I just saw a show the other day talking about Musky in general and the scientist stated that as a Musky gets bigger it's chances of being caught and surviving decline. He attributed this to the fact that a Musky will litterally fight to the death. The scientist stated that the chances of a mature Musky being caught more than once were, in his opinion, highly unlikely.
On the flip side he also stated that many Muski's are caught by fisherman that do not know how to properly handle one and when added to other variables, like type of water (lake or river), fight length, etc., that IF KNOWN may have significantly altered his data and resulting opinion.
What I took from that was if the angler knows how to properly handle a Muski and has the correct equipment so the fight is not delayed longer than needed then a fish is a fish is a fish....
The only thing that cannot be accounted for are Muski being caught be fisherman not trying to catch them in the first place I guess?
I don't always fish for Bass, but when I do, I prefer big'uns. Fish hard my friends....
What are normal water temps for this time of year? Since this is my first summer for muskie, I never really paid attention before. I will say that the last time I was at Salt Fork, the temp was 87. West Branch has been around 82-83 when I hit the water at 5PM. Usually be 9:30, it's around 79.
I just saw a show the other day talking about Musky in general and the scientist stated that as a Musky gets bigger it's chances of being caught and surviving decline. He attributed this to the fact that a Musky will litterally fight to the death. The scientist stated that the chances of a mature Musky being caught more than once were, in his opinion, highly unlikely.
On the flip side he also stated that many Muski's are caught by fisherman that do not know how to properly handle one and when added to other variables, like type of water (lake or river), fight length, etc., that IF KNOWN may have significantly altered his data and resulting opinion.
What I took from that was if the angler knows how to properly handle a Muski and has the correct equipment so the fight is not delayed longer than needed then a fish is a fish is a fish....
The only thing that cannot be accounted for are Muski being caught be fisherman not trying to catch them in the first place I guess?
I don't always fish for Bass, but when I do, I prefer big'uns. Fish hard my friends....
I'm calling BS on this unless you can give the exact scietists name. That is completely false. Many times over 45-50" musky get caught more than once in a single season. I know of one guy who caught a mid 30's musky 6 times in one spring/summer. It was a clearly identifiable fish.
As for fishing when surface water temps are 80 and above, most of the die-hard musky guys I know stop fishing when we get to that point. If the surface is temp is 84 then the fish need to get to 16 feet down to reach a depth with a decent amount of dissolved oxygen in it. As for tournys and pro's and such. I call BS on that too! The Central Ohio Muskies Inc tourney last July was cancelled, and if I recall the water temps were about 80-82. Most Ohio resevoirs this summer are 84-87. That's a death trap for a muskies. There is NO dissolved oxygen. Tony Grant, professional guide on Cave Run in KY, goes to northern MN to fish in the summer months. Mike Hulbert a professional guide in IN goes to northern MN to musky fish in the summer months. Chad Cain, professional guide on Lake Kinkaid in IL, goes to northern MN to musky fish in the summer months. These guys move up there and guide on those lakes because they know that if they continue to fish their home resevoir they run the risk of killing the fish. These are facts! Look up each of those guys website. They each have a forum. Go ahead and ask them about fishing their home waters right now.
There are no laws or regulations against it. It's a matter of ethics. Guys who care about the fish and the fishery stop fishing. Guys who care about club points, money, themselves don't. I give the benefit of the doubt to guys who are new to it. Maybe they haven't really learned what it's all about. However, when you see dead musky floating on the surface of the lake you should be disgusted and realize that you are doing more harm than good by being out there.
__________________
"I can’t remember a time when I didn’t fish." - Al Lindner
I think it's safe to say that no one is going to agree on this. I also think it's safe to say there is a way to point things like this out to others without sounding like a complete a-hole. Acting like a self righteous holier than thou muskie zealot is not going to help others convince anyone. I've always liked this forum, but there are a few folks who act like they popped a few too many roids. You want to convince me? Send me info, have an intelligent conversation, help me understand this. MuskieJim and several others on this thread have done a great job doing this. Actually, most posters are awesome. I just take issue with how Killer started this debate.
