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Location: oswego, il | At the IMA meeting in january, the head of the DNR said they would take suggestions for new musky lakes. Since the pike and striper programs are going away, more effort can be put into raising muskies. What new lakes would you like to see? They would have to have decent public access.
I immediately suggested south spring. The two times a year it is fishable, north spring gets pounded hard. Since we already know the fish would do well there, it would be nice to have more water like that to fish when north spring is fishable.
Cedar lake near carbondale would be another excellent one.
What others?
Edited by ToddM 2/26/2017 8:06 AM
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Location: Sycamore, IL | Clinton lake used to be stocked with tigers...not sure if it still gets any fish?
Devil's kitchen,Cedar, little Grassy or Lake of Egypt would be nice additions to southern Illinois. It would take some pressure off of Kinkaid as well... |
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Location: oswego, il | Clinton and Egypt are cooling lakes, would not work. Not sure how many tigers were caught, maybe some did ok on the cool side? Grassy seems like a pretty good choice. Devils kitchen would grow huge fish, landing one would be a problem in that lake!
Another possibility is monster lake in mazonia near braidwood. |
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Location: Minocqua, WI | Interesting topic.
Any mention for rivers? Like expanding the numbers for the Fox River, maybe experimenting with the lower Des Plaines, and trying for a specific pool of the Illinois?..... though it could be a potential waste of money of fish end up migrating into other places and it would be very difficult to manage. |
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| Lake bloomington would be cool, we would have 2 muskie lakes within 5 miles of each other then. What about the bigger lakes like rend or carlyle?? |
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| I would like to see Jericho and Oakhurst added. Not huge lakes but they have enough depth, access and are in close proximity to a lot of muskie fisherman. |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | I agree with chasintails, we need more closer to chicago. I hate having to drive 3 or more hours to get to a decent muskie lake. |
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| Todd, what does the DNR think is going on with Shelbyville? What used to be one of the best if not the best fishery in the state is now very difficult to catch a fish. Are they spreading out or going over spillway? My point is if it's a matter of the fish are finally spreading out more I think increasing the stocking on Shelbyville would be my choice. A big resource in the middle of the state that has already shown it can grow big fish
Edited by DWags 2/27/2017 3:13 PM
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Location: Sycamore, IL | Just curious...why wouldn't cooling lakes work? |
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Location: oswego, il | The dnr does not really know what is going on with shelbyville. Fish have always escaped even when the lake was prime. The lake recieves extra fish quite often when there are extra.
Cooling lakes get too hot. They never surveyed a stocked musky in braidwood for instance. Clinton has a cool side but hot water and muskies dont mix. Heidecke isnt a cooling lake anymore, it gets stocked but nobody targets them.
As far.as places closer to.chicago, public access is the problem. Jerico is not a state owned lake but it would be nice if they were in there. Oakhurst is 15ft but most of this lake is very shallow. The deep water is narrow along the south shore. |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | Let's throw more fish in Heidecke. There are some big ones that come out of there, especially with the spring surveys. I think I might give Heidecke a shot this year. I'd imagine if I just troll around some big cranks I'll catch everything (:
Also, wasn't there muskie in Heidecke before the plant shut down? I could be wrong I've only fished it the last few years.
Edited by Musky_Mo16 2/27/2017 5:52 PM
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Location: oswego, il | They stocked hybrids in there back in the day. It was a coal plant so it didnt get as hot. A buddy of mine caught a 43.
I fish there often but for musky. We catch the occasional fish, biggest was 37. |
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Location: Illinois | They could stock the sand pit pond where I work  about 10 acres with max depth of 24ft and all the small stunted bass they want to eat lol. Anywhere away from Chicago would be nice to see. I hate boat traffic/competition for spots. I would think Clinton has enough water for them to survive and thrive. |
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| Is the DNR still stocking McMasters? I had trouble finding the stocking numbers but it seems like McMasters is getting overlooked. |
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| ToddM - 2/27/2017 5:11 PM
As far.as places closer to.chicago, public access is the problem. Jerico is not a state owned lake but it would be nice if they were in there. Oakhurst is 15ft but most of this lake is very shallow. The deep water is narrow along the south shore.
