I am a "Musky Widow."

Oh, my husband is alive and well, but just before and during Musky season, he "isn’t all there." He is concentrating on getting his equipment ready, on finding out when the ice went out, how the weeds are growing and he actually goes to the gym to work on building his back and shoulder muscles so he can cast better.

I, on the other hand, think Musky fishing is simply boring. I am inept with a casting rod, a magnet for biting bugs, uninterested in discussions about "drop-offs," and water temperature. Although I tried Musky fishing, we decided that our marriage would be better served if my husband went fishing and I didn’t. This suits both of us. I am a mildly interested bystander—with the emphasis on bystander. Musky fishing is his obsession, but it definitely isn’t mine.

I have known several people who have what can only be termed an obsession. We used to have a neighbor who was determined that his lawn would rival any golf course green. A dandelion was a call to battle. He spent more time and money on seed, fertilizer and almost shaving each blade than any professional gardener would. His wife and I agreed that this was simply his way of having fun so we adopted the call, "If it makes him happy…"

Lately, however, I have been hearing about an apparently heated argument between two groups: one group thinks there is something less than "kosher" about current musky world records and another group is defending these records. I grew up around men and boys who could argue forever over who was the best baseball player of all times, who really deserved to be in the Hall of Fame and who could be counted on as a relief pitcher in a really tight game. The difference is, these men seemed to take a real delight just in the discussion. No one became angry because someone else held a different opinion. They already knew what the other guy would say and would provoke an argument just for the sake of argument. It made them happy….

The current argument about the world record musky doesn’t seem to be that kind of argument. There seems to be real anger and even personal rancor involved. I think it’s time for a reality check. Musky fishing is considered sport fishing. A sport is supposed to be some activity that you do for enjoyment. Yes, I realize that professional ball players make millions of dollars to "play" a sport—but at that point is it really a "sport," or is it a business? Do you fish because you enjoy the sport or do you fish because you truly expect to catch a world record? If you fish for enjoyment, you believe that just being on the water makes the day a good day—catching a legal fish just makes the day better.

There is no way we can accurately rewind time. History is just that—a story. History can also be interpreted in various ways depending on the point of view of those who are interpreting. A case in point is our own Revolutionary War. The American Colonists considered George Washington a hero. England considered him a traitor. It all depends on which side of the story you are standing when it is written down.

Did Louie Spray catch the world record musky? From the available evidence, it appears that he did. No one has been able to find actual evidence that he didn’t. Any disagreement with the proffered evidence is based on interpretation.

Did Cal Johnson catch a world record musky? Again, from the available evidence, it appears that he did. If he didn’t, there should be some credible evidence of that fact—not just someone’s interpretation.

From my admittedly "lay person" point of view, who cares? If my husband catches a fish larger than the monster on our wall, I will be excited for him because he will be thrilled. He will be excited because he caught one bigger than his biggest catch so far. To him, musky fishing is a sport. It gives him enjoyment. It makes him happy….

I feel sorry for those who use time and energy to "prove" or "disprove" something that makes no difference to 99.999% of the world. Why is this such a big issue? Will it change the way people fish for musky? Will it improve the equipment that they buy? Will it improve the way lakes are managed? Will it make them happy?

Men like to think that they are superior to women because they don’t gossip. They discuss serious issues. To my female ears, this resembles the sound of women gossiping about other women over incredibly petty issues. I’m tempted to call this a "cat fight."

Of course, I am just a non-fishing woman. I could be wrong—but I don’t think I am.