Boy have things changed- old time Niagara Musky

[Bob Piazza]

When I first joined the NMA in 1995 I passed around a compilation of old Genesee Beer Fishing Contest Guides from when the contest started in 1946 to when it ended in 1992. I assembled all the musky winners and put them in 1 collection. For those of you who weren't around then or if you want to take another look, I am attaching that here. It's amazing all the fish that were killed just to win the $100 prize. Back then catch and release didnt exist so I thought it might be good for those to see the fish that were caught and killed (and lures used). Things really have changed, now if a fish is out of the water 1 minute, it is a cardinal sin. Hope everyone has a happy holiday season. Enjoy. BP

Note: The easiest way to read it is to download to your computer and then open in your PDF reader and click "view" and rotate it. The pages were wide.

[John Miller]

Very interesting document.  Thanks for sharing Bob.  There are a few familiar names on those kill lists.  Funny that the Upper produced 48 lbs in a time of catch and kill.  I haven't heard of anything like that in recent years with catch and release in place.  The Hartmanns and Lawtons had a knack for catching multiple fish in the upper 60 lb range.  Impressive. 

[Scott McKee]

Lead and sand are cheap.

[Stephen Glassic]

Things have certainly changed considerably since those days. Many changes in the fisheries as well as angling practices.

Even the attitudes of many salt water anglers have changed but the oceans are still facing some serious problems. It is almost unbelievable to think about it but I have seen some opinions that say the oceans will run out of fish in the not so distant future due to overfishing and environmental issues. If that happens, it might become more difficult to protect our fresh water fisheries.

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

 Yes, I entered a muskie in 1992,but we did sart up the NMA in 1993 and we have evolved a long ways since then!It has been years since I have heard of a muskie being killed on purpose,so we must be doing something right in our effort to make the public aware of good safe catch & release practices! I can remember Mark Lindsmier bringing his muskie into Hanks Boat Livery,weighing it and releasing it at Hanks boat launch.Roy Campbell gave Mark hell for releasing his muskie and refused to count it in the Hanks Top 10 Contest.That argument moved some of us to team up with others to start the NMA!

[John Jarosz]

Back in the early 1970's), I remember the Genesee Fishing Contest well.  We young guys would hang around the bar & talk big fish using the contest winners as a yardstick.  One thing I noticed now, when looking at this list, is that in the early years live bait was often used.  As you go to later years, there are no entries for live bait & the winners were caught on lures. That doesn't mean live bait wasn't used for muskies in the later years, but if it was, you would expect to see at least one or two. Back in those years, a lot of fisherman talked about using live bait. Now, I don't hear anyone.  All good signs for C&R education. 

Someone the other day asked me if muskies were a good fish to eat, so we still have a long way to go.  Good thing you & the others were there to watch that muskie being released, cap'n, so you guys could get together to start the NMA.  That's quite a story...thanks.

[Bob Piazza]

That's just the way it was back then. If you fished, you kept what you caught. Everyone did it. I was looking at some old In-Fishermen and Fishing Facts magazines from the 70s and 80s and the pics were startling. One stringer shot after another of multiple huge fish on a stringer. I know when they announced in 92 that the Genesee Fishing Contest was going to be discontinued, I was very disappointed because I was a collector of all the guides they published and was even in a few of them but now I realized they did us all a huge favor since you had to kill and officially weigh any fish you entered. I remember when I first started C & R sometime in the late 80's I would catch a big fish and go tell my Grandfather (the coolest old dude and fishing pioneer)  I had just caught a big fish, the first thing he would say is "What did you do with it?" and when I replied " I took a picture and let it go" he'd say "What the hell did you do that for?" Typical. Anyways yes things have gone 180 degrees which is great. Now I still just fish for pictures and wouldn't keep any fish unless I want to eat a Walleye or Perch meal sometime. Hats off to you Larry & the guys who started the NMA and to all who practice C & R.

[Scott McKee]

The top five questions asked by non-anglers when they see a picture of a big musky (in no particular order):

• How long did it take to land?  They are astounded when told it doesn't take a long time, if you use heavy tackle and explain it is better for the fish if they are landed quickly.
• Did you eat it?  Explain they are too precious to eat, and that our members release all muskies caught.
• Do muskies taste good?  Beats me?
• How much did it weigh?  I explain that I don't weigh fish in order to place the least amount of stress on them as I can.
• How old is a fish like that?  When they hear a big fish could be 20 plus years old, they seem to garner more respect for the fish.

[104pbcexobzwh]

I understand that catch and release wasn't happening during this period.

Kind of blows my mind a guy would enter anything that is less than 40 pounds with the winners being 45+ pounds year after year. Some down in the 20 pound range?

Glad that is OVER!!!!!

Thanks for the history lesson (I think?) Kind of makes you sick now days.