I didn't know they needed to be state owned. What about Mallard, isn't that dupage parks district?
I think Silver lake or Blackwell whatever its called could be good. Silver Springs?
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | Doesn't mallard already have Muskie. I've never fished there but I thought I heard that somewhere. |
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| It does, some nice ones so I hear. |
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| I've fished all around this area since the 70's, and I have to say stocking muskies in any of the area lakes is a waste of money. There's too much pressure, too much illegal harvest, and too little enforcement for the lakes to ever produce a fishery of any substance. I've gotten to know a few of the wardens over the years, and they all say the same thing. "There's nothing we can do. They're gone before we can get somebody out there. When we do catch them, it's usually someone with no fishing license, no drivers license, who doesn't speak English. (or pretends not to) If the fish are alive we can dump them back, but they'll be back at it tomorrow, either here or somewhere else..." |
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| I wish they would put a few more in Mill Creek. It is a very nice fishery that has proven to produce nice fish, they just stock it with such low numbers that it makes it tough to dedicate a ton of time to it. |
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Location: IL | Just put more fish into the Fox chain.. Would also be helping put more fish in the Fox river. The chain/ river system is easily the #1 muskie fisherie in Illinois. I hate to see the DNR stock 100 acre ponds...... |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | I don't like seeing time wasted on the chain, the river OK, but talk about pressure. Not even everybody on the chain is a angler but that place gets crazy crowded in the summer. There is just no room to fish. |
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Location: IL | But guys still catch more and bigger fish from the chain each year.. especially in the summer. It's a fact. So definitely not a waste Ha |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | I guess I can't disagree with that. They do got so e big fish in there but I just don't like dealing with the people. That's just me though, the chain can defiantly support some nice muskies. |
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Location: oswego, il | The chain is a great musky fishery and has a good hot bite time. We work well with the biologist and they put the number of muskies in based on fish sampling.
When i say that a lake is not state owned, the state cannot just go ahead and stock it. You need permission from the county or town that manages the property. That is the case with mallard.
Jeff, I have to disagree. Illinois does not waste money on it's musky program. There are some great musky waters. Some not as much but lime anything there can be improvements.
One thing i was thinking about and want to talk to the dnr about is building a hot bite. You can make a musky lake, bass lake ect but build something people will flock to when the conditions are right. North spring in lafe winter, spring coho, late winter bass on newton and sauger on the illinois, hot bites. So build fisheries based on making it hot. That is something i will try and sell them when i ask to have south spring stocked with musky and on a limb, florida strain bass in braidwood. They scoffed on the idea of putting peacock bass in there.
Edited by ToddM 2/28/2017 6:32 PM
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | Todd, I think I like your hot bite idea, let me just make sure I understand it. Sounds like you want to have a certain lake, whatever it may be, that is completely built around having a good muskie fishery. For example on this lake you wouldn't have pike, you would make sure to have a good shad or other large baitfish population, and make sure the lake has good spawning areas with deep enough water for the muskie to survive the summer. And then you would have another lake that focuses on bass, walleye, panfish etc. if that's what your thinking, I'm all for that. I also think it will relieve some of the fishing pressure because if a guy wants to get a mess of crappie he will go to the panfish lake instead of the muskie lake. Now obviously all of these lakes will have multiple species, but these lakes would have a "main" species and build everything around that. If this is what you were thinking, sign me up. Great idea!
P.s. Let's get those peacocks in braidwood (: |
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Location: Illinois | chlohop - 2/28/2017 6:12 AM
Is the DNR still stocking McMasters? I had trouble finding the stocking numbers but it seems like McMasters is getting overlooked.
