Here's some follow-up info from Kenny Jackson of St. Germain, WI from his board & musky hunter.
MHM Field Editor Boats First Wisconsin 50-Pounder In Nearly 20 Years
By Steve Heiting
On a day when you would think that anyone crazy enough to go fishing would deserve a big fish, Tom Gelb boated the largest musky of his life.
Gelb, of Conover, WI, and a Musky Hunter Field Editor, launched his row-trolling boat in air temperatures that had sunk into the single digits on Thursday, November 30, the final day of Wisconsin's 2006 musky fishing season.
When he returned, Gelb had boated the largest Wisconsin musky reported since 1989.
"Everybody says they want to catch a 50-pounder, and I caught one!" Gelb laughed while standing at Eagle Sports Center in Eagle River, WI, while his giant musky hung from a nearby scale. Gelb's fish weighed 51 3/4 pounds, measured 53 inches in length, and carried a 28 1/2-inch girth.
The last Wisconsin 50-pounder was caught by Robert Grutt from Big Round Lake in 1989. The last time a 50-pounder was caught from Vilas County waters was in 1975, when Gene Allen caught a 51-pounder from the Flambeau Chain of Lakes.
Gelb's fish was rapidly freezing in the 14-degree air as he recounted how he caught the big musky.
"I had just a devil of a time getting it into the net. I knew it was a 35- or 40-pounder, but when I finally got it netted and saw its side, I knew I had something special," Gelb said. "I couldn't lift it into the boat, so I rowed to shore. In the boat, I measured a 30-inch girth but it was sliding around so much. I couldn't believe it."
Gelb's musky struck a straight model, Harley Davidson blue DepthRaider.