# Hoover Musky



## CarolinaKid (Aug 24, 2013)

Recently ran into two gentlemen. One at Cabela's and the other on the Scioto. Both told me they are catching musky consistently at Hoover. One said you could actually see the fish (he said 40-50 inchers) right around the dam at Hoover, and people were catching them from shore. Anyone have any insight here?


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## austie (Apr 14, 2010)

someone im sure who fishs hoover more then me can chime in but as far as I know hoover doesn't have musky in it. if the guy you ran into at cabelas worked in the fishing dept i'll give him so more credit. but my guess is that these folks have ski's confused with longnose gar. but who knows anyone eles know better then me?


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Im not a Hoover expert either but have had many over the years tell me they saw muskies surfacing in gar infested waters so my guess is that's what is going on but perhaps someone else can chime in. 

Salmonid


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## Raybo92255 (Feb 10, 2007)

I fish Hoover regularly. A few years ago I'd see schools of really big gar near the surface on the North End just north of the sunken humps. I hear there are a rare few muskies in Hoover that have been caught but certainly not any numbers of fish.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Def. gar!!!


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I'd guess there are as many Musky in Hoover as there are flatties in Alum.

Mr. A


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## Hoover 4 Me (Jul 30, 2013)

I know of big one that was reported on the Hoover fishing report a few years back and about 15 years ago a friend of mine was fishing with my dad and I and snagged one that was about 14 inches. I'll have to see if in can dig up the picture and scan it so I can post it. No cell phone cameras back then haha. There are probably still a few in there for sure but very, very rare.


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## CarolinaKid (Aug 24, 2013)

The guy didn't work for Cabela's. He was buying musky lures and said he catches them trolling. Now as for the gar, I can see where that'd make sense. But I feel like both guys were solid sources that helped me out location wise. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

There's very few, if any muskies in Hoover. Hear about one caught once every couple years or so. I don't believe it's possible that they're schooling up by the dam within view. One fish does do this, and it is the longnose gar. Big longnose gar. They sometimes look like muskies. Fish story goes from one person to another and eventually the gar turns into a muskie.


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

There may be some stray muskies in Hoover but not what I'd call a fishable population. Any reports I've heard have all been 2nd hand (friend of a friend).


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## Boostedawdfun (Sep 15, 2012)

I've seen gar on the surface there but never musky. There are some very large gar at Hoover as well.


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## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

CarolinaKid said:


> Recently ran into two gentlemen. One at Cabela's and the other on the Scioto. Both told me they are catching musky consistently at Hoover. One said you could actually see the fish (he said 40-50 inchers) right around the dam at Hoover, and people were catching them from shore. Anyone have any insight here?


Not many musky guys talk specifics about where or how to catch big muskys to strangers...just sayin


Tim


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Sounds like a big fish tale to me - There are a lot of big gar in hoover so I bet that is what they are talking about. If you go up to hoover by the dam at night with a light you can often see them. I used to fish hoover a lot but haven't the last couple of years and have only heard of a few Musky caught out of hoover in the last 15 years.


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## Raybo92255 (Feb 10, 2007)

A more realistic scenario is that they meant below Alum Creek Dam when the water is high or above Alum Creek Dam.


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## Fisher4Life12 (Aug 12, 2010)

To help keep up with the water supply and keep Hoover from falling to a critical level, the city is pumping 70 million gallons of water each day from Alum Creek Lake, through massive underground pipes, into Hoover. The massive 1,250-horsepower electric pumps are expensive to operate so the city tries to wait as long as possible before using them. Both pumps are running now.

http://www.nbc4i.com/story/20739384/hoover-reservoir-at-very-low-levels



Its possible to find muskie in Hoover!


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

Id say a few fish could pass through that water pipe.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

I knew about the puppies between the two lakes but figured that fish would not survive going through the impellers.

Mr. A


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## Bimmer (Aug 12, 2011)

I would believe there are muskies in Hoover just not very many.


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## Boostedawdfun (Sep 15, 2012)

I also doubt fish could survive the pipes or even fit in them. They probably have a fine mesh steel gate on both ends so the fish can't enter the pipe.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

What is more rare the Hoover musky or Ohio grassman?


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Fisher4Life12 said:


> To help keep up with the water supply and keep Hoover from falling to a critical level, the city is pumping 70 million gallons of water each day from Alum Creek Lake, through massive underground pipes, into Hoover. The massive 1,250-horsepower electric pumps are expensive to operate so the city tries to wait as long as possible before using them. Both pumps are running now.
> 
> http://www.nbc4i.com/story/20739384/hoover-reservoir-at-very-low-levels
> 
> ...


Pipe has a rotating grate to remove fish and debris. We've been over this in the past....please don't give the Hoover muskie guys too much hope


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## alumking (Feb 27, 2006)

I have heard of people taking Muskys from Alum and putting them in Hoover. This happened years ago. At one of our old Monday night tournaments (Bass) at Hoover we had a 45 incher brought in. Jim Horan also told me he caught a big one in his cast net trying to get shad. There are some in there but you would be hard pressed to catch one.


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## Capital outdoorsman (Mar 27, 2006)

In was out on hoover all sunday AM. I didn't see a musky. But I did run into Keyser Soze.


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

imalt said:


> What is more rare the Hoover musky or Ohio grassman?


It's about as rare as catching a saugeye above the dam at Delaware


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## Fisher4Life12 (Aug 12, 2010)

If Jim Horan says they are in Hoover then its FACT!....PERIOD!!!


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

I haven't fished Hoover a great deal in the last few years, but used to fish it 2-4 times per week in the 80's & early 90's. I personally boated a muskie while trolling for walleyes that was 37" & saw a couple more porpoise, but that was a long time ago. I would think that there are a few in there still, but far from fishable, especially with Alum so close. Tons of gar in there & it is very possible that a big gar would be confused for a ski.
Lots of bait bucket biologists out there though that could easily transport fish from Alum to Hoover.


