47 inch trophy Muskie

This 47 inch 30 lb trophy Muskie was caught on the Paint river in Crystal Falls, MI in the UP on Sept 10th, 2009. It was an epic 15 minute battle where the fish jumped completely out of the water 3 times and pulled my boat in circles. For you fisherman, it was caught on a #5 white and silver Mepps lure with no steel leader using 10 lb test line. Hardly appropriate Muskie terminal tackle and it was a small miracle I was able to get it into the boat. My plan had always been if I ever caught a legal Muskie I would have it stuffed and hanging on my wall. But as i'm getting older I have developed a respect for life of any kind and put this bad boy back to breed and hopefully give someone else the same incredible experience it gave me.