"I don't think it's 57"

[Scott McKee]

My brother Bruce and I went bass fishing (mostly) today from 4:30 to 8:30 PM.  After a few drop shot drifts, Bruce and I started casting shallow in UN4; Bruce for bass and I for muskies.  A nice fellow in a Boston Whaler flats-style boat pulled up near my Lund and asked us how we were doing.  We told him, and he then asked me if I was fishing for muskies?

"Of course", I told him.

He then mentioned that he has caught two muskies recently in the river, "right out there".

I told him musky fishing has generally been slow, and two fish is nothing to scoff about.  I asked him, "how big?"

With a straight face, he replied "57".

I sort of half-laughed at the man a bit and told him, "no you didn't."

I went on the explain a fish of this size would be one of, if not the largest musky ever caught in the upper Niagara.  I told him I have been musky fishing the river for 15 years and my largest is only 52".

He asked me if I wanted to see a picture, to which I instantaneously replied, "come over."

Bruce and I continued to cast while the fellow played with what was either a tablet or big phone.  As he was searching for an image of his lunker, my brother calmly told he had a musky on.  I couldn't see the fish, so I asked Bruce how big it was.

He replied with the perfect deadpan, "I don't think it's 57"."

It was a small fish, but gave Bruce a nice fight on his bass gear.  After Bruce popped the hook I asked our buddy in the Whaler if he found the picture?

He said something like, "I'm not getting a signal" or "I need Wi-fi".

I told him I wasn't calling him a liar, but I doubted he caught a 57".

"It was 57"", he said.  Man, I would love to believe he was telling the truth.  Can you imagine a 57" out of the river?  If this tale rings any bells, please try to acquire the picture of the 57".  I will run it in the newsletter for 57 consecutive months.

We went our separate ways.

Bruce and I went back to drop shotting.  We caught a few nice fish, and called it around 8:30 preferring to head for home for Dash's feta and spinach chicken sausages.  They are fantastic. They don't shrink or flare up and they're huge.  Although I don't think they are 57".  Can you imagine a 57" sausage? 

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Almost as good as the guy that caught the 70 lb Muskie from the river that walked up to the NMA booth at the fairgrounds show two years ago!

[Capt. Larry D. Jones]

Scott, try drop shot fishing over at the Ministry Marina, at the 1st dock upstream where it drops off the shelf from 8 ft to 25 ft.I have caught over 30 smallmouth bass in a day there in past years.A walleye or two as well, spot also gets a little sitting coloration that helps block out the sunlight for the eyes.I like drop shot fishing with soft shell crabs for those bronze backs!

[3r18sb1ehgc6k]

I had a guy tell me and a buddy a few days ago he used to fish the lower alot and got a 55", of course no pictures once again.

[Scott McKee]

The biggest whopper story I've heard from casual anglers and the Niagara came years ago at the Hamburg show.  A nice man who lives on the east river told me about a musky that lives under his dock.  His dock, he said, is six feet wide and the musky's head and tail protruded from either side of his dock one foot each.   My brother told me if there are 8-foot muskies in the river, I had better bet back to the gym pronto.  I'm sure my cardiologist would agree!

[John Jarosz]

When you work the Ag Center during the Sportsmen Show, you think you've heard it all...until the next guy shows up!!  Then you've heard it all, all over again!