The iconic four-and-a-half-story-tall leaping muskellunge at the Freshwater
Hall of Fame Museum in Hayward, Wisconsin. Jeanne Huffman is waving down
from the observation deck in the mouth of the musky.
Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame
Story and photos by Tim Huffman
The Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame recognizes people who have contributed to the sport of freshwater fishing. Hall of Fame members who have chased crappie include fishing guides Roger Gant and Steve McCadams, Sam Heaton, Jimmy Houston and Al Linder to name a few.
CrappieNOW editor Keith Sutton was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. Although known as “Catfish” due to his many articles, books and expertise in catfishing, we also know him from his many years writing crappie articles, crappie book and now as editor of CrappieNOW. He has been instrumental in teaching people how to enjoy the outdoors and how to catch more fish.
My wife Jeanne and I made a trip to the museum at Hayward, Wisconsin in late 2025. We visited with executive director Emmett Brown and spent a couple hours touring the museum and walking the grounds.
Jeanne climbed the many stairs inside the musky to its viewing platform while I chose to stay on the ground to be the photographer of the event. The museum includes photos of historical catches and a room full of plaques of people inducted into the hall of fame. It was an exciting experience to see my official plaque for the first time and was especially humbling when visitors came by to meet me.
Executive Director Brown says, “We are the location for the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, the North American record-keeping organization for freshwater species, and a museum with over 100,000 fishing artifacts of historical importance.
“2025 was a time with many improvements taking place. One example is our one-half-city-block-long and four-and-a-half-stories-tall musky. It was built in 1977 with concrete, steel and fiberglass and has a viewing area in the mouth of the fish. It, like other things here on the grounds, requires periodic updates and improvements.
“We are funded by private donations, admission to our grounds, a membership program and industry. We are grateful to people who help support us.”
A trip to the museum is highly recommended for any fisherman. It’s open mid-April through October. Cost for adults is $9.95. Several levels of annual memberships offer a good way for fishermen to support the Hall of Fame and museum, and to receive an annual record book, quarterly publications, annual pass to the museum, calendar, patch and more. For more information, visit www.freshwater-fishing.org
(CrappieNOW senior writer Tim Huffman is a Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame member and member of Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame. Huffman has several books, including his newest, Papermouth, Modern Fishing Techniques, available in Kindle or paperback on Amazon, or from his website, www.monstercrappie.com.)
