# Maumee River muskies



## the_waterwolf

Hello OGF Members,

I am seeking any information, stories, or encounters with muskies in the Maumee River.

I am an avid esox fisherman and am attempting to find a fishable population of the toothy critters. I have been very successful in finding northern Pike, but the great muskellunge continues to elude me.

Any information is greatly appreciated and PMs are always welcome.

Thank you in advance!


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## MuskieDan

They ain't there my friend, head north to the De-troit.


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## GYoung36

Where did you find the Northern Pike? I have heard of guys catching Muskie out in the Lake by the reef complex.


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## the_waterwolf

MuskieDan said:


> They ain't there my friend, head north to the De-troit.


Haha I might agree with that statement if I fail to catch any over the next few seasons. I've fished the popular waters up north, including Hudson and St Clair, but am looking for a challenge close to home and on foot.


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## Flathead76

Have never heard of muskie ever being caught out of the Maumee. You would probably have the same odds as catching a sturgon out of there. Not saying it's not possible but it would be a once in a lifetime fish. Try Hudson lake, Detroit river, or lake stclair.


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## the_waterwolf

Flathead76 said:


> Have never heard of muskie ever being caught out of the Maumee. You would probably have the same odds as catching a sturgon out of there. Not saying it's not possible but it would be a once in a lifetime fish. Try Hudson lake, Detroit river, or lake stclair.


If those are my odds I think I'll do pretty well since I've caught a few baby sturgeon out perch fishing! Disclosure: I charter fished for a few years in college so I've spent more time on the water than most.

I have fished Hudson and St Clair and did very well, but the drive up there is simply not in my cards. The info is much appreciated though!


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## AtticaFish

I would think there would be a population in the Maumee somewhere. I hear quite a few stories of them being caught out of the Sandusky River through Tiffin and a little ways South of town. There are some pictures of good size fish that came from the Sandusky under the glass counter at my shop. Most stories i hear...... they get them in early spring from feeder creek areas upstream. I fished the river religiously on my lunch breaks for at least 10 years (Between Tiffin and Fort Seneca) and caught 1 in that time. Caught it maybe a 1/4 mile below Tinkers Dam (Pioneer Mill). Have seen some other fish that i assume were Muskies as well.

I have an OLD fishing book with maps and fishing locations throughout Ohio. In it, it talks about them being stocked in the old Attica reservoir and says there was a good population of them in Honey Creek as well. I know they are no longer in the reservoir, but have never tried to target them in the creek. I'll have to get the book out and see if it mentions anything about a population of them in the Maumee.


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## the_waterwolf

AtticaFish said:


> I would think there would be a population in the Maumee somewhere. I hear quite a few stories of them being caught out of the Sandusky River through Tiffin and a little ways South of town. There are some pictures of good size fish that came from the Sandusky under the glass counter at my shop. Most stories i hear...... they get them in early spring from feeder creek areas upstream. I fished the river religiously on my lunch breaks for at least 10 years (Between Tiffin and Fort Seneca) and caught 1 in that time. Caught it maybe a 1/4 mile below Tinkers Dam (Pioneer Mill). Have seen some other fish that i assume were Muskies as well.
> 
> I have an OLD fishing book with maps and fishing locations throughout Ohio. In it, it talks about them being stocked in the old Attica reservoir and says there was a good population of them in Honey Creek as well. I know they are no longer in the reservoir, but have never tried to target them in the creek. I'll have to get the book out and see if it mentions anything about a population of them in the Maumee.


If it's not too much trouble, could you email me some copies of those photos in your shop? I'll pm you my email address.

Any information out of that book is much appreciated! What is the title/author? 

Thank you!


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## KaGee

As a lifelong resident, I have not heard of musky catches of any consequence. Like others have said, probably there, but not in numbers worth the effort to target. Northerns are there, not in huge numbers, but there.


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## the_waterwolf

GYoung36 said:


> Where did you find the Northern Pike? I have heard of guys catching Muskie out in the Lake by the reef complex.


Pike (12"-24") can be caught year round pretty much anywhere where there is some kind of cover that they can relate to, some spots are better than others. Sometimes they're caught incidentally, but if you specifically target them you can increase your odds.The bigger fish are easier to catch in the Spring and Fall and can be found in the same spots that the smaller fish hang around all summer. A good day is a single strike, an evening well spent I would have a shot at 2-3 fish, and every great once in awhile I might land 15-20 fish in an outing.

