I now know that 50 is just a number but I had my own fixation with that number when I landed this, my first 50 inches of muskie, years ago.
Fifty may just be a number, but it’s a big one for some. No matter the catch, anglers want to know “How big?” Our obsession with size is nothing new, and whether it’s weighed or measured, bigger is better. Every fish has a gold standard: a certain mark of achievement for that species. For bass it’s a five pounder, while walleye fishermen eye the 30-inch mark. Unquestionably, for the muskie crowd, it’s a fish that measures 50 inches. The hype and brouhaha surrounding this number in the muskie world is nothing short of obsessive — at times to a fault.
Join the 50 inch club
Admittedly, my own quest for a 50-inch muskie reached feverish levels. The first two muskies I ever witnessed being caught surpassed the 50-inch mark. While thrilling to be a part of, it made me want one for myself even more.
Catching some fish in the mid- to upper-40s only made the fever worse. One night my wife awoke to me sitting up in bed yelling, “Get the net!” All I could think about was the next chance I’d have to go muskie fishing. I was completely consumed.
The muskie-fishing rollercoaster reached a low point one afternoon when I lost what was surely a 50-plus inch fish just feet from the net. It was total devastation. As fate would have it, however, later the same day, I landed a big one. I remember the guys I was with (both 50-inch club members many times over) saying things like “There it is, that’s your 50!” and “That’s over 50, for sure.”
I pulled it out of the net and laid it on the bump board, with a tail pinch it measured 51-and-a-half inches. Finally, I was a member of the 50-inch club — I was the happiest guy in the world. But now I wanted another one — a bigger one.
Chasing 50
I’ve addressed the muskie fishing obsession — for some, it’s an all-out addiction. The only way to feed the addiction is to chase after more and bigger fish. More 50s and bigger 50s become the new focus.
After guiding muskies for more than 15 years, I’ve seen every side of the obsession and with the number 50. Every year I’m offered incentives to get someone a 50 incher. Every 50 incher is a memorable experience — an adrenaline rush for everyone in the boat. I’ve shared deep embraces with people I’ve just met after netting their first 50.
I remember one guy in particular, a really experienced muskie angler from Minnesota, who had never landed a 50. He ended up catching a 52 incher on the last spot of the trip and the pure joy and excitement we shared in that moment is something I’ll never forget.
On the flip side, there’s somewhat of a shady underbelly to the number 50. I remember a client who was utterly disappointed with a 49 incher, simply because it wasn’t a 50. He was thrilled with the catch right up until we measured it. Being one inch shy of 50 became a complete distraction from the experience of catching a nice muskie.
That event changed me as an angler and a guide.
Just a number
Fishing with Pete Maina, a true legend in the muskie world, was an eye-opening experience. His storied muskie journey began with eating some of his catches in the early days, to now not ever measuring any muskie. Why? Because of the 50 goal. It was all people cared about and obsessed over.
Fifty this, and 50 that. Is it a 50? How many 50s do you have? What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught off this spot? What’s the biggest fish you’ve seen in this lake? The obsession with size and numbers can be overwhelming and distracting from the thrill of the chase.
It bothered Maina so much he quit carrying a measuring device and just focused on the pure enjoyment of catching muskies. His annoyance with the number 50 even prevents him from calling any muskie a 50 incher, even if he knows it is. He says they’re all 49s because that’s as big as they get.
The muskie journey
As I’ve progressed on my own muskie journey, the numbers definitely matter less nowadays. I only measure my fish if I think they’re close to (or above) 50. For some reason it doesn’t matter to me if a fish is 46 or 47 inches, but I still want to know if it’s a 50. I keep track of how many 50-inch fish my boat lands a year, too. It’s a hard habit to break and a hard number to get away from. But, gone are the days of wishing a 49 was a 50. I’ve even caught a few of the rarest muskies in the world — 49¾ inches.
Fifty may just be a number, but to the muskie crowd it is, and always will be, a significant one.
As your muskie journey evolves and matures, you may just end up focusing on another kind of 50 — the 50 pounder.
Originally published in the August 2024 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS
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