I'll do my part by continuing to look into this as much as I can, and if the evidence I find points to increased mortality, then that would settle it for me. A couple of floaters doesn't tell me to stop fishing. It tells me that there are people who don't take the time to properly catch/revive/release a muskie. I see it all the time. There was an idiot on the lake last week holding his fish up in the air for every boat that passed by. I'd bet that fish is dead. I've seen guys...all the time...boat their fish, then just toss them in the water. I call BS on that.
I wonder what all those canadian and minnesota guides are doing with water temps in the 80's up there as well? Surely not all of them are fishing Leech or Cass. I fished Cass/Andrusia in early June, and the water temps were climbing then. From what I'm reading and hearing from guys fishing up there, they are at or near 80 right now. (Cass and Leech are still down in the 70's though)
If you fish in water that is 79 degrees, then you are just as guilty as me fishing when it hits 80. Fishing for any species in the summer obviously puts more stress on the fish. We need to protect our fisheries for sure....but I think some of this is taken to the extreme just like everything else in life.
Again, I'll do my homework and look into this even more than I already have. I'm not in a club, I don't do tournaments, and I certainly don't make money. I just like to fish.
I'm waiting for the boycott and picket signs at all the Ohio Muskie Trail tournaments.
You mean like this one?
The Saltfork Lake Musky Challenge
July 7th & 8th 2012
Quote:
Originally Posted by imalt
It will be the same guys that complain where have all the muskys gone come fall.
That's a little over the top, don't you think?
I get the whole point about protecting a resource, but in the right hands, with the right equipment the release can be pretty quick. Certainly better than a bass or crappie fisherman hooking into one by accident, which happens frequently.
__________________
2010 Tracker PB20 90HP Merc
Vapor 10XT - Ascend D10 - Jackson Cuda
Something I noticed, is that I had more fish go belly up in early May than I'm having now. I'm taking more time to work them in the water just because of the heat, but the fish are popping up and staying much more healthy for longer. Serious question: why is that?
It seemed that in May, we'd get a fish in the net, and it would just roll over. No matter what..long fight, short fight, etc.
The shorter the fight, in my opinion, the better the chance you put less stress on the fish. I'm using heavy gear, and getting them in fast. (Except for that pig I hooked the other night....and lost.....) I'd rather have a fish get off from horsing it in than play him out for 5 minutes and killing it.
Any scientist that says, "that the chances of a mature Musky being caught more than once were, in his opinion, highly unlikely.", is not a musky fisherman and on this subject, we know better. A case to this point is the first 50"er to be caught at CC. It was caught by Mason52 and it was caught a week or two later by another guy. Both catches were posted on this website with photos. In addition, SOMA56 members have compared photos and have recognized many muskies that have been caught and released more than once. So if that is a direct quote, the scientist is wrong.
I would also like to point out that SOMA56 does not schedule musky fishing tournament in July and August in anticipation of high water temperatures.
Do all of us stop fishing for muskies in the summer, no. But we look for cooler water.
Hey fellas, if I'm wrong for posting something I can deal with that. But if I knew it was wrong I would not have posted it anyway. I was trying to add to the conversation not give point to argue over. I don't fish for Musky and don't plan to either....
I don't always fish for Bass, but when I do, I prefer big'uns. Fish hard my friends....
I get the whole point about protecting a resource, but in the right hands, with the right equipment the release can be pretty quick. Certainly better than a bass or crappie fisherman hooking into one by accident, which happens frequently.(quote)
Accidentally catching one while fishing for another species and targeting musky are two different things. A bass or crappie guy cant help a musky decides to eat their lure. But a guy throwing a 10" bait isn't fishing for crappie.
