Monster muskellunge caught in St. Lawrence

CLAYTON — The "Big One" is still out there.

A 57-year-old fisherman from Clayton landed a 58 ¾-inch muskellunge last month — the biggest catch of his life.

Richard A. Clarke, who runs Sign Man Fishing Charters, said he caught the fish, which had a girth of 27 ½ inches, during a Dec. 6 fishing trip in the St. Lawrence River just east of the village.

"It's the biggest fish I've landed," said Mr. Clarke, who has been operating the fishing-guide service for 30 years, "and I've been fishing the river all my life, close to 50 years."

Mr. Clarke said he first got a glimpse of the muskie, a swift predator and the largest member of the pike family, when the monster took a bite out of a 34-inch northern pike his son's friend caught a week earlier at the same spot.

"I went fishing with my son, Bobby, and his friend Dicky Ingerson a week before," he said.

Mr. Ingerson fought the pike for about 10 minutes, but the fight abruptly stopped. The group later discovered that the muskie attacked the pike, Mr. Clarke said.

"The pike grabbed the lure and the muskie grabbed the pike," he said.

On Sunday, Mr. Clarke took his boat to the same spot by himself, looking for a nice catch to end the fishing season.

He caught a 48-inch muskie about 10 a.m. — a decent catch, but not nearly as large as the one he would land three hours later.

"I was lucky to get him in," Mr. Clarke said.

He battled the larger fish for 15 minutes and as soon as he pulled the muskie out of the water, the lure fell off, he said. The fish was promptly measured, tagged and released.

"I think it's going to be the largest catch and release in the state," Mr. Clarke said, adding that he is waiting for the Department of Environmental Conservation to verify that.

The official world record muskie, 69 pounds, 11 ounces, was caught in 1949 in a Wisconsin lake by Louis Spray.

However, many in Clayton believe the No. 1 muskie is a 69-pound, 15-ounce muskie caught by Arthur Lawton, Delmar, in waters off of Clayton in September 1957.

Mr. Lawton's fish was considered the biggest muskie catch in the world until the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis., disqualified it in 1992. The fish has been a source of controversy because Mr. Lawton ate it after having it weighed, instead of having the trophy mounted.