Bob Schuller holds his 52-inch muskie, which he caught March 21 during fishing trip to Lake Arthur.

MUDDY CREEK TWP — Bob Schuller’s 2½-year-old daughter, McKenzie, didn’t know what to make of the fish her dad had just reeled in on a late-night fishing trip on Lake Arthur March 21.

The fish was a 52-inch muskie — by far the biggest catch Schuller has ever made.

“She was excited,” Schuller said, “but a little scared. It was bigger than she was.”

Schuller didn’t expect to snag such a big fish in Lake Arthur.

An avid outdoorsman all his life, Schuller, 36, took advantage of the warm March weather to hit the lake early.

With his friend, Andrew Cox, girlfriend Kristine Funkhouse and his daughter with him, Schuller, an East Butler native, caught the muskie at 9:50 p.m.

“It was such a nice day, we decided to go out on the lake,” Schuller said.

Schuller said he had little trouble reeling the fish in.

“I don’t know if it was because the water temperature was still pretty low, but it didn’t fight that much,” Schuller said. “I’ve caught much smaller fish that fought a whole lot more.”

Schuller said he has never seen a fish that big caught at Moraine.

He has snagged fish in the 40-inch range in the lake, and has seen larger fish floating dead on the surface or on the shore, but he never expected to catch one that big.

“It was a complete surprise,” he said. “I was very shocked. I knew it was a nice one. I was just happy I was able to get it into the boat.”