Getting a monster muskie through this hole will be a chore. Putting it back will be even harder!
When the ice fishing is this productive, you can take your choice if fish to target. It's just that by-catch fish like the muskellunge get big, really big and letting them go instead of putting a trophy monster muskie on the wall might just be harder than pulling it out of the ice.
In fact, most serious muskellunge fishing will always put their catch back into the water to grow bigger. But the problem here is that such a large fish may not even fit through the hole you just drilled, and it doesn't count if it gets away!
Here's another great effort to get a fish out of the water, all while remembering that it has to go back in eventually.
Here's the video:
First things first: get it out, and remember that it won't be as easy as it looks.
Fortunately, this veteran ice fisherman was ready. Even though he started to go after it with a gaff (thankfully, he didn't need it), he was eventually able to get his fingers around the sides of the hole—just barely—and drag it out to the sound of cheers from his friends.
Facebook user Jason Birke posted the video to the Muskies & Monster Muskies page saying, "My Neighbor this weekend. Mille Lacs. 54"
Mille Lacs muskie fishing is some of the best in the world. Southern zone muskellunge fishing season for the 2019 fishing year started on June 1, and ended on December 1, with a one-fish limit that had to be at least 54-inches in length.
While autumn on this prime muskie lake is generally considered prime fishing time for the big Esox, you just never know when a big fish will strike, and this proves it.
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