St. Lawrence River near Ottawa Ontario is not only the countries capital city, but its the big musky capital of the world. Some may argue that point, but they’d be wrong. There are few bodies of water that can yield 50+ inch musky regularly. For years I’ve heard people saying the St. Lawrence would produce the next world record musky, and in November 2008, it did just that.
Dale MacNair, was on the St. Lawrence River in late November when he hooked on to the fish of a lifetime. A biggest muskellunge ever recorded. His incredible catch was 57″ long, more than 33″ around and weighed a earth shattering 77 pounds (35kg)!
Some fishermen spend they entire lives chasing a 50 inch musky, but after only one year in search of muskie, MacNair caught one that was almost 60 inches!
It’s a special occasion when such a massive fish is caught, but what makes it even more special is that this behemoth was released and swam away strong.
via The Tribune
Firstly happy new year to yo all.Think the new look and features you have given the site is the absolute bollocks.This has to be if not one of the best all round fishing sites on the web.
Secondly I would like to use this picture on my own blog but will link the entire article you guys have featured streight to your site if that is okay with you.
Will come back later today to read your answer.
Have a top week
Simon
Oh baby!….Talk about being in the right place at the right time, imagine if he’d decided to stay in bed that day and not bother!….He’s a top bloke too, the best bit, he released it to be caught and make someone else’s dreams come true!
WOW , what was the last record ? something like 65 lbs ? georgian bay ….
this baby broke it by like 12 lbs ?!?! jesus thats MAAAAAASSSSSSIIIVVVVVEEEEE
Heres some info on the old musky record…
http://www.fishingfury.com/20051021/scandalous-muskies/
and Simon: feel free to link us anytime!
It looks like he’s being air lifted out with that huge fish!
That’s one huge musky. I have a feeling the 60″ (5 feet long!!) musky isn’t far away.
Simon, you’re always welcome to republish our posts provided you always have a link back to our site. As for the editorials however, republishing rights are done on a case by case basis. And thanks for letting you know that you like the new look of our site!!!
Jason, you’re absolutely right! HAHA, that’s awesome!
Did the angler report this catch to any of the record-keeping organizations? If the fish was really 77 pounds then it could be recognized as a new world record.
It appears that he released it without reporting the catch. Is that correct? So the fish is not recognized as a world record?
Thanks for any info you can provide.
It is recognized as a catch and release record as far as I know. I don’t think the fish was actually weighed, but simply estimated to be around 77lbs. It is about the same length as the current world record, but has a thicker girth.
I don’t believe that the St. Lawrence River goes anywhere near Ottawa. It does go thru Ontario, but Ottawa? Not even near!
Yeah, you are right on that one. The fisherman is from Ottawa, but the St. Lawrence is definitely way south…
This is the fish that we dream of catching 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
You did a great job and its back in the river to give someone else a thrill of a life time.
This is catch and release at its very best.
CONGRATS
This photo and story is in the latest In Fisherman Pike & Musky special edition.
What do you mean by “the St. Lawrence is way south”?? Its seperates New York and Ontario.. (as its my home water)… And also yes, the fish was released. Its no official record..the weight of the fish has been debated since the info came out… The accepted formula for calculation muskies weight is length x girth x girth / 800. Thats how they came up with this
Dammit Jake, I’m a fisherman, not a geographer!
Clive can’t even find himself on one of those mall maps.
I fear I’ve been dumbed down by GPS nav systems…
It is odd that a Muskie fisherman would not weight a fish of that size, knowing that it could be a world record fish. This story SMELLS FISHY.
Many muskie fisherman value the release of their catch far more than winning a wold record. Also, in order for it to qualify as a world record it must be weighted on a certified scale and killed for later study by the igfa.
I’d rather have the glory of releasing a world record fish back in to the wild.
Few avid musky fishermen want to see a fish like this die, I know I dont.
Being a Kansas boy, we don’t do muskie fishing down here. Been lucky enough to visit an uncle in Wisconsin on 2 separate trips and caught a 40″ and 42″ muskie respectively.
Talk about being hooked on muskie fishing!
