Michigan Muskie Alliance

I just got an e-mail with the official World Record Muskie Alliance (WRMA) report concerning the legitimacy of the Louis Spray muskie. Though the outcome isn't a surprise I think the evidence provided will oust the Spray record. The WRMA will then review the Cal Johnson record which should become the official record among all organizations.

From the WRMA report:
From all of the expert calculations employed, it is evident that Spray’s 1949 FHFHF All Tackle Record Muskellunge, initially claimed to measure 63.5” in length by 31.25” in girth, in fact measured 53.6” +/- 1.5” in length and 8.7” +/- 0.5” in width, and therefore sorely lacked the dimensions necessary to weigh 69lbs, 11oz without having first been, in the words of Karl Kahman, “filled before weighing”.

It will be very interesting to see how John Dettloff will react to this since he has been a longtime supporter of this record and is now the FWFHF President.

Do the right thing guys...

Will. having gone up to John's resort for a dozen years and knowing him, I think he will do the right thing. I'm always amazed at all the people who bash him and they have never meet him. You should go up to his place. meet him and fish with him. When he guides you he put's you on a spot, breaks out the oars and keeps the boat in perfect position. The Chip is a very difficult place to fish and you also never know who will walk into the Little Red Bar. Steve

Muskie record likely to be set aside

http://www.suntimes.com/output/outdoors ... kie21.html

October 21, 2005 BY DALE BOWMAN

The world record for muskie may be given the hook once again.

On Thursday, the World Record Muskie Alliance released a report refuting Louis Spray's 69-pound, 11-ounce muskie, caught from the Chippewa Flowage in northern Wisconsin on Oct. 20, 1949. Photographic analysis of Spray's fish, gathered by the Woodstock-based group, disputes the all-tackle muskellunge record recognized by the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis.

The evidence is compelling enough to muskie historian Larry Ramsell. "I will be very surprised if Spray's record is not set aside,'' he said on "Outdoors with Mike Norris'' on Aurora's WBIG-AM Thursday afternoon.

As record advisor, Ramsell said he would not only suggest the NFWFHF set the Spray record aside but "my recommendation for them is to leave the muskellunge record open, pending farther review.''

World records for muskies may be the dirtiest of all freshwater records, especially from 1949. Art Lawton's 69-15 from the Chippewa Flowage in 1949 was disqualified on Aug. 6, 1992.

Next in line for review by the WRMA is Cal Johnson's 67-8 muskie from Lac Courte Oreilles in northern Wisconsin, also in 1949.

The full WRMA report may be found at worldrecordmuskiealliance.com.

As record advisor, Ramsell said he would not only suggest the NFWFHF set the Spray record aside but "my recommendation for them is to leave the muskellunge record open, pending farther review.''

It is huge for Ramsell to make that statement,. Eventually, I suspect, we'll see the O'Brien fish as the WR. There was some controversy surrounding that fish and it was once set aside and not considered the Canadian record. In fact, Ramsell provided the documentation that got the fish reinstated. Did he know he was setting the stage for it as the eventual WR?

From all that's going on I don't think any of this will be setteled. This all happened over 50 years ago. It seems all these guys have alot in common. They were all hard men, heavy drinkers, BSer's, liars, cheaters and all wanting to be big shots with there 15 minutes of fame. Spent alot5 of time as a kid in norther WI. and the Duluth area. Had a father with the same qualities as the guys I mentioned above, plus abusive. Importance to him was impressing his bar room buddies, that's the same thing I see in Spray and all these other guys. Tonight I called one of my buddies I fish with from Indiana and told him Sprays fish will be thrown out. He said one thing to me, wasn't Sprays fish mounted and on display in a bar in the Hayward area. Which made me think, don't you think someone would have noticed the difference in a 53 - 55" to a 63.5" fish. This is a big difference, someone had to measure this fish sometime, don't you think. It's a big mess, and for my 2 cent's worth it probably will never get straightened out. And you know what my 2 cent's is worth with inflation!!!! So I guess I don't know what the answer is, might try to send a e-mail to John Detloff and see what he has to say. Steve

Go out and catch a 70lber and all this will go away!

Something's fishy

Wisconsin's Fishing Hall of Fame must decide whether Louis Spray was the world's best muskie angler or the fishing world's biggest liar.

"We are calling Louis Spray a liar, unequivocally,'' said Rich Delaney, an Oak Park, Ill., high school teacher, muskie angler and president of the WRMA, which has some of today's most famous muskie anglers as members.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincitie ... 056498.htm

Guy's, with my eye patch on it's hard to type. Go to Pastikas message board and there is a subject about Spray. Half way down a guy has a post about a picture with Cal Johnson and Louie fishes at the 1950 Milwaukee Sentinel sports show. Can someone find this in there arcieve, it would be interesting to see. Steve