titan

Grandman, In addition to rumours surrounding the handling of the fish, there was an issue with the annual certification of the scale to CSA standards that was identified and reconciled. Regardless of what issues were associated with the catch, it is recognized as the Canadian record muskie. Is the O'Brien fish bigger than the Cal Johnson fish? Is it bigger than the Louie the "Lumberjack" Spray fish? Should all the records be set aside in order to have the Williamson fish take its rightful place as the true record? You be the judge... that's the beauty of Winternet!! Tight lines, y'all... TITAN (Mike Dalakis)

There are several Georgian Bay muskie fishing legends that most people have never heard of... Stan is definitely on that exclusive list. Tight lines, y'all... TITAN (Mike Dalakis)

Thought I would add these pics of the Williamson fish for comparison. Both fish are 60 pound class fish... and there are several similarities in terms of size and proportions. Food for thought....

Everyone is entitled to an opinion... all we can go on is the accounts of witnesses, some of which are friends of mine, the weighing of the fish in the presence of the CO for the area, the certification of the scale and the fact that a noted muskie fishing historian verified the measurements and the weight. The fish is recognized as the Canadian record and may one day soon be recognized by other organizations if the application is ever processed by O'brien. I guess only time will tell. Many of the pictures dont really do the fish justice. The image I think is most telling is the shot of O'Brien holding the fish across his body on the dock - not the close up but the one taken from a distance. As Shawn Mahar tells the story, as they pulled into the dock that day, the fish in O'Briens arms looked like something out of a cartoon!! The other thing to consider is body / muscle and tissue mass and body mass including stomach contents. It has been reported that the O'Brien fish had something like 12 pounds of bullheads in its belly when it was caught. If you do the math, a 50 pound class fish very quickly becomes a 60 pound class fish when combining the two values. Larry Ramsell has updated his Compendium and it is now availalbe. Several new additions have been included... including some significant not well known Canadian fish. Tight lines, y'all... TITAN

Found a ccouple of more... TITAN (Mike Dalakis)

Despite the fact that Ken O'Brien blundered into this amazing fish, the current Canadian record remains the best documented 60 pound class fish of all time. Not only was the fish witnessed by several, credible Muskies Canada members that know big fish (Shawn Mahar, Paul Gasperino, etc) and are still living today, the fish was weighed in the presence of an MNR Conservation Officer. As to whether the fish is 65, 64, 63 pounds... who cares... it's a giant!! Attached you will find a couple of images that might help keep things in perspective. Sorry for the quality... As for GB Fishers' catch... nice 45 to 48 pound class fish! Were there issues with the release that prevented you from releasing it or was it a choice you made? I may not agree with catch and keep practices but, given the fish was within the Ministry guidelines, it was well within your rights to keep it. Feel free to send me a pm if you dont want everyone to comment on your response.... Tight lines, y'all... TITAN (Mike Dalakis)