GREENWOOD LAKE- Victor Gelman has a picture of a muskellunge fish, which weighs between 42 and 44 pounds, that he caught on the St. Lawrence River on the wall at his Warwick chocolate shop.
It’s become quite a conversation starter, and Gelman always tells inquiring customers that he will reel in an even bigger muskie. Earlier this week, Gelman did, pulling in a muskellunge on Greenwood Lake that weighed just over 45 pounds and was more than 52 inches long.
Gelman’s muskie is believed to be a New Jersey state record. According to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, the old mark was set by Bob Neal, who caught a muskellunge that weighed 42 pounds, 13 ounces in January of 1997 on the Monksville Reservoir in Ringwood.
“I am humbled and blessed to be able to catch a fish like this,” said Gelman, a Warwick resident. “It was exciting, and I was honored to share this experience with my friends and family. There are far better anglers out there who deserve a fish like this more than I.”
Gelman caught the big fish at about 4 p.m. while ice fishing on his day off. He brought it to Hackettstown (N.J.) Hatchery, which stocked Greenwood Lake with muskies to be officially weighed.
Gelman said the paperwork has been submitted to the state for the Jersey record. He donated the muskie to the hatchery, where biologists will examine it to learn more about its age, condition, and diet. If the catch is confirmed as a new state record, Gelman plans to have it mounted by a taxidermist.
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