The U.S.-Canada border is still closed, and U.S. fishermen have had to delay or cancel their plans to Canada. That has meant more fishing pressure in Upper-Midwest states like Minnesota and Wisconsin. But it also means there’s likely substantially less fishing pressure on destination lakes in Canada. The border closure is crushing the hunting and fishing industry in Canada, as Jim Shockey reported for Outdoor Life.
But Canadian fishing guide Treven Oulette, age 23, is at least making the best of his time on the water. Fishing with his dad on Vermilion Bay, Ontario, Oulette hooked a massive fish that measured 55.5-inches, according to the website of Winnipeg radio station HVN-FM (95.1 FM). The muskie weighed an estimated 56 to 57 pounds, according to a length-to-weight fish chart offered by Dr. Rob Neumann, a fisheries biologist with In-Fisherman.
A photo of Oulette cradling the giant in a boat shows the remarkable length, girth, and head of a world-class muskie, the fish many anglers consider the most prized catch of North American waters.
“My dad and I were out on Father’s Day catching muskies and it was pretty slow at first,” said Oulette. “It was a really windy day so we were trying to find a spot out of the wind. We were throwing bait and talking about how many big fish are in the lake and then – it happened.”
Oulette immediately knew it was a huge muskie, as it dove deep and fought hard. But it only took a couple minutes to fight to the boat.
“My dad couldn’t believe it,” Oulette continued. “He was really happy and it was very memorable for us. Every time I take my dad out we either get skunked or catch small ones. We finally made the greatest memory.
“I’m speechless and couldn’t be happier. It’s the biggest fish I ever caught.”
Oulette’s massive muskie is far short of the world record muskie of 67.5 pounds, measuring 60.25-inches. But it comes almost a year to the day when he caught another fish nearly as big from Eagle Lake. That massive muskie measured 54.5-inches, with an estimated weight of nearly 55-pounds. Eagle Lake, Ontario is a famed Canadian fishing spot
