THE MISSOURI STATE RECORD MUSKIE
By
Kevin Richards,
Fisheries Field Operations Chief, Missouri Department of Conservation
(Now Retired)

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) began stocking muskies at 7,800 acre Lake Pomme de Terre in 1966.  It was the first stocking of muskies in Missouri and was supposed to be the only lake in which pure muskies would be evaluated during those early years. 

 While Pomme de Terre did receive most of Missouri’s muskie fingerlings produced in the late 1960s there was a notable exception.  Between 1967 and 1968 a total of 225 fingerlings were released into 55,000 acre Lake of the Ozarks.  The stories vary on why these fingerlings ended up in the Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks, but the bottom line is they did.  The stocking did not receive much attention as most folks assumed that very few of these 225 muskies would ever be seen again from this huge body of water. 

 What did happen was the development of a very successful muskie fishery at Pomme de Terre.  In 1969, just three years after the initial stocking, the first state record was submitted to MDC.  The record was 14 pounds 8 ounces – not bad for a three year old muskie. 

 From 1972 through 1975 the Missouri muskie record was broken 6 times.  The 1975 record was 27 pounds 4 ounces; it was a 44 ½ inch muskie caught by Hugh Palmer.  Like all the previous records it was caught from Pomme de Terre.  Another highlight of 1975 was the formation of the Pomme de Terre Chapter of Muskies, Inc. 

 In 1977 I moved to Missouri and became the MDC Fisheries Management Biologist for Lake of the Ozarks.  During my first week on the job I assisted with muskie stocking at Pomme de Terre.  I had always been fascinated by muskies and pike, but had never caught a legal muskie (at that time the Missouri length limit was 30 inches and the Ontario muskie length limit was 28 inches!). 

 While waiting for the muskie fingerlings to arrive from the hatchery local M.I. President John Steuber asked me if I’d like to see a bit of the lake.  He took me to Martin’s Flats and Point 19.  Both spots looked pretty plain to me, but John assured me they were good; I wondered if John really knew what he was talking about.   

 I can honestly say that after 28 years I still consider John’s advice to be the best fishing tip I ever received south of the Canadian border!  By the way, John also talked me into joining Muskies, Inc. 

 In September 1978 the Missouri state record was broken again by 14-year old Ronnie Ring, Jr. while fishing with his Dad.  Ronnie’s fish was a chunky 46-incher caught on a Creek Chub Pikie.  This catch launched the Ring family into a life-long pursuit of muskies.  If you think Junior gets a little excited when muskie fishing these days, you should have seen him in 1978! 

 Just 7 months later, in April 1979, the record was broken again at Pomme de Terre.  One of Pomme’s most successful trollers, Fred Martin, was trolling a white Wiggle Wart not too far from Buttons Cove when he hooked and landed a 46 ¾ inch muskie which weighed 30 pounds 4 ounces.  I remember that fish very well – it was Missouri’s first verified 30 pound muskie and I was the Fisheries Biologist who got to weigh and verify it. 

 That first 30-pound state record lasted just 4 months.  In August 1979 Pomme de Terre Chapter member Roger Metz (who at that time owned State Park Marina) caught a 47 ½ inch muskie which weighed 30 pounds 5 ½ ounces.  For those of you who may not know Roger he still fishes the annual Pomme tournament and would probably love to tell the story again; he caught the muskie on a large Mud Bug. 

 Roger’s record stood for 19 months.  During that time many of Missouri’s muskie enthusiasts reported seeing even bigger muskies at Pomme de Terre.  However most of us had essentially forgotten about the 225 small muskies stocked in Lake of the Ozarks back in 1967-1968.  I can honestly say that even as the Fisheries Biologist at Lake of the Ozarks I had not given them much thought as it had been a number of years since one had been reported from that big lake.  On the other hand I had gotten to know both Ronnie Ring and Roger Metz and fished for muskies with them from time to time at Pomme de Terre. 

 On the morning of March 9, 1981 I got the call of all muskie calls.  My friend Bill Haines, the MDC creel clerk on Lake of the Ozarks, called my office to tell me I needed to bring my scale and weigh what might be a new state record muskie.  The first thought that went through my mind was “why was Bill over at Pomme de Terre?”  I asked Bill where the fish was caught, and he said “near Shorecrest Resort”.  I must have said something like “you mean Shorecrest Resort on the Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks?” – Bill said “yes”.  Next Bill said the fish was over 4 feet long; I grabbed my certified scale and headed to Lake of the Ozarks! 

 As you probably know the monster tuned out to be 49 ½ inches long and weighed a whopping 41 pounds 2 ounces.  The girth was 25 inches – 4 inches more than each of the previous three state records!  The big female was caught by Gene Snelling of Camdenton.  Gene was an avid angler who often fished with his son.  The muskie was caught on a bone-colored Bomber.  Gene allowed me to take a scale sample which verified the muskie was 14 years old and therefore from the 1967 stocking.  I was later informed that the taxidermist found 6 pounds of eggs in the muskie. 

 It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the current Missouri state record muskie was caught.  I still believe the record will be broken again some day but I’ll guess that any Missouri record breaker will be at least a few inches longer than the Lake of the Ozarks record.  You don’t see too many muskies built like our state record (although I helped former Pomme Chapter member Joe Crossley release her twin up on Lac Seul late one fall).  Those big pigs are rare, but they are out there!