Wolverine if you google catching musky in water temps above 80 degrees there are a buch of discussions that come up on the topic. Fish are going to die sometimes no matter what you do to try to revive. Its part of musky fishing but fishing when the water temps are in the mid 80's is really increasing the odds of the fish dying. And just because it isn't floating doesn't mean it didn't die; they can sink just as easily.
__________________
Lost: Other OGF's posters balls if found please return to them immediately. You guys know who you are.
I did google it, among other things. Finding the same type of discussions with guys against it and guys saying it's ok. I'm taking info in actual articles and tips much more than I'm putting stock into forum discussions on other sites. Everyone has an opinion.
That being said, the majority of what I'm reading in articles, etc., is just saying be cautious and continue to work on refining your release procedures. Also, no pics and measure in the water. I can certainly live by that from here on out. (though it's going to mentally break me if I catch a 50+ and can't get a picture.....but I can deal with that!)
I also wonder: On Saturday, the hottest day of the year, I saw more muskie chasing shad at the the surface than I ever have. Makes no sense, but it was happening.
I have done my share of fishin for muskies in warmer water and judge no one for fishing at any time although I have shut down myself for a while to let water temps and oxygen levels to improve. I don't net or photograph any fish when I fish in warmer water. I also don't troll the thermocline in warm water.
Here is a great article by Elmer Heyob on the dangers of fishing for muskie in hot water conditions. Please use caution if you decide you need to fish for skies in the current water conditions we are having.
Delayed Mortality
The July 2010 weather pattern has led to a keen interest in hot lake water and how it might affect the incidence of delayed mortality on muskies being caught and released. The short answer is that the odds for delayed mortality are higher because of the water temperatures and the only way to completely avoid it is not to fish until conditions improve. The fact that State and private fish hatcheries, as a practice, do not deliver and stock even channel catfish in 80-degree water temperatures because of increased fish mortalities serves as a real world example. Can muskie anglers still fish and use methods that reduce the odds for delayed mortality? Absolutely. I have written and presented techniques at seminars for many years on how to accomplish this. Fast water releases are the key technique. However, this post is aimed at what effect higher lake temperatures have on our ability to release healthy muskies that continue to grow bigger and be caught another day not just to see them eventually “go-down”. It’s important to note that delayed mortality may take days and be hardly noticed but frequently it occurs by the next morning after the release.
Delayed mortality may occur from the combination of stressors a fish experiences during a catch and release fishing event along with any associated tissue damage and blood loss. Our lake conditions since the Fourth of July have become a major factor because the sustained hot weather conditions have warmed the surface waters above 80-degrees (morning temperature) and caused that temperature to reach all the way down to the thermocline. The dissolved oxygen at the thermocline depth drops below 4 ppm. This is a key point because once the coolest water available to a “cool-water” species like muskies goes above the 80-degree range or below 4-6 ppm oxygen, the fish reach a stressful situation. That’s why the odds for delayed mortality go up under these conditions. The fish are already at the point of stress before being caught. A muskie stressed by warm water or low oxygen will continue to feed to a point, making them vulnerable to angling. In fact, being cold-blooded means their metabolism is greater at higher temperatures, but eventually the stress shuts their feeding down and they start to lose body condition.
For example, both Alum Creek and Caesar’s Creek Lakes currently have conditions where the 80-degree water has reached all the way down to the 4 ppm oxygen levels at the thermocline. With continued hot weather conditions, it will only become worse. The oxygen in warm upper layer the (epilimnion) that doesn’t mix with the colder water below it with little or no oxygen (hypolimnion) will continue to reduce in depth, making the thermocline shallower and forcing the muskies into hotter water and even more stressful conditions.
It’s no coincidence that some of our best muskie lakes have cool or coldwater sources, whether from springs, ground water, or cold feeder streams. The cold water helps provide summer refuge from extreme water conditions. A side effect of summer stress is reduced growth. The good news is that we commonly start to experience better conditions by the end of August. Alum Creek, for example, starts to de-stratify by the end of August in most years. We were fortunate last year to experience an abnormally cool summer with water temperatures that stayed below 78-degrees in August.