Still gets stocked. The stocking report should be on www.ifishillinois.org if not I have the 2016 stocking report i'd be happy to send you if you PM me... |
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Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Make Lake Shelbyville great again! |
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| They are trying like heck to make shelbyville great again, just not having much luck. |
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Location: 15 miles east of Lake Kinkaid | Agreed x10000000. Stock less lakes with more 10-15" fish. Stop feeding the bass with fry and 4" fingerlings. Stock lakes that have proven to be capable of producing good to great fisheries. Stock waters that can sustain multiple boats, tournaments, and are big enough to give a bump to the local economy. |
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Location: Mt. Zion, IL | hoosierhunter - 3/1/2017 7:11 AM
They are trying like heck to make shelbyville great again, just not having much luck.
Sure could fool me. I live 20 minutes from the lake. I have had multiple conversations with DNR, biologist, and anyone who will listen. Shelbyville has had SOMETHING happen since the major kill in 2006 and has never recovered. I can remember days seeing 20 muskies floating in the lake in 2006/7. These were multiple days and DNR has done nothing about it. When you ask, offer to help, the response you get is "We don't have money to fix it, even if we know the problem." I don't know who is trying like hell, but it isn't the state/DNR. I'm not familiar with the musky alliance, but Shelbyville has been a poor fishery for the last 10 years that used to be the pinnacle of the state.
I can remember having 9 days with catches of 12+ fish per day and the fish were HEALTHY. The fish you do catch on the lake now are fat, but they are so few and far between, it isn't even funny. I grew up on this lake and I am very familiar with the lake and fish habitats. It is pitiful now and is in desperate need of help. |
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Location: oswego, il | When the state stocks fry and fingerlings, these are overflow fish they cannot use. Survival is near 0% unfortunately. They have nust been releasing them in places near the hatchery but i asked them to consider putting them in places like hennepin hopper which weed chokes or an illinois backwater like lake Saskatchewan which will have limited predators.
Edited by ToddM 3/1/2017 1:42 PM
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| RyanJoz - 3/1/2017 2:38 PM
hoosierhunter - 3/1/2017 7:11 AM
They are trying like heck to make shelbyville great again, just not having much luck.
Sure could fool me. I live 20 minutes from the lake. I have had multiple conversations with DNR, biologist, and anyone who will listen. Shelbyville has had SOMETHING happen since the major kill in 2006 and has never recovered. I can remember days seeing 20 muskies floating in the lake in 2006/7. These were multiple days and DNR has done nothing about it. When you ask, offer to help, the response you get is "We don't have money to fix it, even if we know the problem." I don't know who is trying like hell, but it isn't the state/DNR. I'm not familiar with the musky alliance, but Shelbyville has been a poor fishery for the last 10 years that used to be the pinnacle of the state.
I can remember having 9 days with catches of 12+ fish per day and the fish were HEALTHY. The fish you do catch on the lake now are fat, but they are so few and far between, it isn't even funny. I grew up on this lake and I am very familiar with the lake and fish habitats. It is pitiful now and is in desperate need of help.
Look at the stocking numbers that have been put into Shelbyville over the past several years. It is unreal the amount of fish they have stocked in there. I have also been told by a reliable source that they have tried to find out what is wrong and have not had any luck. The same person told me that they went as far as consulting out of state people for help and have not figured out the problem. It does not make sense that the same water below the spillway supports a healthy population but the lake that once did won't. |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | scot - 2/28/2017 2:02 PM
Just put more fish into the Fox chain.. Would also be helping put more fish in the Fox river. The chain/ river system is easily the #1 muskie fisherie in Illinois. I hate to see the DNR stock 100 acre ponds......
Kinkaid is better and it's not even close, imo |
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Location: Chicago, IL | Chicago River!!! Deep, ample and varied forage, and it is a headwater to the Des Plaines and the IL River. This is your future IL trophy muskie fishery, my friends. Sure, it isn't the prettiest, but there's no pleasure boaters, it has soft water most of the year, and just think about how great of a story it would be for the state and Chicago from an environmental recovery perspective. We need to get behind this. Chicago muskie fisherman need a local fishery of scale and the Chicago River can support it. Urban fishing is happening now- I've caught 5lb smallies from the Chicago River. Look at the muskie Fisheries in the Lower Fox River, Detroit River and St. Louis River. If we want to encourage the state to experiment on a new waterbody- the Chicago River needs to be on the top of the list. Sure- it may be more challenging to coordinate constituencies, but we shouldn't let that stop us.
