Sounds like you had a great trip. I would recommend a net in the hand during the fight, then a camera in the hand after the fish has been netted. That's just me though. LOL Nice fish. What resort were you south of? The outpost? Thanks for the report. Happy Fishing.

Sorry to hear about the one that got away but looks like it was still a good trip.Congrats to your son on his first northern.Thanks for the report

Congrats on the fish guys!

That's great, thank you for sharing. What a thrill for your son.

AJ's Dad, Sorry, yes we were fishing around The Outpost which is south of the Bluslide resort where we were staying. As far as the camera/net situation, I've always landed all my tiger muskies by hand which (I believe) saves wear and tear on the fish. We were actually going to release the big one anyway so we didn't want to beat it up too bad.(still would've been nice to get better pics though)

tmusky1, I wasn't dogging you on the camera -vs- net theorey. I was just giving you a hard time. I release all pike and would certainly release a "Big" fish. I can't see myself ever mounting a fish in a skin mount. More than likely not even in a replica mount, as much money as they want for them. I just want the nice glossy 8 x 10 of me with that 20lb plus fish hanging on the wall. Netting a fish in my opinion isn't whats hard on them. I believe keeping them out of the water for longer periods of time is what gets to them. Especially the big ones. Congrats to your son on his first pike. I know I was hooked on pike from the first one I ever caught and I still get that same rush EVERY time one hammers my bait. Keep that boy fishing, it helps keep them out of trouble and creates memories that you will never forget. Happy Fishing

AJ's Dad, no worries at all, I knew you weren't dogging me, it's all good.