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In 1960, a group of people developed an
organization to start a museum to collect, preserve and display
fishing souvenirs. It took more than 15 years to raise enough
money to open the original Hall of Fame in Hayward in 1976. It
opened that summer as a museum and 8,000 visitors came during
that first summer. By 1978, construction began on the Hall's landmark fish, the giant muskie, which is 1/2 block
long and 4 1/2 stories tall. The inside is filled with museum objects,
and the mouth is an observation deck for as many as 20 people
to view the nature pond below. More fish have been added to the
"Sea of Fishes" including giant Walleye, Bluegill,
Coho Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Perch and Largemouth
Bass. Also on the seven acres is a four-building museum to hold
the inventory of over 5,000 fishing lures, over 300 antique rods,
reels and accessories, over 300 antique and classic outboard
motors and more than 400 mounts of almost 200 different species
of fish. There is even a video theater that seats 35 people and
shows movies about fishing. The Fishing Hall of Fame is open
every day from April 15 to November 1.
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