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## Evin is just Rude (Sep 25, 2012)

Never saw muskies in Hoover. Had a crankbait destroyed by longnose gar though. Doesnt mean there are no muskies, I've just never encountered them.


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

how can anyone confuse a long nose gar with a musky?


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

i was wondering the same thing because i have talked to an older gentleman that trolls cranks there a couple times a week he says he catches a couple every year and said there are guys who target them with success


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## onthewater (May 20, 2005)

I know a few hardcore Muskie guys and some of them will lie their arses off to protect the areas they fish. Maybe they were feeding you a load of crap on purpose to keep you away from their spots. 
I too, agree that there a very few Muskies in Hoover but not a targetable population unless you just like to go on a lot of boat rides.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

dont know why they are so secretive when you can go to alum from kilbourne to columbus and catch skis


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## CarpRule (Jun 18, 2013)

Alum Downstream has them you can watch them basking in the sun and darting after chubs

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

I know for a fact years ago there were Muskies in Hoover. How many not real sure about that. I have one on the wall that I caught out of Big Walnut many years ago. I had it weighted at Harry & Dots bait shop. They were the ones that told us that it came from Hoover. She was full of eggs . I caught her in the spring. I've heard many stories over the years about other Muskies being caught. Most were about ones being caught in Big Walnut around the dam on Cherry Bottom Rd. I would think they are still in Hoover.

GarryS


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

imalt said:


> What is more rare the Hoover musky or Ohio grassman?


The squatches are over in eastern Ohio...


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## Raybo92255 (Feb 10, 2007)

I'd say go for it. Try an experiment, get your muskie lures out and troll the heck out of Hoover for one week solid then go to Alum Creek Reservoir and do the same thing. It might be wiser to troll smaller lures then you'll have better odds of catching other species at Hoover (just figured all the species I've caught ~ 19) and it is not uncommon to catch Muskies at Alum on bass/saugeye sized baits.

I won't guarantee you'll catch a muskie at Alum but your odds are much better. I've only fished Alum Creek Reservoir less than one handful of times in my boat the last 6 years but caught one muskie trolling a night crawler harness one time and on another date at a different location lost another as it nearly jerked the rod out of my hand when I was yoyoing a blade bait but the muskie bit through my 15 lb super-braid. 

I fish Hoover on average 2 -4 times a week when there is no ice on it for the past 6 years. Never seen a muskie or caught a musky ... seen many many gars ... sometimes huge schools of huge gar but I only targeted gar once and didn't catch any. So I've heard the stories about a few Muskies being caught and definitely believe there are a few in there but very few unless someone recently put a whole load of muskies in there.


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## Falcon2542 (May 8, 2012)

Before the internet, I remember one spring the dispatch ran a story about people catching walleye from the rocks above the dam at night. 
For weeks the people were like army ants on those rocks lol 
I have seen muskie and pike in hoover, but that was over 40 years ago. Saw a nice over 50 in muskie caught summer of 87, havent heard of anything big since.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

The DOW did shock a 48" fatboy in Lake of the Woods in 2011.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Falcon2542 said:


> Before the internet, I remember one spring the dispatch ran a story about people catching walleye from the rocks above the dam at night.
> For weeks the people were like army ants on those rocks lol


The spring nighttime crowds chasing the spawning walleye at Hoover was an experience in itself

The nice part was that Alum also had the same concentrated walleye spawn on the rocks on the dam at night also and you would very seldom see a soul but yourself


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## ccart58 (Mar 5, 2010)

about 15 years ago my father and I was fishing in the walnut valley crappie tourney we caught 7 small fingerling musky that day but I fish it every year and have never caught another one, someone told us at the boat club the O.D.N.R. had released some in the lake that year as a experiment!


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## CarolinaKid (Aug 24, 2013)

So some of you are telling me there's a chance! Haha I get the "fish story" idea too. I'm just saying, two different guys, both telling me musky were being caught. The first told me he gets 'em trolling shallow water along weedbeds. How bout some of you with boat give it a shot. Why not. Appreciate all of you guys passing along what you know, and I love the pessimism as well! I don't believe everything I hear either. Thanks again.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Weedbeds in Hoover?!


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

Mushijobah said:


> Weedbeds in Hoover?!


It could happen...if we get enough rain the lake will flood up into the weeds on shore...Stop being so pessimistic, kyle!


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

I prefer realist! Just trying to save the dude some time and offer some truth. Spent too many days on that lake and never saw a weed bed unfortunately. With the City continuing to grow and water demand increasing, the lake level fluctuations have made it near impossible for weed beds to form. I have seen weedheads though. Very common at Hoover.....


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## Silent Mike (Aug 9, 2009)

is it possible they are confusing hoover with something else?


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Quite Lundy. Ha.


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## MAU (Aug 14, 2013)

I caught an eight inch muskie below Hoover Dam about 25 years ago. I put it back unharmed so maybe it's descendants are still lurking about.


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## Muskarp (Feb 5, 2007)

Why does this thread get a couple of you all frazzled? Who cares? If anybody wants to waste their time chasing ghosts, when there is a top five musky lake 5 miles to the west, let 'em go for it!


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## CarolinaKid (Aug 24, 2013)

From what most of you are telling me maybe they confused it with Alum. Idk. Which is why I asked you professionals!


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Muskarp said:


> Why does this thread get a couple of you all frazzled? Who cares? If anybody wants to waste their time chasing ghosts, when there is a top five musky lake 5 miles to the west, let 'em go for it!


Folks just trying to help folks out with good info. It's why a lot of us are on here still. Don't let that frazzle you!


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