There are a few other facts to consider while fishing during summer if you choose to do so. Years ago delayed mortality was not an issue because most everyone kept the muskies they caught. Anglers quit fishing if they reached their legal limit. As Muskie Inc. members, most of us strive to obtain quality releases and our hopes are to avoid delayed mortality. However, we could be causing more mortality by fishing at the wrong time or with bad releases than someone whose goal is to keep muskies. How many of us stop fishing after just one release?
Immediate, or near immediate, mortality fish are easy to spot because they float belly up in the surrounding area of the attempted release. Fish caught from deep water that can’t be released immediately will experience air-bladder expansion which also causes them to float belly-up. If they are too weak to swim back down to neutral buoyancy, they will die in the hot surface waters. Some of you may have seen my muskie presentation where I show a technique that is a last ditch effort to save a muskie that experiences air bladder expansion. I use my anchor rope marked for the thermocline depth and clip the muskie by the front of its jaw using a very short 4 lb test line and a #10 hook and then lower it back down to just above the thermocline. When the muskie regains its strength, it will pop itself free and not float back up. Some key points if you need to try this: you must know the thermocline depth or at least the depth you caught your muskie at. Below this depth there may be no oxygen plus the fish will only reach neutral buoyancy at this depth. Choose a release site that is just shallower than the thermocline so the fish can rest on the bottom. If one releases a fish that is not strong enough to maintain swimming after pulling free from the release hook over open water, the fish can sink like a rock if water deeper than its original depth is present. Water pressure is what causes this effect. More compressed oxygen in the air bladder is needed to remain neutrally buoyant the deeper a fish goes. A fish that drops below the summer thermocline after a bad release will suffocate and will not float. They lay in the cold un-oxygenated “anoxic” water and are slowly digested by anaerobic bacteria.
Here is a great article by Elmer Heyob on the dangers of fishing for muskie in hot water conditions. Please use caution if you decide you need to fish for skies in the current water conditions we are having.
Delayed Mortality
The July 2010 weather pattern has led to a keen interest in hot lake water and how it might affect the incidence of delayed mortality on muskies being caught and released. The short answer is that the odds for delayed mortality are higher because of the water temperatures and the only way to completely avoid it is not to fish until conditions improve. The fact that State and private fish hatcheries, as a practice, do not deliver and stock even channel catfish in 80-degree water temperatures because of increased fish mortalities serves as a real world example. Can muskie anglers still fish and use methods that reduce the odds for delayed mortality? Absolutely. I have written and presented techniques at seminars for many years on how to accomplish this. Fast water releases are the key technique. However, this post is aimed at what effect higher lake temperatures have on our ability to release healthy muskies that continue to grow bigger and be caught another day not just to see them eventually “go-down”. It’s important to note that delayed mortality may take days and be hardly noticed but frequently it occurs by the next morning after the release.
Delayed mortality may occur from the combination of stressors a fish experiences during a catch and release fishing event along with any associated tissue damage and blood loss. Our lake conditions since the Fourth of July have become a major factor because the sustained hot weather conditions have warmed the surface waters above 80-degrees (morning temperature) and caused that temperature to reach all the way down to the thermocline. The dissolved oxygen at the thermocline depth drops below 4 ppm. This is a key point because once the coolest water available to a “cool-water” species like muskies goes above the 80-degree range or below 4-6 ppm oxygen, the fish reach a stressful situation. That’s why the odds for delayed mortality go up under these conditions. The fish are already at the point of stress before being caught. A muskie stressed by warm water or low oxygen will continue to feed to a point, making them vulnerable to angling. In fact, being cold-blooded means their metabolism is greater at higher temperatures, but eventually the stress shuts their feeding down and they start to lose body condition.
For example, both Alum Creek and Caesar’s Creek Lakes currently have conditions where the 80-degree water has reached all the way down to the 4 ppm oxygen levels at the thermocline. With continued hot weather conditions, it will only become worse. The oxygen in warm upper layer the (epilimnion) that doesn’t mix with the colder water below it with little or no oxygen (hypolimnion) will continue to reduce in depth, making the thermocline shallower and forcing the muskies into hotter water and even more stressful conditions.
