FISHING — Washington is outstanding in the latest Lunge Log, the international “brag board” where Muskies Inc. members in North America post their longest catches (and releases).

Tops on the MuskiesInc.org “Longest Releases” for 2012 is a 46 incher hooked on June 16 by Ed Walzer at Lake Merwin Reservoir in Cowlitz County.

Just behind that bruiser in second place is a 45.5 incher hooked May 4 by Douglas Wood at Silver Lake in Spokane County.

Just as impressive is that these two Washington lakes plus Mayfield, Tapps and Curlew in Washington produced nine of the top 25 tiger muskies recorded by Muskies Inc. across North America this year.

Not making the list was the biggest fish of all: a 10-year old, 49-inch, 40-pounder landed by Washington Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologists doing a survey last week at Curlew Lake in Ferry County. 

See the story here.

The biologists say they turned up more fish of that size while electroshocking — and those fish are still there!

FISHING — A standing offer to replicate the first 50-inch tiger musky caught and released in a Washington tiger musky tournament was honored this week.

In September, Chris Gades of St. Maries caught a 50-incher in Muskies Inc. tourney at Curlew Lake. It wasn’t just big for the area. According to Muskies Inc., it’s the biggest tiger musky recorded in North America in 2011.

Gade, a Colvile native, unhooked the fish, measured it, posed it for a photo and released it unharmed in the lake, as required in the tournament.

Lax Reproductions of Conover, Wis., came through with its promise to honor this milestone fish. Using the photos Gades provided, the company prepared a replica of the lunker, which was presented to Gades by Doug Wood of Spokane, president of the Mountain Muskies Chapter.

A tiger musky is a sterile cross between a northern pike and a muskellunge.  The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has planted the hybrids in seven lakes in the state to control rough fish and provide a trophy fishing opportunity.

Washington rules require any tiger musky less than 50 inches long to be released alive, but tournament anglers release all of their fish.  

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FISHING — Next year’s fishing season looks bright at Curlew Lake in Ferry County. About 20 volunteers helped the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department introduce 170,000 rainbow trout, 4-5 inches long, delivered last month to the a net pen tended by the Curlew Lake Association.

Hatchery trucks deposited the fish in predator-proof floating net pens local volunteers constructed and tended from pontoon boats. The fish were allowed to acclimate. Then the nets were slowly towed to the middle of the lake and released where they have a better chance of surviving their initial swim into Curlew without getting ambushed by bass and other predators.

In addition, the volunteers raise about 57,000 rainbow fry from the Spokane Fish Hatchery in net pens near Tiffany’s Resort. The fish are received in May and released in November as 9 inchers with even more capability of avoiding predation. The fish grow about a half inch a month, according to tagging studies facilitated by local volunteers.

Those fish are available to anglers now, but they’ll be about a foot long when anglers start showing up with big expectations in April and even larger for the summer crowds. 

The Curlew Lake Association is doing great things for the local community and anglers far and wide by cleaning those pens, tending the fish and other lake improvement projects during the year.  They welcome new active volunteers.  Info: Bobbi Weller, association president, (509) 755-3690.

FISHING — Post Falls angler Chris Gades, fishing in a 24-hour tournament on Saturday, caught and released a monster 50-inch tiger musky after sundown in Curlew Lake.

Andy Walgamott was all over this story and another big Saturday catch in his Northwest Sportsman Magazine blog.