The calendar says it’s time to bow hunt, but the weather says it’s still musky fishing season. I’ve done both but honestly, the warmer it is the more likely you will find me on a lake as opposed to in a tree stand. I have a love/hate relationship with those black gnats in that I hate them, but they love me, so much to the point that I swell up like a balloon from their bites. So when the bugs are biting in the woods, I hope the muskies are biting when I’m in the boat.

Next Tuesday will be the 79th anniversary of a significant musky event: Louie Spray caught the world record musky from the Chippewa Flowage east of Hayward, Wis. I should add that he “allegedly caught” the world record because there is a boatload of controversy regarding not only this fish but a lot of would-be records from that era. The theories and stories are equal to the giant fish in question and over time have become woven into the fabric of musky culture. Even the Freshwater Hall of Fame in Hayward was divided to the point that directors resigned and the Hayward Mafia was born. They are alleged to be the group responsible for making sure Hayward keeps its self-anointed title of “Musky Capital of the World.”

It all started when Louie Spray went out fishing on Oct. 20, 1949, on the front edge of a huge cold front. The short version is that he caught the monster fish on a sucker near the old graveyard point on the south end of the flowage. Initially he claimed to have caught the fish near Herman’s Landing because he was good friends with Herman and he knew that it would be an obvious windfall for his friend. This is where I’ve got to give credit to Louie. If I caught the world record musky I would lie about the location as well. Heck, I lie about where I catch normal fish.  

Another interesting footnote is that it wasn’t the first time that Louie caught an epic world record fish. It wasn’t even the second world record musky to his name; it was the third! As with the biggest and last record fish, these first two also drew skepticism.

There is also a rumor that floats around to this day that a gangster really caught the fish but didn’t need or want the notoriety of such a famous catch, so he sold it to Louie for $50. True or not, it certainly adds to the interesting story.

When the musky was taken to a scale it weighed 69 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 63.5 inches long. Signed affidavits attested that the numbers were in fact legitimate but modern-day advanced photogrammetry supposedly disproves that. 

Regardless of what side of the fence you are on, no one can claim that the story is not legendary. It continues to inspire conversations if not arguments to this day. Whether the fish caught is legit or not, I love the history and the lore that it has created. It’s a slice of Wisconsin that will always be a part of us and musky fishing. Louie Spray even adds his two cents from the grave.

Happy Anniversary Louie.

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