57.5" from the Chip

[jkahler]

I finally started getting my Muskies Inc mags in the mail. In the latest one there's a 50" lake list and it has a 57.5" as the top registered from the Chip.

Does anyone have any info on that one? When was it caught?

[Ty Sennett]

The only one I can think of was the one at Tiger Musky Resort. That one is 57 inches. That was about twenty or more years ago.

[muskymeyer]

The one Ty is thinking about is Frank Wellers 57 incher out of Crane Lake, not sure when it was caught, 1978 rings a bell but not sure. I believe this fish is mounted and hanging at Tiger Musky Resort. From what I remember it was an old fish and weighed 43 pounds.
Supposedly there was a 57-1/2 incher caught on the south end, I think Cranberry Bars area in the late 90's that was registered and somehow recognized by the FWFHF as a catch and release record. From what I remember it was kind of a shady deal with no photo. I think this is the fish you are asking about. Email the FWFHF and ask for the story and see what happens.


Corey Meyer

[Jax]

Yeah the Frank Weller fish was 57.5 inches and weighed 43 pounds. It was caught on June 23, 1975 in Crane Lake. It is mounted at Tiger Musky Resort and hangs over the bar. There has been some BIG fish caught over the years from Crane Lake and Ray Blank saw a World Record back there in the late 80's or early 90's (can't remember). It followed his client's large bucktail once and also went after a rattle trap another time and I believe a walleye another time. Ray told me that a walleye fisherman fought a monster for several hours in the same general area in Crane lake during that time frame but never saw it. It eventually broke his line. There was nothing the walleye fisherman could do but loosen his drag and hope it tired out and came to the surface.