My best spots that I found when I was younger and had more free time were freshly dredged areas. Occasionally a pocket of cold water (typically 55 degrees) would form on the bottom. Sometimes the area of cold water that formed was only 20'x20'. I would slowly drag a thermometer across the bottom and hopefully find one of these areas. When I did find an area there were always big pike stacked up by the dozens. Just sink a live chub down there and when it hits the bottom, get ready. If the fish were there they would hit within a minute or so. The key is finding cooler water in an area protected from wind and current.


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## the_waterwolf

AtticaFish said:


> I would think there would be a population in the Maumee somewhere. I hear quite a few stories of them being caught out of the Sandusky River through Tiffin and a little ways South of town. There are some pictures of good size fish that came from the Sandusky under the glass counter at my shop. Most stories i hear...... they get them in early spring from feeder creek areas upstream. I fished the river religiously on my lunch breaks for at least 10 years (Between Tiffin and Fort Seneca) and caught 1 in that time. Caught it maybe a 1/4 mile below Tinkers Dam (Pioneer Mill). Have seen some other fish that i assume were Muskies as well.
> 
> I have an OLD fishing book with maps and fishing locations throughout Ohio. In it, it talks about them being stocked in the old Attica reservoir and says there was a good population of them in Honey Creek as well. I know they are no longer in the reservoir, but have never tried to target them in the creek. I'll have to get the book out and see if it mentions anything about a population of them in the Maumee.


Do you recall if that fish at spots or bars?


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## AtticaFish

the_waterwolf said:


> Do you recall if that fish at spots or bars?


I do not remember for sure, but was told from a couple of old timers that fish the little 'horseshoe' area just downstream of Tinkers Dam that it was a Muskie. I was in my early 20's (maybe 1998, 1999?) then and wet waded with only a small pack of extra lures. Caught it on a Venom Super-Do. Remember that part clearly. haha About a week later, i went out and bought a disposable camera to carry around with me. Eventually that turned into an extra digi camera i strung around my neck. Never caught one since.

Did some digging and found one of my books. Not a specific published book per se..... but more of a collection of maps and loose papers that was given to me from a friend. It was his Dad's collection and he was not a fisherman any longer and gave it to me. The maps and papers range from the mid 50's to mid 70's. One of the stapled together papers has all the public access fishing areas and target species for them listed by state region. I will scan the NW section at work tomorrow. This paper only has 1 area of the entire Sandusky watershed listed as having Muskie...... the Howard Collier Nature Preserve. It is a great place to hike with some well kept trails but i have never fished that specific area. Have been told it is outstanding for catfish. I believe there are 2 public access points in that area. The nature preserve itself and an area by a bridge that is considered a canoe launch.

I have another group of papers and maps in some boxes in my basement and will search for the other info i have on Honey Creek. I lost a different box of books to mold a few years back so hopefully it was not in with those. I may have another possible source for information though.
The pictures under the counter i will get pics of as well and just post them up here if that is OK. 

Sorry so long winded about the Sandusky watershed. The business i help run is in downtown Tiffin and have loved the river (and fought it from flooding the basement) for the last 25 years of my life. Can not wait until they get rid of the dam in Fremont and get it back to a hint of what it might have been at one time. Next, we need to go cut off 10 million miles worth of tiled farmland and turn it all back to swamp land................


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## the_waterwolf

The lengthy reply is much appreciated!

Also, I am in full agreement with seeing the swamps returned or at least two stages ditches being mandatory.


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## AtticaFish

Attached is what i have for now. The scanned page my guess dates to the mid 70's. I have some other papers that look to have similar aging that do have dates of 1975 and 1976 and this all came from the same group of papers. Just a guess though. The pictures are pretty poor quality from sitting under the bright lights by the counter for so long. Really tough to tell what they might have been. No clue on dates for the 2 individual fish being held..... but you could make some educated guesses by clothing and hair style. haha The last picture with all the fish on the line i was told was taken near Huss Street in Tiffin before the Ballville dam was built. There was a paper mill that had a chemical spill and the area residents collected all the fish that died. I am presuming they did not go to waste. Hard to confirm all that, but it is the story i was told.


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## the_waterwolf

Thank you so much for these!


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## lacdown

That's awesome that Napoleon Dynamite got a muskie!


