# Record Muskie in North Dakota



## Fossilman

Met this guy,he does the best taxidermy work on fish......But here is the record Muskie,he mounted.
ND Muskie
Taxidermy by Steve Silseth 
http://www.gregisfishing.com/nd_muskie.htm


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## Madison

NIce!!

Thanks for posting.


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## fishless

Nice pics and I second Steves work he has done fish for me before outstanding work!


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## fargojohnson

So did he keep the fish or put it back???? Hope he was smart and put that pig back into the water. Nothing like that for another 50 years in ND. :******:


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## njsimonson

After being landed, it was determined that the fish was pretty beat up as I recall. It was bleeding out of one of the gills, as evidenced by the some of the photos taken. No sense releasing a wounded fish.


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## Invector

A bleading fish does not mean anything. Fish blood clots the moment it hits the water. If you have ever released a big pike or musky that had been bleading form the mouth you will know that after a few seconds the bleeding stops. I have released many big fish that have been bleeding form the mouth (had a shirt covered in musky blood one day) and all of them could keep them selves righted and swam away on their own will. Only 1 fish in my life that did not make it (a fishing partner caught the fish). This fish was realy beat up form spawning (pike that is) with large sections of its side gone. This fish was dead with in a few minuts of getting it into the live well. When we tryed to release it, it would not swim away under its own power. If he would have wanted to he could have tryed to release the fish.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

I'm by all means a C&R angler, especially for muskies....but don't you need to keep the fish to score it as a state record? Can't blame him for that.


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## fargojohnson

Who cares if its the state record. Measure take and pic. and let you grand kid catch it. IF the fish was unable to swim away not much you can do about it. Funny he was useing #6 test line how did it get so beat up? :shake:


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## fox412

Because with 6 lb test line you have to fight the thing for a really long time to land it. Thats how they get so beat up. From the length of the fight and all of the runs that it has to make. I catch and release most of the time too but anyone has the right to keep a record size fish. And even more of a right when it is injured. May be you would have thrown it back and good for you. I wouldn't have.


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## Madison

Invector said:


> I have released many big fish that have been bleeding form the mouth (had a shirt covered in musky blood one day) and all of them could keep them selves righted and swam away on their own will. .


I agree they all swim away, but I dont agree on successful survival. Pike and SKees alike are very weak fish and easily killed if over stressed or damaged in the handling process.

One year I found 3 dead skees floating all in the 45" range. After talking to some of the local anglers at least 2 of them died from being hooked. The guy I talked to said his fish swam away just fine and out of curiosity went to check it out. Sure enough it was the fish he caught 2 days prior..


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## boondocks

.Nice fish.Good reason the G&F should stock more pures in New Johns(& Sak & Audobon & etc etc etc.....................................................................),


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## Fossilman

His choice,not yours :wink:


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