Every muskie hunter obsesses over his or her pursuit of the great toothy beast. Like an NFL star would the Lombardi Trophy, or an NHL’er Lord Stanley’s Cup, the coveted prize in this sport is the mighty muskie. While an organization like Muskies Inc. indeed has its tangible awards of merit handed out at chapter gatherings across North America every year, the real “trophy” of any muskie hunter’s heart is to hold a behemoth in a photograph shared, touted, and yes, even boasted about for years to come. A photograph that represents much blood, sweat, and tears through hours-and-hours of planning, fruitless outings, sleepless nights, and relentless casting.

It is certainly true that muskie hunters do dwell on the object of their affection probably more than most, but after all it is because the rewards are so great – and so rare. The promotion of catch and release has transformed the “fish of ten-thousand casts” from a mythical creature that only a select few learned scholars and river rats can catch with any kind of regularity, to a rewarding adventure for even a relatively inexperienced angler if a little homework and then some heavy lifting are applied. But after all that is said and done, with as many big fish fifty-inches and more that have been caught and released over the past few years, these encounters are still far less common than all the “braggin’ boards” on internet chat sites would lead one to believe.

That said, it is a special occasion to be holding a monster muskie at the bow of the boat, while your partner snaps pictures of your triumph: just you and that big fish with the golden sunset as the perfect backdrop.

Often overlooked in the relentless struggle to catch a muskie is the back half of the MI mission – the proper release of a muskie. I have caught enough fish over fifty-inches to know that if the best part of muskie fishing is the strike, the second best part is feeling the tail tense-up in my hand and then watching a healthy fish kick out of sight. That’s what it’s all about.

A few late season reports of severely mishandled muskies made it clear that it’s about time for a refresher course on proper handling of muskies – from hook-up to release and everything in between. So, let’s have at it, shall we?

Click to Listen!