There’s tremendous big-fish history here and recent catches back the fishery’s potential. Another popular and productive zone is the Thousand Islands area of New York. This is a huge, vast, Great Lakes river system and my fishing here has been mainly around the Montreal area with my friend Marc Thorpe. Lawrence River A bird’s-eye view of the St. Georgian remains a front runner to break the world record. Johnny and his group have weighed many fish in the 40- to 50-pound class (they weigh big fish quickly prior to release). Two anglers have claimed catching 60 pounders. History proves that Georgian Bay can turn out tankers. Georgian Bay A giant muskie caught on Georgian Bay.

If you’re able to do that on the waters I’ve listed below, it’s possible that old Ethel could be pushing 60 pounds. If the ultimate goal is to catch the largest muskie possible, you want to fish in late-fall, and catch a big female carrying eggs, immediately after she’s eaten a hearty meal. Even though this could be considered un-PC in today’s age, we must also be gender-specific: females grow larger and carry eggs, which means they weigh more.

The biggest muskies come from huge waters in the northern regions, where muskellunge grow slower but live longer. While muskies that possess prime genetics always grow faster and larger in any fishery, a massive and diverse forage base is needed for a muskie to reach it’s full potential. There are three requirements for growing a true giant: good genetics, great forage, and wide-open spaces. It’s important to remember that 50-pound muskies are world-class. And muskie history’s shenanigans of “I’ll beat your record” have set an unreasonably high bar. Reality check: few locations have 50-pound muskies. If you set aside all the exciting tips, tactics, and tackle, the greatest anglers consistently put themselves where the biggest fish are. For those anglers who want to catch not just any muskie, but a real trophy fish, picking the right destination is even more important than picking the right lure.

Fishing planet michigan muskie