Or- I'd recommend the state open up the length of the season on Heidecke and continue Stocking larger fingerlings. Although I've been told it's now on an every other year rotation.
The dream is for the state to start getting some Great Lakes Strain fish and begin stocking the Chicago and Northern IL Lake Michigan Harbors. Michigan is stocking the east shore. WI has Green Bay and the tributaries. It is time we do our part. These fish are native to the system, there's an incredible amount of shad in SW Lake Michigan and the harbors DO have the habitat to support a population. People will point to the alewive pop being crashed. Same rhetoric we've heard for years. Nothing is eating the large shad or sheepshead. Let the muskies reign. |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | Slobasaurus - 3/1/2017 7:53 PM
Or- I'd recommend the state open up the length of the season on Heidecke and continue Stocking larger fingerlings. Although I've been told it's now on an every other year rotation.
Once again I love the idea of putting more fish in Heidecke. No doubt Heidecke would produce some monsters. And I would like to see it open all season, but they allow waterfowl hunting which I don't mind since I'm a waterfowl hunter. But I think they should make rules so that all hunters must be off the water by 1:00pm or so and then fisherman can go out. And on another note unrelated to muskie, I would like to see Heidecke opened up for ice fishing. I'd think it's got to happen sometime since there is no longer a power plant.
Having a problem quoting, top is what I'm quoting and bottom is what I had to say
Edited by Musky_Mo16 3/1/2017 8:03 PM
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Location: oswego, il | I would be against widening the season on heidecke. Increased stocking sure but rarely does anyone go there and target musky. Widening the season only increases the gamefish harvest on the lake and with the strjper program getting ehacked therr will be less gamefish in there as it is.
If you want a musky fishery close to chicago, what about wolf lake and getting that better managed for them? I just dont see a path to getting muskies into lake michigan. |
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Location: Mt. Zion, IL | hoosierhunter - 3/1/2017 2:44 PM
Look at the stocking numbers that have been put into Shelbyville over the past several years. It is unreal the amount of fish they have stocked in there. I have also been told by a reliable source that they have tried to find out what is wrong and have not had any luck. The same person told me that they went as far as consulting out of state people for help and have not figured out the problem. It does not make sense that the same water below the spillway supports a healthy population but the lake that once did won't.
I would like to know who this reliable source is. I talked to the Shelbyville Musky Club, DNR at the Chicago show, and I have talked with Mike Mounce (biologist) several times. Even the company I worked for stocked muskies in the lake last year (ADM). I know they are stocking fish at the north end of the lake now, but even the crappie fishermen that used to see muskies regularly haven't reported that in YEARS. There was talk about implanting milfoil for habitat and several other items, but none have happened or worked.
Lakes like Shelbyville that have had successful populations before would be where I would invest, because the 11,000 acres can support the fish more than a 200 acre lake that now holds IMTT State Championships. We as anglers need to relieve stress on these smaller lakes so they aren't fished to death, not hold 75 boat tournaments on them... |
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Location: Chicago, IL | ToddM- I'd absolutely be open to seeing Wolf Lake get stocked by IL and/or better managed in general. It would be great if you could come around to thinking BIG about Lake Michigan though... I DO see a path to getting muskies in Lake Michigan but it is going to take your help as well as the voices of other well known anglers in our area. As it relates to Heidecke, I see your point on other species being over harvested potentially. They should open up a "Trophy Muskie Season" then- maybe designate a few weekends in Nov or Dec for muskie fishing only?... |
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| RyanJoz - 3/2/2017 9:13 AM
hoosierhunter - 3/1/2017 2:44 PM
Look at the stocking numbers that have been put into Shelbyville over the past several years. It is unreal the amount of fish they have stocked in there. I have also been told by a reliable source that they have tried to find out what is wrong and have not had any luck. The same person told me that they went as far as consulting out of state people for help and have not figured out the problem. It does not make sense that the same water below the spillway supports a healthy population but the lake that once did won't.
