Help me out here!!!

[TBO/MN]

I need some help with figuring the weight of this fish. I know this is a walleye site, but I took this fish while walleye fishing so I thought it would be alright to ask this question on walleye central. I was fishing on Mille Lacs this weekend and was pulling crawler rigs with big blades,well nothing else was working, and hooked into this fish. I thought that if this is a walleye it will be a world record, it wasn't. I found that after playing this fish for about 10 minutes (on light line) it was a northern or muskie, well after seeing it for the second time, I knew it was a muskie. After boating the fish, she was measured and photographed and returned to fight again. She was a beautifully marked fish, very dark bars on the shining light background. Well here are the measurements: 43 1/2 inches long, 22 1/4 inch girth. These measurements are as close to exact as humanly possible. I measured her in three different places for girth, the one listed is the largest. Holding this fish to measure her was a real task, she wasn't really cooperative, and I didn't want to keep her out of the water for too long.

OK, help me out with the weight if you can.
Thanks,
The Big One

[Phil T.]

Isn't there a chart in the MN fishing regulations book?

[Leecher]

I don't have a chart handy, but I did get a 44" last summer that went close to 24 lbs. You could post your question on the message board of www.muskyhunter.com Those guys will know more. By the way, Leech Lake (MN) was slow this weekend (for walleyes, that is).

[RocFish]

There is a Musky discussion board - I am sure they can help. The link is at the bottom of the Walleyecentral.com homepage. Then click on messages at the bottom of that page and you can post your question....Good Luck RocFish

[ben]

lenghtxgirthxgirth divided by 800= weight....26.9lbs....nice fish...Ben Remer

[Driftr]

Hey TBO,
Nice fish. I just went down to the shop to get my reference.
Ok , for a musky in the north.....that length would be a 10 year old fish.....aprox weight 23lbs.
if it was a northern it would be 24 yrs old & weigh aprox 22.5 lbs.
These figures are only an aproximate from my taxidermy archive reference.
Drift'r

[TBO/MN]

Thanks for the info.

The Big One

[Nofish]

Hey TBO,

Nice fish buddy!! I hope you got a few good photo's. I know several lifelong Musky angler who have never caught one that big.

I once popped a 22lb Northern while drifting lake Poygan with Prescott Spinners. It was raining and I didn't pull out the camera to take pictures. I have regretted that decision for 7 years now.

Anyhow, nice fish.......R

[RANGER]

TBO,

Congrats!! Nice fish.

The widely accepted formula for weight, for a normally healthy fish, is: length squared X girth, divided by 1200 = weight. In this case your fish was 35.08lbs. This formula has been published in In-Fish, Field and Stream and other mags. My experience has been that this is VERY close to actual (within a couple of ounces)!

RANGER

[EAGLE EYES]

Ranger, That formula you stated is very accurate. But I believe it's Length squared x girth divided by 1700 (43.5 x 43.5 x 22.25 divided by 1700)= 24.76 lbs. That's one ##### of a nice fish.

[TBO/MN]

I have the picture in the camera and it is on it's way to be developed, this evening. Roger Mayer said he would put it on his web site, so check it out in the next couple of days. Thanks Roger!!
The Big One

[crash]

So anywhere between 25 and 35lbs? How big was it realy? Just plane ol' BIG.

Nice fish Man....

[Grampa_Joe]

TBO,
With my formula that I have checked with literally hundreds of muskies against a Chantillion scale I come up with 27.5#. It's length x girth squared divided by 800.
I've caught a great deal of fish from that pond though so I would give it a couple more pounds because Mille Lacs muskies are probably the fattest average fish I've ever come across.
Great fish TBO, thanks for letting her go! I wish more people would. There are a lot of self absorbed people on that lake that are killing them.
Joe Carlson

[RANGER]

Eagle Eyes,

Now you have me wondering and when I wonder I search. Soooooooo, I'm going to have to find that In-Fish mag I most recently read it in and double check.

Thanks,

RANGER