It’s no coincidence that some of our best muskie lakes have cool or coldwater sources, whether from springs, ground water, or cold feeder streams. The cold water helps provide summer refuge from extreme water conditions. A side effect of summer stress is reduced growth. The good news is that we commonly start to experience better conditions by the end of August. Alum Creek, for example, starts to de-stratify by the end of August in most years. We were fortunate last year to experience an abnormally cool summer with water temperatures that stayed below 78-degrees in August.
There are a few other facts to consider while fishing during summer if you choose to do so. Years ago delayed mortality was not an issue because most everyone kept the muskies they caught. Anglers quit fishing if they reached their legal limit. As Muskie Inc. members, most of us strive to obtain quality releases and our hopes are to avoid delayed mortality. However, we could be causing more mortality by fishing at the wrong time or with bad releases than someone whose goal is to keep muskies. How many of us stop fishing after just one release?
Immediate, or near immediate, mortality fish are easy to spot because they float belly up in the surrounding area of the attempted release. Fish caught from deep water that can’t be released immediately will experience air-bladder expansion which also causes them to float belly-up. If they are too weak to swim back down to neutral buoyancy, they will die in the hot surface waters. Some of you may have seen my muskie presentation where I show a technique that is a last ditch effort to save a muskie that experiences air bladder expansion. I use my anchor rope marked for the thermocline depth and clip the muskie by the front of its jaw using a very short 4 lb test line and a #10 hook and then lower it back down to just above the thermocline. When the muskie regains its strength, it will pop itself free and not float back up. Some key points if you need to try this: you must know the thermocline depth or at least the depth you caught your muskie at. Below this depth there may be no oxygen plus the fish will only reach neutral buoyancy at this depth. Choose a release site that is just shallower than the thermocline so the fish can rest on the bottom. If one releases a fish that is not strong enough to maintain swimming after pulling free from the release hook over open water, the fish can sink like a rock if water deeper than its original depth is present. Water pressure is what causes this effect. More compressed oxygen in the air bladder is needed to remain neutrally buoyant the deeper a fish goes. A fish that drops below the summer thermocline after a bad release will suffocate and will not float. They lay in the cold un-oxygenated “anoxic” water and are slowly digested by anaerobic bacteria.
Good article, thanks!
__________________
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
Read that earlier...it's a great article. Tried finding his earlier article about good releases, but keep drawing blanks. If you find it, please pass it on.
I haven't tried catch/release without getting them in the net.....I'd be worried about taking a treble hook to the face with my luck. I usually keep them in the net/water and use the net like a corral. I'll give it a try though...stay tuned for pics of my trip to the ER.
I also wonder: On Saturday, the hottest day of the year, I saw more muskie chasing shad at the the surface than I ever have. Makes no sense, but it was happening.
There's a difference between a musky chasing a shad to the surface and a musky being reeled in through it. I would guess the musky does not get a lethal level of lactic acid built up in it's system when it chases a shad to the surface. However, when fighting for his life, it sure does.
Shad are creatures of habit and fleeing to the surface is an instinctual habit for them. So, the musky chase them. This is when they are feeding aggressively..........they do still have to eat. However, they can calmly return to the water column that has the right dissolved oxygen levels and return to a resting state.
You are correct about many individuals have many different views on this. My own ethics tell me that I ought to wait to musky fish again until the surface water temps come back down to less than 80. Those northern lakes are a LOT different than ours. Many may not stratify thus they may have a bit more dissolved oxygen in that surface water. Often up there the warm water is only the top 1 foot near the surface. However, my home lake is Alum Creek. It has little to no weed growth, little to no ground water springs feeding it, and no cool water resources. The hot water and lack of Dis. Ox. goes much deeper than 1 foot or so. Thus, the risk factors are probably a lot higher for me than someone fishing Lake Minnetonka.