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## Raylaser

Hey Lacdown, the Napoleon Dynamite comment was the best part of reading this thread!!! Truly did LOL!


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## zet

the_waterwolf said:


> Haha I might agree with that statement if I fail to catch any over the next few seasons. I've fished the popular waters up north, including Hudson and St Clair, but am looking for a challenge close to home and on foot.


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## zet

In the 1930s and thereafter for several years they were taken between the old streetcar bridge near Waterville and Wier's Rapids.


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## the_waterwolf

Following up on this report, I made it out twice to Bear Rapids towards the end of July. Work and life has just been to busy to really put in any hours.

A total of 5 hours of casting yielded zero fish. In all fairness, the water was not ideal, somewhat murky and a bit high. 

There's always next year.


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## zet

I am 62 years old. In the early 1930s, my grandparents purchased a small crude college along the Maumee River between Wier's Rapids and Vollmar's Park. Sometime during the 60s, my dad showed me the spot where the Muskie were taken. It is a 12 foot hole on the Wood Co side. Dad's story was of a fellow that in the mid 30s fished summer after summer to catch just one big muskie. 
One particular day he rigged a huge cane pole with a set of big hooks and tied a lively gosling near them. The pole's butt end was painted red and the idea was to toss it into the river when a muskie would strike and then follow it until the fish tired. Well, when it finally happened, the fish submerged into the deep water and did not come up. After giving up at dusk the fisherman retired for the evening but all of the local cottagers knew of the event that had taken place and were also on the lookout for the red tip. In the early morn the search continued and the pole was noticed at "the spot"and the muskie was still there but tuckered out and easily taken. 

During that same time period, they were also taken in holes near Nazareth Hall further up stream.


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## Slovak Musky

.


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## Slovak Musky

I have always been very frustrated with ODOW not trying to restore native populations of fish in our river systems. I have two things to share. First since I have not posted yet I can not share a link so you will need to google American Heritage The Legend Of A Lake. Great document about the historic Musky runs up the Maumee. The document actually describes how muskies were so thick in Maumee bay they were harvested with pitch forks. Second item I have to share is that one of the earliest Musky episodes of the Infisherman not sure if it was the late 70's or early 80's that was filmed on the Sandusky river. Not sure of the location but I think it was upstream of the Ballville dam just not sure how far upstream? Please feel free to shed any light on this. On a side not in the headwaters of the Maumee Indiana stocks muskies in a few lakes in North Eastern corner of the state. I believe a few have been caught down stream in both Indiana and Ohio. With more and more dams being removed on our rivers the feasibility of having self-sustaining musky populations is something we are missing out on.


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## Bucket Mouth

Wow, thanks for mentioning that article. It's eye opening.


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## acklac7

Zet and Slovak Musky: Excellent stuff, thanks for sharing!

Link to the article Slovak was referencing: https://www.americanheritage.com/content/legend-lake


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## Slovak Musky

Indiana musky in Maumee
http://michianaoutdoorsnews.com/fishing-gear/other-fishing/415-muskies-showing-up-in-maumee-river
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar_dn...nformation_id=12322&type=&syndicate=syndicate


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## Slovak Musky

Guess I'll keep going.
Ohio EPA surveyed Swan Creek near Whitehouse and a trib. to Maumee in August of 2012.
They got 1 musky that weighed about 3.2lbs.
The biggest problem is getting rid of the dams to reopen the spawning tributaries. Both Northern Pike and Muskies use small creeks for spawning in the spring. Looking back a century ago before the dams both river and lake muskies would make their annual spring spawning runs to the many small tribs. of which have good/great groundwater influence needed to stay cool. This is still happening in Wisconsin check out this video it's really cool.


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## 9Left

Flathead76 said:


> Have never heard of muskie ever being caught out of the Maumee. You would probably have the same odds as catching a sturgon out of there. Not saying it's not possible but it would be a once in a lifetime fish. Try Hudson lake, Detroit river, or lake stclair.


lol..., I have seen on two different occasions where a Sturgeon was caught in the maumee river during the walleye run..


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## Flathead76

9Left said:


> lol..., I have seen on two different occasions where a Sturgeon was caught in the maumee river during the walleye run..


My friend Brent caught a sturgon out of the river that was around 60" out of the river. That was pushing 20 years ago.


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## chet

Flathead76, is that the one the old owner of Maumee tackle had a photo of on his web site?


