Hello, My name is Mike. I also am a member of the Moraine Musky Club in PA. The MMA and myself our trying to increase the Musky size limit in Lake Arthur to 50". Any one from NY,Tenn,Wisc. or any other areas with higher size limits that can help me show proof of better reproduction, less money spent on stalking or other helpful information would be greatly appreciated. Or any one else that would like to give their input would also be helpful. Thanks you for helping protect our trophy musky waters, and practicing safe catch and release.
~Mike

I'm not sure why muskies are on the decline in some waters. I fish the St. Lawrence river mostly for pike and some say the pike feed on the muskies after they hatch. I don't buy this because why now. They have co-habitated for along time. Others say VHS disease have wiped out alot of fish. I sooner believe this than some of the other theories. The number of fish and the size of the fish caught has changed. 15 years ago I could easily went out and filled a 5 gallon bucket with 12" to 15" perch. Not now. To say that this is the only reason for the decline would be wrong. There are other factors. Such as zebra mussels. They have made the water clearer so now fish that would have been in 8' of water are now in 15'. It effects the food and habitat and that in its self can create a decline. Habitat change can greatly effect populations. If the spawning grounds disappear the musky's can't reproduce. Size limits have no effect on my fishing because I practice catch and release. I keep an ocasional fish that is hooked to deep and won't make it. As for wether or not to increase the size limit I would consult the experts in your DNR. If they feel this is something that should be done they will provide you with what you need . Here in NY we have size limits that differ from area to area.
Lifemember and Bushwacker SMF upstate NY

Welesly touched on the biggest problem with the size of all species of fish, the Zebra mussel. These little buggers eat all the plankton, leading to a decline in Disporea. These are a shrimp-like invertebrate that are the main food of young perch and other panfish. Without good numbers of perch, the predator fish decline in number and size. The Il. DNR (dnr.state.il.us) has a map posted under Salmon info or such that shows the decline in disporea and the associated decline in the size of Chinook salmon. Good luck with getting your size limit raised. Tom

They have had great success in sturgeon bay& green bay waters wis. with 50 inch musky limits& there are alot of pike but i have noticed they avoid each other.   even change their haunts. I have also caught 20 inch pike with JAWS MARKS WHEREMUSKIES HAVE TRIED TO EAT THEM& THEY GOT AWAY! Ialso witnessed an 18 inch pike chased so hard he began porposing and hit a retaining wall and then there was that huge BOIL!

Although they can be confusing, slot limits make sense for a lot of species. They allow for some harvest but protect the spawning population. I can't recall anyplace that has a slot on esox, but it works on bass and walleye, why not? Tom

Hello Mike.
I have a question for ya.
Does the MMA have any connection with Muskie's inc?

I think there is a bigger problem going on than the Zebra Mussel.
It seems this trend of smaller and fewer fish in our waters is happening across the country.

i see your season is open all year round and you also have a 40 inch min
are there 50 inchers already there? If it cant produce them what is the since .
A closed season probably would do more good.

MINNESOTA just raised there's to 48 inch min.
plus the season is closed to protect the spawning fish

Well said Pete.

Some of the best muskie lakes in Wisconsin have either later seasons for muskies, No trolling in alot of Northern Wisconsin, Catch and release, or Bigger slot limits... Problem is people who don't know how to release a fish properly and we lose one even if it was released! Hope this helps

Here in Michigan on Lake St. Clair the size limit is 42 inches minimum, and it seems like there are more muskie today than there were when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s. There are many 50+ pounders caught every year. Yesterday, they were chasing the panfish that were feeding on the mayflies since they started to hatch already, and were all over the spots I troll for pike. Saw some absolute monsters, and wonder why anybody would swim in there.

the limit in michigan is 50" one per season and its still hard to catch 50" ones i catch alot of 30 to 40 inches and one 48 incher

Step 1: Get Muskies, Inc involved
Step 2: MnDNR will have a wealth of information on larger size limits - they are fantastic. They've been able to help create true trophy waters in less than 25 years; most notably would be Lake Vermillion and two west central MN lakes that i'll politely keep to myself.
Step 3: Educate proper CPR (Catch, Photo, Release). Especially time out of water, water temp stress, and the hold.

Good Luck!
Matt


"Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers"

I don't know that zebra mussels are the problem. They may contribute, but certainly aren't the only (or even largest) factor. I don't necessarily think size limits are the absolute answer either. Here in Indiana we have zebra mussels and only a 36" size limit, and the muskie fishing is the best it has ever been. Ever. We now sport a handful of lakes that are producing truly trophy size fish. (I mean the 50+ size) That was unheard of just a decade ago.

Several factors affect the management including: fishing pressure, suitable habitat, available forage, etc. Also, some waters just don't support muskies the way we would like. I agree with some of the other posters on two points. First, knowledgeable anglers who are willing to take the steps to properly handle and release these fish are fundamental to maintaining a good muskie fishery. Second, contacting orgs like Muskies Inc. and state wildlife agencies is a good idea. If there is a particular limiting factor that's holding down the fish in your area, these are the people who will be able to identify it.

Good luck and happy fishing.

One of the proper ways to handle any fish for catch & release is to never take them out of the water. In fact you are supposed to use a cradle (sp) while removing the hook, taking pics and measurements on those big boys.

I read many years ago, that fisheries people reported that pike hatch before muskies do and so when the muskies hatch, they are preyed upon bu the pike which have already grown some.

I don't believe increasing the minimum limit to 50" will impact the size of musky in a particular lake that much. A large majority of the musky fisherman i know release any musky they catch, to include fish that are over the size limit. So those 50+ inch fish are still in there. The problem is getting them to bite.

Muskies are quite fragile as top of the lake food chain predators. Most muskie fisherpersons use 60-80 lb test braid and hammer their star drags down tight only to shorten the stress accumulation the fish experiences from the fight and to get the fish back into the water as quickly as possible. I do not know what the release survival rate is but time of year (water temps) and poor fish handling at the boat diminish the fish's chance of recovery. If I remember corrected, The Fisheries Ministry in Canada has labeled some of their muskie fishing lakes as trophy, world class and I cannot remember the other category which have strict catch-release rules. As was previously stated, most muskie fisherpersons know how to release their catches with great success by keeping the fish in the water as much as possible and being always prepared to get a quick photo. I would think trophy muskie fisheries like Leech Lake, Chippewa Flowage and possibly Lake Chatauqua to have earned their trophy status by implementing length limits in the 40-inches many years ago. Having no creel limits is pretty much a given and also improves the quality, especially if northern pike are present in those same fisheries. The predation on each other generally favors the northern pike, especially during the hatch and while there may be creel limits on muskie, there is also the closed season that allows the more mature fish to successfully spawn. Jack northerns are in abundance in most esox waters, more so than juvenile muskies.