How To Catch The Elusive Musky Fish, Release It And Still Have It As A Trophy

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/12/ [login to see] /wisconsin-musky-trophy-catch-and-release-replica
Imagine catching a trophy fish and celebrating with a mount of your big catch on the wall, but only after you actually released the fish back into the lake.

That's happening now in Wisconsin's Northwoods, a north central area of the state with more than 3200 lakes, streams and rivers, as anglers turn to replica trophies to celebrate snagging the notorious musky—a freshwater predator that can span up to 5 feet and weigh up to 70 lbs.

The muskellunge long, more popularly called the musky, is Wisconsin's state fish and it's known as a freshwater equivalent of the barracuda. It's sometimes called "the fish of 10,000 casts," as it's so elusive.

Northwoods fishing guide Ken Jackson describes the adventure as "hours of boredom followed by seconds of panic."

"It's a challenge because it's a difficult fish to catch," Jackson says. "They're very unpredictable. And basically, your job as a guide is to prepare the people for what might happen."

To protect the state's musky population from decline, like the extirpation of the Great Lakes muskies in Green Bay more than 30 years ago by commercial fishing, and to ensure the ecosystem of the thousands of lakes in Wisconsin's Northwoods, some fishermen practice catch and release. Fishing guide Colin Crawford explains the protocol.