Chicago Angler Lands Career-Best 50-Inch Muskie on Chain O'Lakes

A South Side angler has landed the biggest muskie of his life, a 50-inch fish pulled from the Chain O'Lakes on Sept. 13. Matt Sopron was out on the water with a friend and with guides Matt Madlener and Capt. Chris Taurisano of T-Bone Guide Service.

Fifty inches is widely regarded as the benchmark for muskie anglers, whether they are fishing in Illinois or in Canada.

Sopron described the catch in an email. He said he had fished with Madlener for years and had already boated a 37-inch muskie at 6 a.m. He was then handed a Lee Lures Ninja and cast it for roughly 15 minutes before something charged at the lure. He shouted for the others to look, and Madlener told him to keep reeling.

Once the lure was about 10 feet from the boat, Sopron saw the fish following it. It struck roughly 6 feet away. He set the hook and Madlener quickly netted the fish. Sopron guessed it measured 45 or 46 inches, which would still have been his largest. Taurisano lifted it from the net and laid it on the measuring board, and it came in near 50 inches. Madlener waited for the fish to calm down, and it stretched to a full 50 inches. The group took a few photos and released it.

The achievement carries extra weight in Illinois, where muskies were first introduced in 1975. The 50-inch mark was not reached in the state until the late 1990s. It remained rare enough until recently that several people kept track of 50-inch muskies caught in Illinois.

Length and weight do not always go together. The heaviest verified muskie in the state weighed 43 pounds, 5 ounces. Biologist Mike Garthaus netted it during a 2005 spring muskie survey at Evergreen Lake near Bloomington, and it measured 49 3/4 inches, just short of 50.

The milestone matters well beyond state lines. Jerry Borst of West Chicago landed a 53-inch muskie, his longest, in early September while trolling a 9-inch Ernie on Lake Nipissing in Canada. Borst, a multi-species angler who has chased muskies for 28 years, said he has caught perhaps 10 fish of 50 inches or more but noted that "its not easy moving up the ladder."

In related outdoors news, Illinois HUNT CAMP, described as a twist on a traditional hunting camp, is scheduled for Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. at Deacon's Bar in Wauconda. The event includes food, education, games, art and prizes. Details are available at publish.illinois.edu/huntcampil/.