It’s been less than a month since Victor Gelman pulled a 45-pound muskie through the ice on Greenwood Lake and submitted a state-record application to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife. State officials announced earlier this week, however, that they are rejecting Gelman’s record because it was caught on the New York side (and not the New Jersey side) of the lake, which spans both states.
Gelman, who lives and works in New York, spoke with Outdoor Life two days after he caught the trophy fish on Feb. 24. He said it was the fulfillment of a dream that took root in 2024, when he caught a giant, 52-inch muskie from the St. Lawrence River in New York.
“I have a photo of me and that fish in my chocolate shop, and everyone who walks in wants to know where I caught the muskie and how much it weighed,” Gelman said. “I’ve told everyone who saw that photo in my shop that I’m going to catch a muskie that size in New Jersey, and I finally succeeded.”
Gelman’s 45.02-pound muskie was well shy of the New York record, a nearly 70-pound fish caught in 1957. But it stood a chance at replacing the New Jersey record, which weighed 42 pounds, 3 ounces.
“I knew it was a special muskie,” said Gelman, who harvested the fish and brought it to a New Jersey hatchery to have it officially weighed. He also gave credit at the time to the fisheries staff at the Hackettstown Hatchery. The state-run facility has been stocking muskies in Greenwood Lake for years, and the fish Gelman caught in February had originated there.
But according to Shawn Crouse, chief of the state’s Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries, the muskie’s origin mattered less than where exactly the fish was landed. Speaking with the Asbury Park Press on Friday, Crouse confirmed that Gelman had landed the fish on the far northern end of the lake, more than three miles into New York. He said they also based their decision on conversations with agencies in nearby states.
“We discussed it with New York’s fisheries chief and we felt we should be consistent with our records … The program is really intended for fish landed in New Jersey waters,” Crouse said. “This should not diminish the catch. We’re proud of the fish and the angler and love that it came from our hatchery.”
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Crouse added that if the fish would have been hooked on the New York side of Greenwood Lake but landed in New Jersey waters, Gelman’s record likely would have been made official. The NJFW Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Outdoor Life.