Friday, January 6, 2012

Fox Chain Angler Lands Monster Muskie!

It was just another day of fishing for the Fox Chain Angler Ryan Stochl,  except for the fact it was November and there is usually ice by now where he was fishing. With the weather being abnormal lately in the Midwest, Ryan decided to hook up the boat and go out chasing fish. It was a windy day, the winds where blowing 20+mph at times which made boat control not so great. Either way the angler was just happy to be on the water as most anglers would be. Ryan started out drifting suckers for the day in hopes of catching a Muskie. Well to his surprise that is exactly what he did. This time was like no other before though. Ryan has spent a good amount of time chasing Muskie all over the midwest. His biggest to date before this special day on the Fox Chain was 49in. He has spent 14 years chasing ski's and has never caught one 50in. or more. This was the day though. Ryan felt a tug on his line and in no time set the hook, but little did he know he was going for the ride of his life. At first glance Ryan knew she was at least 50". The fish took him on a dance around his entire boat during the fight which resulted in a very sore back. Ryan got her up to the boat, scooped in the net, and out came probably one of the biggest Muskie ever caught on the Fox Chain. Ryan couldn't believe his eyes and what he had accomplished. With no camera in the boat or another sole on the lake, Ryan called his wife and son at home asking them to meet him for a photo shoot at the nearest pier. The wife grabbed the camera and son and headed to the dock. Meanwhile Ryan made sure the fish was live and well, and put her in his livewell and headed for the dock. As the wife and son arrived Ryan pulled her from the box, and to his sons amazement was almost scared to go near the monster fish due to the size. They snapped a bunch of photos, gave hugs and kisses, and Ryan went on his way back to the spot he caught the monster to release her for another day. Ryan put the fish back where she came from and asked that she came back to visit him another day. The fish was a whopping 50.75 inches long with a girth of 23 inches. Ryan didn't get a weight on her, but he had stated it was an extremely heavy fish. The following are a few of the photos that he had taken with the beast.

7 comments:

  1. Brian
    Unbelievable catch, that could cause heart problems. Thanks for sharing

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  2. I never get sick of looking at those things...that is one healthy looking fish!

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  3. That's a whale. After a catch like that you might as well pack it in for the day. It just isn't going to get better than that

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  4. http://www.funonthefox.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=18968

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  5. Was a nice catch. I myself have caught 2 over 50" and have one stuffed to show for it. To bad i have resorted to fly fishing the rockies now.

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  6. Ladies and Gents. My sincere apologies on a few mistakes here. First off you are correct on the name of the angler being incorrect. It was indeed Ryan Stochl who caught the fish. Tim is a friend of Ryan's. The corrections are being made. The info was all forwarded to me from Tims neighbor. The date it was caught on: I found 2 different dates, which one is correct? I am not sure. Lesson has been learned. The whole point of the story was just to share a great catch by another angler. I did not in any way shape or form try to offend anyone. Tight Lines and happy fishing!

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