By DAVE SHEA, Sports Writer
As Published in the Ogdensburg Advance News, Sunday, August 26, 2006
EDWARDSVILLE – Bryce Rushbrook of Smithburg, MD. will long remember his first trip to Black Lake to enjoy the lake’s famed bass fishery.
While staying with his father, brother and uncle at the Black Lake Marine Cottages, Rushbrook caught his share of bass and experienced an angling thrill which might come only once in a lifetime. On July 28, while casting for bass, Rushbrook’s spinner bait was slammed by the largest predator in northeast waters, a trophy-sized muskellunge.
In the frenzied fight that followed, Rushbrook managed to land the 43-pound, 56-inch muskie on 12-pound line without a leader. The fishing party did not have a net large enough to accommodate the muskie’s size and strength but his uncle, Seth Narehood, managed to pull the fish, which approached 5 feet in length, into the boat.
The massive marauder is being mounted by Larry’s Taxidermy of Ogdensburg.
Dave Roll, who has managed Black Lake Marine’s for 12 years, encourages all anglers fishing on Black Lake to be equipped for the likelihood of encountering a muskie.
“In the 12 years we have been here I’ll bet there have been 35 or so people who have hooked onto muskies.” said Roll.
“The muskie is a very elusive fish so a lot of them have gotten away. But Bryce was pretty blessed to land his fish.”
And so was Ron Merinsky of Mahonoy City, Penn. who caught a 43 inch muskie while fishing off the dock at the Black Lake Marine’s basin Merinsky managed to land the fish after it broke his net.
The trophy tiger was also mounted by Larry Vielhauer and is now displayed at the Black lake Marine Tackle, Bait Shop.
“There is a channel in the lake out from our dock and the muskies seem to go there when it gets hot.” said Roll.
“And the seem to feed in the heat more than the northern pike do.”
Black Lake Beauty – Bryce Rushbrook of Smithburg, Md. (right), with the help of his uncle, Seth Narehood, hoists a 56 inch, 43-pound muskie which he caught in lack Lake on July 28. The huge fish was caught on 12-pound test line with no leader after hitting a spinner bait (Photo Provided Black Lake Marine). Click on photo for larger view
