
Just a couple of pointers for next time if you plan to pursue these creatures on a regular basis:
1) Get a pair of long needle nosed pliers. That way you can remove the hooks without worrying about your fingers. Good work with the jaw spreaders.
2) Get a pair of hook cutters (hand held bolt cutters) from Canadian Tire. That way, if the fish is hooked really bad, you can snip the hooks to get your lure out of the way so you can work the shards of the hooks out without worrying about hooking yourself.
3) Try to hold the fish by the gill plate to prevent it from thrashing around. When you get a good hold on these fish, they often (not always though) will become pretty docile and allow you to more readily remove the hooks. I'm working on getting some photos of how to hold the fish by the gill plate, and will be posting them soon. Once you become comfortable with this hold, you will find that you can actually unhook the fish right in the water, rather than bringing the fish into the canoe and putting the fish and the angler at risk of injury.
Great work guys, and congrats on a nice muskie. Let's hope she fattens up a bit in the upcoming months.

HW