3 1/2 foot Muskie- Mayfield Lake!

[trollin4trout]

Had a trout fishing itch, so took a trip up to Mayfield- waste of time! Trolled ALL day. We each had a trout on for about 2 seconds- that was all the action we until about 4pm. We trolled across a big point and my pole bounced on the downrigger- then pulled off the release. I was glad to have a fish bite for once! I could tell it wasn't a stocker but it was not active at all (43-44 degree water) It swam slowly around as if i didn't know or care that 6lb. test and a trout rod was trying to hold him back. Still took about 10 minutes to pull him slowly to the surface- were we SURPRISED! WOW- LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!!!!!!









I tried lifting him up to the side of the boat for a picture but this was as close as I got. It may have been sluggish in the water, but try as I could to hold onto his tail and lift under the belly- three times he would wiggle so hard that I could not hold on. I could have unceremoniously drug him in and flopped him on the deck, but I wasn't willing to do that to him, so I just gave up and let him swim off! Would have loved to have a picture holding that guy, but it was not to be.




Made the day seem so much better!
( 2 inch spoon-nickel w/red head- 16 feet down-riggied in 20 ft of water)
Jim

 

[beaverfan]

That is just an awesome fish! Where's Mayfield, up in Washington? I'm definitely gonna have to make a trip to somewhere with these bad boys!

 

[Troutski]

Sweet...

Sweet...

That is a massive fish indeed...:shock: Nice job...winter fishing
Congratulations Jim....:clap::clap:

Chuck

 

[colbypearson]

thats amazing i had no idea we even had those on the whole west coast i always wanted to get one :clap::clap::clap: where all do we have them around oregon and washington???:think:

 

[Raincatcher]

Great looking fish!

Great looking fish!

Awesome catch of the day!:clap: :clap: Did you know they were in there? I wonder if we have them in Oregon...time for a Google search.
Lake Mayfield is up by Mossyrock,Wa. 68 miles north of Portland.

 

[bigsteel]

holy shnikes:clap::clap::clap:what a great catch:clap::clap:he might have ate those trout u had on:lol::lol:

 

[trollin4trout]

Mayfield is about 15 miles north of Longview- then 25 miles east on Hwy 12.
Just under 2 hours from the 205 bridge.

Yes, we knew they were there. There's a sign at the fee box that says to please consider releasing all that are caught- although you are allowed one over 50 inches!

Lake Merwin also has muskie. That's the only two places I know of around here.

Jim

edit: I just read that a 32" tiger muskie was caught in the Willamette in Oregon CIty in May of 2000. My understanding is though that they are a hybrid and sterile, so no chance of proliferating. Probably a bucket biologist put it in there.

Here's a quote from another story:

June 2009, According to Bolding, all seven of Washington’s musky lakes — Merwin, Mayfield, Tapps, Evergreen, Curlew, Silver and Newman — got their full allotment of “big, healthy-looking” 13 1/2-inch tigers this spring.

A guy caught a 48 1/2 incher, 37lbs.in May of '09.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

I was gonna ask if that was a tigermuskie. I read some articles about them awhile back. Wouldn't mind them putting some down here somewhere but they would probably eat all the natural fish. Maybe they could put them in some ponds. Nice looking fish man!

 

[skunk]

That's what I love about fishing, you really never know what's gonna show on the end of the line when it comes up. Always cool to be surprised. Nice fish.

 

[Mike123]

Pike and Musky creep me out!! Those are the kinds of fish I worry about when my feet are dangling beneath my float tube! :shock::lol: Would be cool to have some in warm water ponds. It would suck to have some idiot release them into a non-native lake though...

This is why I do not like these things!

YouTube - pike attacks man (www.snoekvissers.nl)

 

[JSpencer]

This is why you use needle nose to pull the hook. And in the 20 some years i lived around pike/musky infested water i never had one bite me while wading and whatnot. While it is true that they can and will bite (they are really aggressive), it's pretty rare. That guy just spent too long trying to revive the fish (pike/musky like to play dead when they feel they are in danger, then turn around and lash out when they get an opening).

 

[steelheadstalker31]

They definitely have some nasty teeth. I think most of the attacks are because they see the white on someones legs and mistake it for the white on a fishes belly.

 

[FishFinger]

Wow, I had no idea muskies were in Lake Mayfield. My folks once owned land on the north side of the lake. As a dwarf I spent many summers swimming there.

 

[colbypearson]

i really would love to get one of those what an awesome fish :clap:

 

[JSpencer]

I used to live about 10 miles from a pair of lakes (Big and Little Brevort Lakes) that held plenty of pike and musky. Let me tell you, the fight these fish give on the end of the line is nothing short of awesome. I really wish there was someplace close here in Oregon i could fish for them again.

 

[Hawk]

That thar is truly an Amazing fish BRO.

Great Job.

:clap::clap::clap:





We fished fer them in north WI lustrums ago.

 

[GraphiteZen]

They definitely have some nasty teeth. I think most of the attacks are because they see the white on someones legs and mistake it for the white on a fishes belly.

hahah!!! sorry..

 

[natro]

Wow interesting pics. I've lived in southwest washington almost my whole life, lived in yakima for 2 years too. I've driven past the lake I couldn't tell you how many times. Never new they had Muskies in there, very cool.

 

[DirectDrive]

Tiger Muskie
Man made cross between a Muskellunge and a Northern Pike.
They were put into Mayfield to control the squawfish population.

Good on you for letting him go.....most are sterile and can't reproduce.