Pat sent me this picture and a little story - I thought it was way cool...he said...
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This is story told to me by my father (who passed away in 1988) when I was a young boy and unfortunately I cannot remember all the details. However, in the summer of 1958 my father was fishing for walleye (pickerel to them in those days) at the base of the Hogs Back Falls on the Rideau River, in Ottawa, ON. A young boy told him that there was a "really big" fish in a pool just down stream from the falls. My father went with him to check the fish out and noticed that it was a monster muskie or at least the biggest he had ever seen. He tossed a lure at it not expecting the fish to take. The muskie hit the lure and for the next few minutes the water was on fire. He landed the fish and was approached by photographer (Newton) for the Ottawa Citizen (a local newspaper) who also had been fishing for walleye and had seen the fight. He asked if he could take his picture and put it into the paper. My father had decided that this was a fish of a lifetime and wanted to get it mounted. The next day he went to the local taxidermist and learned that it would cost $100. (Remember this is 1958). After being revived and picking himself off the floor, he decided that the best course of action for the fish would be to include it in a three-course meal. Now for those you, who are shocked, don't forget that times were different then. The train of thought at that time was let the little guys grow and keep the big ones. Nice to see that we reassessed our catch and release practices.
I was looking at the picture and couldn't help smile, I have been after muskie since the first day I wetted a line (adult years that is) I have had no success catching one. I have fished out of Vincey Massey park which is just a little down from where your dad caught his and had no luck at all, basically watched small rock bass eat cray fish around my feet for an entire day, but it sure beats working. One day I was at Black Falls off of hwy16 and was finished for the day and by mistake flipped my bale open and my lure dropped into the calm water damn, I let it sit there for a second so I could but all my gear down and then looked over the railing to see where my lure was and the damnest thing a monster muskie came up under it like 'JAWS' and I freaked out , yanked the line clear out of the water and right over my head, this thing was huge and scared me into wanting to try and catch one, guess I would have felt what it's like to fight one if I left my lure in the water, but man-o they are a hard fish to find, well for a shore fisher like me anyways. Take Care...thanks for your story.