I would like to know who this reliable source is. I talked to the Shelbyville Musky Club, DNR at the Chicago show, and I have talked with Mike Mounce (biologist ) several times. Even the company I worked for stocked muskies in the lake last year (ADM ). I know they are stocking fish at the north end of the lake now, but even the crappie fishermen that used to see muskies regularly haven't reported that in YEARS. There was talk about implanting milfoil for habitat and several other items, but none have happened or worked.
Lakes like Shelbyville that have had successful populations before would be where I would invest, because the 11,000 acres can support the fish more than a 200 acre lake that now holds IMTT State Championships. We as anglers need to relieve stress on these smaller lakes so they aren't fished to death, not hold 75 boat tournaments on them...
The person I got my info from is part of the IMA. This IMTT state championship is on a three year rotation, Kinkaid, Prairie, and The Fox Chain so one out of every 3 years it is on a small lake and it has never drawn close to 75 boats. The permit for the tourney limit the number of boats based on lake size and parking and most of the tourneys on the smaller lakes are limited to around 30 boats or so.
Edited by hoosierhunter 3/2/2017 9:05 AM
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Location: Mt. Zion, IL | hoosierhunter - 3/2/2017 8:57 AM
The person I got my info from is part of the IMA. This IMTT state championship is on a three year rotation, Kinkaid, Prairie, and The Fox Chain so one out of every 3 years it is on a small lake and it has never drawn close to 75 boats. The permit for the tourney limit the number of boats based on lake size and parking and most of the tourneys on the smaller lakes are limited to around 30 boats or so.
The fact that the IMTT has tournaments on a 200 acre lake in the first place is MIND BOGGLING. You guys are going to ruin a good thing. We have already seen catch rates decrease substantially. I have been on the lake (by mistake) during a tournament weekend. The lake is like a parking lot. It is quite ridiculous. |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | I'm all for wolf lake, it's closer to me anyway. It would be a fairly easy lake to fish as well. Plenty of habitat for them. You might not get monsters out of there but it would defiantly be a good numbers lake. It's also small enough to be closely managed. |
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| I think we need to build a lake. Not sure where, but all us IL musky folks would have to do is chip in collectively to buy the land, lease the mining rights to one of the stone companies, let them turn it into a quarry, leaving areas of structure as determined by us, and then when it's mined out, let it fill up with water. Use the money from the lease to buy a bunch of fish, stock it, and have it be a private lake for the original investors or anyone who wants to pop for the membership. |
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| RyanJoz - 3/2/2017 10:21 AM
hoosierhunter - 3/2/2017 8:57 AM
The person I got my info from is part of the IMA. This IMTT state championship is on a three year rotation, Kinkaid, Prairie, and The Fox Chain so one out of every 3 years it is on a small lake and it has never drawn close to 75 boats. The permit for the tourney limit the number of boats based on lake size and parking and most of the tourneys on the smaller lakes are limited to around 30 boats or so.
The fact that the IMTT has tournaments on a 200 acre lake in the first place is MIND BOGGLING. You guys are going to ruin a good thing. We have already seen catch rates decrease substantially. I have been on the lake (by mistake ) during a tournament weekend. The lake is like a parking lot. It is quite ridiculous.
That is your opinion and you are entitled it. I will admit that at times on some of the smaller lakes it gets a little crowded, a couple of day of complete catch and release fishing a year is in no way going to make a difference in your catch rate for the year, a day or two after maybe. The IMTT is a completely run by volunteers who invest their own time and money to see that the trail is a success. They also invest quite a bit of money every year directly to the Jake Wolf hachery as well as other fishing related projects around the state. Please take the time to look into what they are doing a little more and I feel that maybe you will realize that they are in fact and important part of the muskie fishery in the state of Illinois. |
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Location: oswego, il | I can attest to the IMTT and they're involvement to promote and invest money in the illinois musky fishery. Any one weekend inconvenience they may bring to a smaller lake for a tournament is far outweighed by the money and time they put into the illinois musky allinace and youth. These are the good guys and we are running off topic. Lets keep the discussion on illinois lakes and what new fisheries we would like to see.
