terrific fishery that we have today Gil!!!

I hope there are muskies where you are too!

Tight lines...

[ProAngler'sDaughter]

Here's another exciting frenzie, you may or may not have heard of:

Muskie Rampage

Many still remember the hot, calm week in July 1955 when Leech Lake gave up muskies like never before.

In 1955 one of the most famous photos in muskie fishing lore was taken: a stringer-shot of 20-some muskies caught in about a day and a half of fishing. A few midsummer days of 1955 became known as the Leech Lake Muskie Rampage, one of the most intriguing muskie "bites" of all time. The muskies on Leech Lake started giving themselves up like nobody had ever seen before.

[fishnislife]

:cyclopsan
Holy Smokes! Now that had to definitely put a dent in that lakes Muskie population. But back then fishing everywhere was a lot better than it is today. Still an amazing feat.





fishnislife

[kevinb]

I believe this is now reffered to as "The Muskie Massacre"

[Rollin with Rolland]

:cyclopsan
Holy Smokes! Now that had to definitely put a dent in that lakes Muskie population. But back then fishing everywhere was a lot better than it is today. Still an amazing feat.
fishnislife

Ah yes....the famous leech lake muskie rampage. If you grow up in MN, they teach you about this in kindergarten, even before the ABC's!!

Not sure if you mean Leech or the 53 muskies fishnislife, but leech lake is HUGE, probably the third or fourth largest lake in MN, somewhere near 100,000 acres, so it wouldn't be to bad on the population. None the less.....glad we have C&R nowadays....