I know why he released the fish , let me tell u guys , their r even bigger ones out there , we all know it , problem is catching one , i have been building musky baits old school style for some time now and believe i can take the ten thousand casts and narrow the window down to maybe 100 casts , however for now i cant friggen wait till spring to try this idea concept lure out personally , if she does what i think , i will be looking for someone to try out a few of these at tournaments
musky dan 330-883-8239
i in the past 14 days,and my neighbors have,in our 10 acre lake have watched 9 and maybe a tenth duck lose ther life to a muskie.this a incredible fish.i saw tonight a goose go down.this is a apartment complex that surounds a large pond and ther is a easy endless supply of ducks.do to everyone feeds them yearound. this fish is and i swear that it is 72″and as i see records will dworf any including the st.lawrence 69.i have fish all my life im45 grew up in the south on the mississippi and have cought many cat over 75# but holy shit. i have got this fish in my head and have spent three days throwing and then a neighbor yells and i look and see feathers.help i cant rest till i catch it.i need a person with great knowledge to respond.im in shelby mi. call me anytime.got phone wet on 9/1 will have new phone 248-242-2582or stonecounters1@aol.com help
sorry guys i put the wrong #248-242-2582 my little girl at 1:20 am turn off light, thanks
Sounds awesome Ken, I wish I lived nearby so I could chase that monster with you!
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haha i just caught a 32 lb muskie was 38 inches
Muskie can be a real problem here, constantly taking bait while walleye fishing. The “baby” limit in the Rideau River (zone 18 in the Ontario fishing regulations) in 44 inches.
We often catch 30″-36″ Muskie. This size of fish is common and they are like reeling in a log. A pike this size would put up a much bigger fight.
I caught a 54 inch muskie with a 31 inch girth here in western Pa a few years ago. She weighed 52 lbs, I find it hard to believe that this fish was 25 lbs heavier..
a 38 in musky can’t be 32 lbs….a 40 in musky is rarely more than 20 lbs.
I battled a muskie last summer in the Ottawa River, close to Wendover, that was only slightly smaller than this monster, I know a worlds record is in that river.
My guide mentioned he never seen ANY fish the size of that muskie, that day.
The whole St Lawrence watershed area is a fantastic fishery.
Hi Folks,just surfin for current musky news today 10-25-’12 when I came upon this page and the conversation about that big musky.I was on the river the same day that Dale caught his fish.That is one fine musky but I will kiss a dead mooses butt if it weighed 77lbs. We will never know for sure but some of us more experienced guys[sorry,I truly am not trying to sound like a snob]have doubted the weight since the catch was first reported. I caught my own monster on November18,2000 fishing the north shore of Wolfe Island in the St.Lawrence.It was fifty five and a half inches long with an incredible thirty seven inch girth.No bull,this fish had shoulders plus a belly that would have made Haystack Calhoon proud.My partner and I didn’t even hazard a guess as to the weight but had no doubts about it being in the high fifties.I have never killed a musky so like all the others this one was released and took off like a shot even after a half hour battle on fifteen pound test.I sent a photo of the fish with measurements to In-Fisherman Magazine for their ideas of the weight.They too were amazed at the girth.They used a formula of LxLxGxG/45450.My fishes dimensions did not fit the formula neatly so the editors reduced the girth to31.5 and got a weight of sixty six pounds.After having held the fish which was still struggling,for pictures,I think the In-Fisherman estimate is close to being spot on.I do wonder just what formula would have had to been used with the original dimensions to get that same weight or perhaps even heavier.If you care to look,the picture of me holding that fish was published in the October/November 2001 issue of In-Fisherman Magazine.May we all catch Big Fish! Tight Lines!
Certainly a BiG fish. I love the fact that it was apparently released, but if this fish was truly 77 pounds he may have wanted to certify it. Anyone registering a Muskie larger than Louis Spray’s 69lb 11 ounce fish would make enough money to spend the rest of their days fishing. A fish of a lifetime, but not a record. Regardless, I can’t say enough about the angler for releasing such a trophy.
That really is a superb muskie. Where I do my fishing a 20lb pike is a notable fish. It’s hard to comprehend that at 77lbs that muskie is close to four times the size of one of my 20lb pike!Joe.