Possibly 50lb Muskie Inhales Bait at the Boat

This absolute pig of a muskie destroys a Svartzonker Giant McRubber TwistTail right at the boat. The Shimano Tranx 500 - (TRX500HG) reel is in a class of its own in temperatures below freezing, as is the St. Croix Legend Tournament “Big Nasty“ (LMC90HF) rod. This beast may appear to be extremely resilient, but the reality is that a fish of this size/age is incredibly fragile. I decided to show the unedited unhook and photo process to help educate interested muskie anglers on being prepared to handle a muskie of any size. A large, pen style net is essential for allowing the fish to rest under water, after the fight. The Frabill Big Kahuna is ideal for this. There will be many times where a long, needle nose pliers can remove treble hooks, but in this case, the fish had a very large, 7/0 treble, piercing multiple gill arches. For this, it is ESSENTIAL that any muskie hunter carries a bolt cutter in the boat. Knipex is the best and can cut any hook. When in doubt, cut it. Hooks cost $1/irreplaceable memo