Musky Hunter Magazine’s February/March 2009 issue celebrates the publication’s 20th anniversary of operation. MHM’s first issue to hit newsstands and readers’ mailboxes was the February/March 1989 issue.
Launched by musky pro Joe Bucher of Eagle River, WI, as well as sport show promoters Dan Laubenstein and Bill Tess of Green Bay, WI, Musky Hunter grew rapidly to become known as “North America’s Musky Authority.” Today, each issue of Musky Hunter Magazine is read by more than 50,000 people, making it by far the largest publication regularly covering muskies and musky fishing.
Musky Hunter’s growth has spun off its popular Web site, www.muskyhunter.com, and most recently The Musky Hunter TV Show.
MHM’s 20th anniversary issue is a whopping 116 pages, the largest page count ever in the magazine’s existence. The issue is packed with feature articles by Bucher, Editor Jim Saric, Managing Editor Steve Heiting, Field Editors Spence Petros, Mike Hulbert and Mark Maghran, and research columnist Steve Pallo.
Contributing writer Scott Richardson polled the magazine’s writers for their favorite musky waters, and his article “Dream Catchers” article ranks today’s top musky waters across North America.
The 20th anniversary issue also includes news articles about Dale MacNair’s giant musky from the St. Lawrence River, which was possibly the largest musky ever released, as well as 14-year-old Sarah Terry’s Kentucky state record musky. Both fish were caught during the 2008 season’s waning moments in November.
Joe Bucher’s editorial, Joe’s Musky Line, returns to the 20th anniversary issue as he recalls how musky fishermen have gone from “crazed elitists” to mainstream in the eyes of the fishing world in 20 years. And Jim Saric’s Editor’s Line lists the concerns that must be addressed by musky fishermen in the next 20 years.
“These are exciting times for musky fishing and Musky Hunter magazine,” said Saric. “Not only has the sport grown tremendously, but the advancement of musky fisheries in every state and the growing catch-and-release ethic have made today’s musky fishing better than ever.
“For Musky Hunter, our goal has always been to entertain and educate musky fishermen everywhere,” Saric continued. “We thank our readers and advertisers, whose enthusiasm and support have made all of this possible.”