This story was published on the front page of the North Bay Nugget September 24th, 2004

Goalie nets big muskie

Shawn Degagne, a muskellunge hunter, didn't get shut out on Lake Nipissing this week. In fact, he landed a 44-pound lunker while trolling alone in a boat.

"I saw it jump clean out of the water shortly after it hit and I yelled for help right away," he said in an interview.

His fishing buddy, John Warren, owner of the Waltonian Inn, wasn't far away. Degagne, 25, of Callander, was a goalie with the former North Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League. He currently plays for the Dayton Bombers of the East Coast League. Degagne got the big hit as he was trolling in six to 17 feet of water near Whale Rock on the south shore.

"It only took about 10 minutes to get it in, but then I had trouble because the landing net was too small." After landing the big fish, he tried reviving it, but gave up after 45 minutes. "One of the hooks was pretty deep."

Because of the size, Degagne said he will have the fish mounted. The muskie is 56 inches long and has a girth of 25.5 inches. He was trolling with 80-pound test, nylon-braided line and a foot-long black bucktail with a white spinner.

"I knew there were some big ones around, but nothing like this. It hit like a big Mack truck," said Degagne, who played for the Centennials in 1998-99.