__________________
"I can’t remember a time when I didn’t fish." - Al Lindner
I have done my share of fishin for muskies in warmer water and judge no one for fishing at any time although I have shut down myself for a while to let water temps and oxygen levels to improve. I don't net or photograph any fish when I fish in warmer water. I also don't troll the thermocline in warm water.
Here is a great article by Elmer Heyob on the dangers of fishing for muskie in hot water conditions. Please use caution if you decide you need to fish for skies in the current water conditions we are having.
Delayed Mortality
The July 2010 weather pattern has led to a keen interest in hot lake water and how it might affect the incidence of delayed mortality on muskies being caught and released. The short answer is that the odds for delayed mortality are higher because of the water temperatures and the only way to completely avoid it is not to fish until conditions improve. The fact that State and private fish hatcheries, as a practice, do not deliver and stock even channel catfish in 80-degree water temperatures because of increased fish mortalities serves as a real world example. Can muskie anglers still fish and use methods that reduce the odds for delayed mortality? Absolutely. I have written and presented techniques at seminars for many years on how to accomplish this. Fast water releases are the key technique. However, this post is aimed at what effect higher lake temperatures have on our ability to release healthy muskies that continue to grow bigger and be caught another day not just to see them eventually “go-down”. It’s important to note that delayed mortality may take days and be hardly noticed but frequently it occurs by the next morning after the release.
Delayed mortality may occur from the combination of stressors a fish experiences during a catch and release fishing event along with any associated tissue damage and blood loss. Our lake conditions since the Fourth of July have become a major factor because the sustained hot weather conditions have warmed the surface waters above 80-degrees (morning temperature) and caused that temperature to reach all the way down to the thermocline. The dissolved oxygen at the thermocline depth drops below 4 ppm. This is a key point because once the coolest water available to a “cool-water” species like muskies goes above the 80-degree range or below 4-6 ppm oxygen, the fish reach a stressful situation. That’s why the odds for delayed mortality go up under these conditions. The fish are already at the point of stress before being caught. A muskie stressed by warm water or low oxygen will continue to feed to a point, making them vulnerable to angling. In fact, being cold-blooded means their metabolism is greater at higher temperatures, but eventually the stress shuts their feeding down and they start to lose body condition.
For example, both Alum Creek and Caesar’s Creek Lakes currently have conditions where the 80-degree water has reached all the way down to the 4 ppm oxygen levels at the thermocline. With continued hot weather conditions, it will only become worse. The oxygen in warm upper layer the (epilimnion) that doesn’t mix with the colder water below it with little or no oxygen (hypolimnion) will continue to reduce in depth, making the thermocline shallower and forcing the muskies into hotter water and even more stressful conditions.
It’s no coincidence that some of our best muskie lakes have cool or coldwater sources, whether from springs, ground water, or cold feeder streams. The cold water helps provide summer refuge from extreme water conditions. A side effect of summer stress is reduced growth. The good news is that we commonly start to experience better conditions by the end of August. Alum Creek, for example, starts to de-stratify by the end of August in most years. We were fortunate last year to experience an abnormally cool summer with water temperatures that stayed below 78-degrees in August.
There are a few other facts to consider while fishing during summer if you choose to do so. Years ago delayed mortality was not an issue because most everyone kept the muskies they caught. Anglers quit fishing if they reached their legal limit. As Muskie Inc. members, most of us strive to obtain quality releases and our hopes are to avoid delayed mortality. However, we could be causing more mortality by fishing at the wrong time or with bad releases than someone whose goal is to keep muskies. How many of us stop fishing after just one release?