Slobasaurus, besides a few people and no one from the dnr is in favor of it, how do we get to a place where muskies end up in lake michigan?
Edited by ToddM 3/2/2017 11:30 AM
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| heidecke great idea.dump a ton in there todd.Wolf I am very close to, but dont know about that. one.Chicago river I like it. |
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| I was under the impression that they had tried to stock Heidecke and the fish just did not do well there? Is this incorrect? |
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Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | hoosierhunter - 3/2/2017 2:08 PM
I was under the impression that they had tried to stock Heidecke and the fish just did not do well there? Is this incorrect?
The Muskie in heidecke are actually doing very well. I think it was two years ago that they netted 2 48" fish. And considering nobody fishes for them there, there is actually quite a few caught every year by guys looking for other species. They just don't make a big deal out of it because that's not what they are looking for. I was fishing out there last June and I talked to a few guys on other boats while I was out there and 2 of them saw Muskie and one guy caught a 38" |
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Location: oswego, il | The problem with heidecke is the lack of a casting area and success. You can cast the rip rap but game fish are more readily caught over open water drop offs and trolling. Its not a typical musky lake. They have a ton to eat, the lake has a shad bloom in the summer. Its just hard to target them there. I fish there often and catch them on spinning gear fishing for everything. |
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Location: Chicago, IL | ToddM- individuals could simply purchase and place fish into Lake Michigan. A few grow up, get big and become the new state record. Then the DNR will wake up and realize Lake Michigan can be a trophy fishery and they'll get behind it. People are already planting a few fish... |
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| The Illinois DNR doesn't have the money.
They had to layoff several Officers.
The corrupt politicians are taking money out of the Conservation funds, for welfare and other things.
If it doesn't help them get elected, they don't care!
Don't blame it on the DNR, it's the crooks dipping their fingers in the till.
Illinois is bankrupt, because of them. |
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Location: oswego, il | bucknuts - 3/2/2017 8:07 PM
The Illinois DNR doesn't have the money.
They had to layoff several Officers.
The corrupt politicians are taking money out of the Conservation funds, for welfare and other things.
If it doesn't help them get elected, they don't care!
Don't blame it on the DNR, it's the crooks dipping their fingers in the till.
Illinois is bankrupt, because of them.
Do gou have a link for this? The dnr lost alot of money to the road lobby and a license fees goto the general fund.
Slobasaurus, what your suggesting is illegal and not enough could be purchased to make a fishable population. We have a pretty good relationsbip with the dnr. Through the ima musky clubs donate more to the dnr and projects than any other organazation. We should not jeopardize that relationship by circumventing their management strategy. We have had candid talks with the heads of the dnr, they come to a couple meetings every year, great people and very appreciative of our efforts. We have talked about lake michigan, the answer is no. We have made other inroads, just one example, i was able to show a biologist what the fish look like in a lake he introduced shad, i told him about the shad schools, pics of fat muskies, he increased stocking levels.
Edited by ToddM 3/2/2017 8:25 PM
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| Everybody I worked with in the DNR, the officers and the biologists, work hard.
There just isn't enough of them!
I helped them with a spring muskie survey at Heidecke Lake, for a couple of days, a few years ago.
There are some nice fish in there!
I did quite a few hunting details, both during the day, and at night, with them.
They do a hell of a job. It's hard for one or two officers to cover a whole county.
Their hands are tied, when they are on a limited budget!
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Location: Bloomington, IL | I completely agree with the tournaments on small lakes deal. It isn't so much the weekend of the tournament, it's all the pressure that now occurs the rest of the season resulting from how tournaments promote the small lake. I've seen the negative impact first hand and how catch rates have significantly decreased. It's a shame that a typical weekend has quite often become bumper boats.
