how much would a 49" weigh

All:
On my 1st trip to LOTW this past June I caught a muskie that was 49".
Can someone give me an idea on what it would weigh. We actually caught 8 muskies from 14" to 49" and were not even fishing for them. Must be an incredible fishery. Thanks in advance.

[Esoxmagnum]

tough to say without knowing the girth or overall build of the fish. If it was a "typical" 49" that had an average build, then it might be in the 27#-30# range. If it was a "brick" that had beefy girth all through the body including the tail, then it probably was pushing low to mid 30# range. If you can provide a girth, someone here can calculate you up a weight.

By the way, congrats on a great fish! My weight guess on your 14" is around...just kidding.

>tough to say without knowing the girth or overall build of
>the fish. If it was a "typical" 49" that had an average
>build, then it might be in the 27#-30# range. If it was a
>"brick" that had beefy girth all through the body including
>the tail, then it probably was pushing low to mid 30# range.
>If you can provide a girth, someone here can calculate you up
>a weight.
>
>By the way, congrats on a great fish! My weight guess on your
>14" is around...just kidding.

Esoxmagnum:
Thamks for the reply. I don't have those measurements so I will have to go with the mid-30#(would you expect a fisherman to tell you any different). I actually caught her on an 18" smallmouth I was reeling in. When we brought her in the boat, with the smallmouth in her mouth, she never had a hook in her mouth. I caught her and the rest of them(also had a 42" and 2 36")on a 5/16' white spinnerbait, 10lb line and no leader(I know what you're thinking). I can say that I have fished for years had new line,drag set and she was in open water so the line size wasn't an issue. Can't wait to go back next June. Woulld you recommend 1-2 "generic" baits/colors that I could throw on my bass equipment(med/hvy rod). I spoke to another gentleman in camp that week and he said he had 7 fish over 40" that week.

Thanks for the weight

[Eyesore]

Lenght times girth, times girth, divided by 800 will give you an accurate estimation of the fish's weight. If the fish had a girth of 23 inches, it should weigh about 32 pounds.

>Lenght times girth, times girth, divided by 800 will give you
>an accurate estimation of the fish's weight. If the fish had a
>girth of 23 inches, it should weigh about 32 pounds.

All:
Thanks for the help. Can't wait til June 05'

Congratulations on some good fishing. The weights you were given were fairly accurate (maybe a bit high).

One word of caution. You mentioned that you were anxious to get back next year. Before attempting more muskie fishing, make sure you get some proper release tools such as bolt cutters (to cut hooks), jaw spreaders, long needle nose pliers (or the long hook removers). A good sized net is also important. These tools are not only for the well being of the fish but can save you from serious injury while landing a large fish with lots of teeth and (in the case of some muskie baits) lots of large hooks flying around. Buy a pack of replacement split rings and a pack of replacement hooks in case you need to cut some hooks (don't leave hook fragments in the fish or in your arm). Also spool with heavy line (30+ lb.) and use a 12 inch wire leader (50+ lb.) so that you don't kill a fish that swims off with a big bait lodged in its mouth. Your medioum heavy bass rod should have enough backbone to muscle in a muskie but you will be limited to smaller baits because it will not be able to effectively cast some of the 3 - 8 oz. muskie lures that are on the market (my fishing partner shattered a rod while attempting to cast a heavy spinner with a flipping stick). Maybe not an issue since 1 - 2 oz bucktail spinners are still the most productive muskie baits (probably because more people use them than any others).

Anyway, good luck next year but for your safety, be prepared.

Pilatus