Immediate, or near immediate, mortality fish are easy to spot because they float belly up in the surrounding area of the attempted release. Fish caught from deep water that can’t be released immediately will experience air-bladder expansion which also causes them to float belly-up. If they are too weak to swim back down to neutral buoyancy, they will die in the hot surface waters. Some of you may have seen my muskie presentation where I show a technique that is a last ditch effort to save a muskie that experiences air bladder expansion. I use my anchor rope marked for the thermocline depth and clip the muskie by the front of its jaw using a very short 4 lb test line and a #10 hook and then lower it back down to just above the thermocline. When the muskie regains its strength, it will pop itself free and not float back up. Some key points if you need to try this: you must know the thermocline depth or at least the depth you caught your muskie at. Below this depth there may be no oxygen plus the fish will only reach neutral buoyancy at this depth. Choose a release site that is just shallower than the thermocline so the fish can rest on the bottom. If one releases a fish that is not strong enough to maintain swimming after pulling free from the release hook over open water, the fish can sink like a rock if water deeper than its original depth is present. Water pressure is what causes this effect. More compressed oxygen in the air bladder is needed to remain neutrally buoyant the deeper a fish goes. A fish that drops below the summer thermocline after a bad release will suffocate and will not float. They lay in the cold un-oxygenated “anoxic” water and are slowly digested by anaerobic bacteria.
+1 Elmer did a great job with that article!
Quote:
Originally Posted by crittergitter
As for fishing when surface water temps are 80 and above, most of the die-hard musky guys I know stop fishing when we get to that point. If the surface is temp is 84 then the fish need to get to 16 feet down to reach a depth with a decent amount of dissolved oxygen in it. As for tournys and pro's and such. I call BS on that too! The Central Ohio Muskies Inc tourney last July was cancelled, and if I recall the water temps were about 80-82. Most Ohio resevoirs this summer are 84-87. That's a death trap for a muskies. There is NO dissolved oxygen. Tony Grant, professional guide on Cave Run in KY, goes to northern MN to fish in the summer months. Mike Hulbert a professional guide in IN goes to northern MN to musky fish in the summer months. Chad Cain, professional guide on Lake Kinkaid in IL, goes to northern MN to musky fish in the summer months. These guys move up there and guide on those lakes because they know that if they continue to fish their home resevoir they run the risk of killing the fish. These are facts! Look up each of those guys website. They each have a forum. Go ahead and ask them about fishing their home waters right now.
There are no laws or regulations against it. It's a matter of ethics. Guys who care about the fish and the fishery stop fishing. Guys who care about club points, money, themselves don't. I give the benefit of the doubt to guys who are new to it. Maybe they haven't really learned what it's all about. However, when you see dead musky floating on the surface of the lake you should be disgusted and realize that you are doing more harm than good by being out there.
You make a great point Kyle. The guys who rely on this fish for a way of living stop fishing. That speaks volumes!
MuskieWolverine, I do understand your enthusiasm and passion for fishing, I really do! But fishing in 80+ degree temps is just not good for the fish, no matter who told you that it was. Elmer is one of the state's best muskie resources, as he has been a part of the stocking and fisheries for a long time. If you don't believe what anyone says on the forums, he is one to believe. We are talking days sometimes, between when you caught the fish and it dies. Imagine running a marathon then being put into a hot tub. Not a good mix. To each his own, it is 100% within your right to fish
Thanks for the article and info. That's some of what I needed to see. What is a safe water temp? I was on WB tonight, and the water has dropped about 4 degrees since Saturday...it's right around 80, and 79 in the deep spots. Hoping it continues to drop, but I doubt it will for long.
Well,15-20 years ago when I used to catch quite a few at the Branch (man that makes me sound old) our pattern in the hottest of the hot summer was fishing from 8pm till as long as you could stay up. Troll the thermocline, was year after year right at 17 to 18 ft and slow down some. Maybe 2 to 2.5 mph. Saw a lot of nice fish caught this way. As far as mortality rates go. I have no evidence but my guess is 25-30% are going to die released in this water temp no matter how you release them. I had a 49"er die one time that never came out of the water. Unhooked and measured with the net in the water and found the seagulls picking at it the next morning. Pissed me off. Good Luck!
Muskie Help Again
Linear Mode