I would like to see more muskies stocked in Mill Creek as others have mentioned as well, and certainly in new lakes, Lake Michigan, etc. Hope this happens. |
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| Todd do you have any idea what kind of population heidecke has for musky? |
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Location: oswego, il | I don't know what the population is in heidecke. I did not catch one last year but 4 years ago quite a few were caught. Mostly smaller ones. I have seen a few floaters and near dead by the launch that were nicer fish. We have caught a handful in the 30-37" range. I think the biggest challenge is where to target them in the lake.
Bucknuts, i have never heard of the state pulling dnr money and putting it towards welfare. Do you have a link for that? The dnr has never mentioned this to us.
I agree on mill creek and otter for that matter, they can put more fish in there.
Edited by ToddM 3/3/2017 7:03 AM
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Location: oswego, il | An update. The state plans on converting pike stocked lakes with muskies. South spring will get muskies. The state will offer to convert other lakes not managed by them but stocked with pike with permission from that county. In particular, cook county could see several places stocked with musky that previously recieved pike.
Edited by ToddM 3/16/2017 3:48 PM
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Posts: 5193
| musky at tampier it could be interesting. |
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Posts: 470
| 0723 - 3/16/2017 1:38 PM
musky at tampier it could be interesting.
So would Sag Quarries... |
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Posts: 494
Location: midwest | Stock them at Blackwell in Dupage so they can get fat on stocker trout! |
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Posts: 63
Location: Indiana | when's the last time there was a musky caught at wolf? i remember about 10 years ago a 48" from the Indiana side but what does it matter? Some kind of cooperation between IN and IL to make something work?
heres the pic of the 48:
http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/pso/article/big_fish_fridays_mu... |
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Posts: 427
| I just noticed that Newton is a pike stalked lake. Any chance it would set up for muskie. Just wondering because Tennessee has had awesome success at Melton Hill which also is a power plant lake. |
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Location: oswego, il | I am shocked newton gets stocked with pike. I have fished if, know people who do, never heard of one caught. I can tell you the cool side gets to 80 degrees by april. I doubt pike survive, it would not make a good musky lake. I know people who buzz bait fish in november for bass.
Agree, wolfe should get stocked. |
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Posts: 778
| I also agree with Tampier. The water gets to warm for pike to do well. Plenty of gizzard shad and carp/bullheads to feed on. But I would make it a catch and release only lake,with signs posted almost everywhere along the shores. kdawg |
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Location: E. Tenn | hoosierhunter - 3/17/2017 8:57 AM
Tennessee has had awesome success at Melton Hill which also is a power plant lake.
Melton Hill is not a "powerplant lake" It's success has more to do with the constant inflow of water in the lower 40 degree range from Norris Dam, and the fact the lake cycles it's entire volume every nine days or so, hence no stratification..
The powerplant you speak of has been converted to natural gas, running times have been greatly reduced, and the discharge isn't nearly as warm as it was in the past, when it was a coal fired plant.
That said, even when it was a coal fired plant, the effect of the warm water discharge only extended a couple of miles downstream at best..
The vast majority of the fish population in Melton Hill have no clue warmer water exists either upstream or downstream of their home range..
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Posts: 238
| How about Lake Vermillion in Danville |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | fish4life - 3/18/2017 7:19 PM
How about Lake Vermillion in Danville
It used to be stocked. It is very shallow and has a very fast water exchange rate. They never sampled a fish from there. I talked to a biologist about it and the consensus is they escaped over the dam.
Edited by ToddM 3/18/2017 8:11 PM
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| Think Mill Creek near Marshall has been mentioned and already has received musky stocking and I'll second that one. Lincoln Trail lake & state park also near Marshall for stocking consideration? Both lakes about 3hrs give or take from Chicago |
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Posts: 45
| Silver Lake near Highland IL |
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New illinois musky lake suggestions