Now here’s one enormous muskie. Maybe even a world record. But we’ll never know—because the man who caught it followed muskie fishing’s strict code of catch-and-release and tossed the beast back. Kevin Davison hooked the 58-incher on a 10-inch crankbait while fishing Northern Ontario’s Lake Nipissing on October 6th (the same day, oddly enough, that one Jody Dahms landed and immediately released a potential Minnesota state-record muskie).

In a note accompanying the photo Davison sent us, he says:
Some are estimating a 30-32 inch girth which would make this girl a Canadian record and possibly a world record! The best thing is that this fish was released and is still out there!

Two questions: Would you have been able to toss this fish back? And to our muskie experts out there, do you think this fish would challenge the world record?

Restoring mashed flies to their original operating condition is as simple as boiling water. Just put a teakettle on, and crank up the heat to produce a healthy jet of steam. Grip a fly at the hook bend in a pair of pliers and hold it in the vapor stream, rotating slowly so that the mist penetrates wings, tails, and hackles. Heat and moisture will relax the kinks, massage out the crimps, and return the fly into fishable shape. When it looks refreshed, shake off excess moisture and lay it on a paper towel to dry. —TED LEESON