Larry Ramsell

Larry Ramsell is an avid muskie fisherman with over 60 years of muskie hunting experience. His muskie fishing has carried him to notable muskie waters in 13 US states and two provinces of Canada. Larry has fished with several of the sport’s legends including Homer LeBlanc, Len Hartman, Art Lawton, Bill Tutt, Al Lindner, Joe Bucher and others. He guided for muskies in Hayward and other areas of northwestern Wisconsin, and on Lake Vermilion in Minnesota. He’s caught and released hundreds of muskies including several 40 to 51-pounds. Larry holds the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame (NFWFHF) 50-pound line class world record for muskellunge with his 44-pound 4-ounce trophy caught in 1988.

Ramsell is a popular and frequent speaker at sport shows, banquets, seminars and club meetings and has made presentations at professional fisheries meetings including; the Cool Water Symposium, International Muskie Symposium and the International Dr. Ed Crossman Muskie Symposium. He also spoke at the Muskie Probe held by Muskies Canada. Larry received recognition from the American Fisheries Society, Muskies Inc., and Muskies Canada Inc. for his participation in the 1984 and 2005 Muskie Symposiums and the Muskie Probe. Larry also spent a summer as a volunteer on Bernard Lebeau's PhD research team in northwestern Ontario, helping to radio track huge muskies on Eagle and Wabigoon Lakes.

He is recognized as a Legendary Angler by the NFWFHF and is an inductee of the Muskies, Inc. Hall of Fame. Larry also received the “Mr. Musky” award from Muskies, Inc. and is a recipient of the Mike Malone Memorial Award “For Service, Dedication and Conservation of Natural Resources” by the First Wisconsin Chapter of Muskies, Inc.

Larry developed the freshwater fishing world records program as world records secretary for the NFWFHF and served as a representative of The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for 16 years. He has held many offices with muskie organizations including two terms as President of Muskies, Incorporated International.

To call Larry a zealous muskie historian would be an understatement! His love for muskies and muskie fishing is apparent in his, A “Compendium” of Muskie Angling History and the revised 2nd edition. Larry’s first edition was recognized internationally as a reference encyclopedia of the sport and its big fish. He also co-authored a five-year series of "Musky Hunter's Almanacs" with Bill Hamblin and has authored numerous articles for various publications, including: In-Fisherman, Fishing Facts, Musky Hunter, Muskie, Fisch und Fang (Germany), North American Fisherman and Fishing World, among others. Larry is often the "go to" person for outdoor writers and angling publications when questions of muskie history arise or photographs are desired.

The “Muskie Mystique” has affected Larry in many ways. He has an obsession with all things muskie including books. His collection includes every book written solely about muskies, not to mention muskie specific magazines and hundreds more books and magazines with muskie references. His book collection numbers in excess of 550 titles dating back to 1849. He operates an “out-of-print” muskie book business to help collectors obtain hard-to-find muskie books. He also maintains a muskie postcard collection numbering in the hundreds and is, amazingly, still finding new ones to add to his collection. Larry’s life-long muskie pin and patch collection is second to none and never mind all the other muskie memorabilia such as plates, cups, glasses, statue’s, magnets and bottles, too numerous to mention. His muskie magazine article and scientific muskie research papers number in the many hundreds as well. Dozens of muskie pictures nearly cover the walls of his home, “The House of Muskies.”

In short, Larry is a “Muskie Junkie!” and he once even went swimming with a 57 incher!

Larry is always happy to receive any new historical information and photographs on muskies for future revisions of the “Compendium”.

For how to purchase “Out of Print muskie books” or to pass along new information, Larry can be contacted at: 9407 N Highline Road, Hayward, WI 54843. Phone: 715-634-9882. email: larryramsell@hotmail.com