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## Flathead76

chet said:


> Flathead76, is that the one the old owner of Maumee tackle had a photo of on his web site?


Never followed their website so I am not sure. The fish was taken near Grand Rapids.


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## chet

This was the photo.


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## 9Left

yep! I was standing next to the guy that took that photo !!


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## chet

The Sturgeon have a special place in the hearts of this family. If your ever up around the Black River MDNR station check it out. They love to show off there hard work.The work that goes into repopulation is amazing with such a limited budget and limited Sportsman interest.


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## the_waterwolf

I will keep 


Slovak Musky said:


> Guess I'll keep going.
> Ohio EPA surveyed Swan Creek near Whitehouse and a trib. to Maumee in August of 2012.
> They got 1 musky that weighed about 3.2lbs.
> The biggest problem is getting rid of the dams to reopen the spawning tributaries. Both Northern Pike and Muskies use small creeks for spawning in the spring. Looking back a century ago before the dams both river and lake muskies would make their annual spring spawning runs to the many small tribs. of which have good/great groundwater influence needed to stay cool. This is still happening in Wisconsin check out this video it's really cool.


Thank you for the info on this!


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## Flathead76

chet said:


> View attachment 249721
> This was the photo.


Ya that's Brent with his fish.


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## Bucket Mouth

that guy used to post here. He mighta caught a ban or something. I can't remember his handle - it was CarpCommander or something like that


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## Flathead76

Bucket Mouth said:


> that guy used to post here. He mighta caught a ban or something. I can't remember his handle - it was CarpCommander or something like that


Ya that was it. He got banned.


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## DeathFromAbove

I dont remeber him posting things ban worthy. Not like rickmouthbass or whatever that phsycos name was


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## BFG

My friends caught a 35" musky on Sunday north of Turtle within 5 miles of the mouth of the Maumee. They were offshore in 18fow. No reason to believe that muskies are not in the Maumee, Raisin, Ottawa, Portage, or Sandusky rivers. Keep looking boys...you'll find one sooner or later.


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## Barry Pringle

Lov


the_waterwolf said:


> Pike (12"-24") can be caught year round pretty much anywhere where there is some kind of cover that they can relate to, some spots are better than others. Sometimes they're caught incidentally, but if you specifically target them you can increase your odds.The bigger fish are easier to catch in the Spring and Fall and can be found in the same spots that the smaller fish hang around all summer. A good day is a single strike, an evening well spent I would have a shot at 2-3 fish, and every great once in awhile I might land 15-20 fish in an outing.
> 
> My best spots that I found when I was younger and had more free time were freshly dredged areas. Occasionally a pocket of cold water (typically 55 degrees) would form on the bottom. Sometimes the area of cold water that formed was only 20'x20'. I would slowly drag a thermometer across the bottom and hopefully find one of these areas. When I did find an area there were always big pike stacked up by the dozens. Just sink a live chub down there and when it hits the bottom, get ready. If the fish were there they would hit within a minute or so. The key is finding cooler water in an area protected from wind and current.[/QUO
> 
> Love those live chubs. Foolproof for Northerns after they stop and go.


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## odell daniel

I was bass fishing the west side of middle bass this summer and a huge musky cruised right by the boat with a probably 16" walleye sideways in its mouth, really cool to see. better have your gear together if you want to land a fish like that.


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## sdkohio

odell daniel said:


> I was bass fishing the west side of middle bass this summer and a huge musky cruised right by the boat with a probably 16" walleye sideways in its mouth, really cool to see. better have your gear together if you want to land a fish like that.


I landed a 42 inch Northern Pike a couple years ago on a medium light spinning combo. I was fishing in the back of a Lake Erie marina for largemouth.


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## Slovak Musky

Here is some more information about Muskies in Fort Wayne in the Maumee.
How good could the musky fishing be if the dams were gone?
http://www.in.gov/activecalendar_dn...n=6121&view=EventDetails&information_id=12322


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## the_waterwolf

Slovak Musky said:


> Here is some more information about Muskies in Fort Wayne in the Maumee.
> How good could the musky fishing be if the dams were gone?
> http://www.in.gov/activecalendar_dn...n=6121&view=EventDetails&information_id=12322


Better than it is now!


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## Cldcopachef

I caught one near Providence Dam around ‘78 or ‘79. Small one. It was was only about 10” but it was definitely a Muskie. Bars and pointed tail.


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