Local Angler Six Months Pregnant With Twins Catches Two 50-Plus-Inch Muskies

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Angler Megan Patterson met and surpassed her fishing goal this season, catching two muskies over 50 inches long while six months pregnant with twins.

Photo courtesy of Megan Patterson.

Her two muskies measured 52 in. (4.33 ft.) and 54 in. (4.5 feet) and were caught on the St. Lawrence River.

Joining the 50-inch club is a feat that all muskie anglers pursue. Patterson has been muskie fishing for the past six years and has netted over five of her husband’s 50-inch catches. She made it her goal to catch her own.

“Every season I have come up short,” she laughs. “In my first season, I caught a 49-inch muskie. I was so close to that 50-inch mark.”

Her social media following has tagged along for fishing trips ever since she started in the sport. Muskie season runs from June to mid-December in the Kawarthas.

Her first catch of the season was an impressive 46-incher from Chemong Lake. Photo courtesy of Megan Patterson.

“My goal was to be a big momma catching a big momma,” Patterson said. “I really wanted to go out with a bang by catching a big fish this year.”

Not only did she reach her goal of snagging a 50-plus-inch muskie but she also reeled a second, all while being pregnant with twins. Patterson recalls her surprise when her husband netted the catch and saw how big it was.

“It comes up onto the bump board and it lays so much past the 50-inch mark,” she said. “To this day that was still one of my best days on the water of my whole life.”

Patterson thanks the ‘two little good luck charms’ in her belly.

“It’s such a fun story that we’ll be able to tell our babies,” she said. “That all four of us were on the boat when we caught this 54-inch muskie.”

Although the couple may have to retire the 12-hour fishing trips to take care of the babies, Patterson says she’s excited to take Charlotte and Carter out on Chemong Lake and share her passion for the sport of muskie fishing.

“I’m really excited to be raising my babies fishing, having the twins out on the boat with us and catching their first muskies,” she says. “We’re so lucky to live in the Kawarthas where we have such amazing class fish even right in our backyard.”

Carter and Charlotte, born Nov. 17, 2022. Photo courtesy of Megan Patterson.

Patterson is a member/ambassador of various fishing organizations such as Shimano, Mustang Survival, Musky Maniacs, Muskies Canada and the Ontario Women's Anglers Association.

She operates under a catch-and-release method through her muskie fishing, ensuring the fish is out of the water for no more than two minutes before reviving and releasing the catch. Paterson urges anglers catching any species or class of fish to be prepared with the proper release tools in their boat.

“Conservation is such a big part of this sport. We use incredible releasing tools to make sure that we are putting these fish back into the water almost the same way they came into the boat,” Patterson said.

Those wishing to follow along with Patterson’s muskie fishing adventures can find her at @meganpattterson on all social media applications.

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