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Location: Northern Wisconsin | Just noticed that Michigan has what is called a catch and immediate release season open all year. What exactly does this mean? Can you target muskies all year as long as you release them? |
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Posts: 357
Location: Western U.P. | Yes. |
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| lol mi at his best once again. |
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Posts: 65
| You're right, year round C&R is part of yet another HUGE improvement Michigan has made recently to its muskie regulations. For the first time ever, muskies are now protected from harvest during the spawn & post-spawn periods due to a later harvest season (~3 weeks later in the UP and 5 or more weeks later in the LP). In many naturally sustained muskie lakes, the season has always been open during the spawn anyway, now it's C&R only. St. Clair was the only system that ever really ever enjoyed protection from harvest during the spawn before.
In my 20 years fishing the 'Michigan Experiment' of open season during the spawn, I believe we've learned that muskies are not very vulnerable to angling during the spawn and therefore that a C&R season is not likely to have any negative effects on spawning success or overall populations. At the very least, I'm convinced that we'll see far more positive effects due to the closed harvest season. I sure hope it works out that way! |
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Posts: 3500
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | supertrollr - 2/18/2019 6:19 PM
lol mi at his best once again.
Not every state is in the same place as others... If the season was never closed for catch and harvest in previous years, then I (and I would be pretty sure that many others too who want to help protect the resource) would APPLAUD the Michigan department of natural resources for making the change to catch and release only.
It's a step in the right direction and that is the bottom line...
Steve |
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Posts: 65
| Quick summary of Michigan’s other recent steps in the right direction:
- One muskie bag limit/year
- Mandatory harvest reporting online, by phone, or in person at check station
- Minimum size limits increased based on scientific growth data
- 50” minimum on 7 highest growth potential lakes
- 46” minimum on 23 other lakes and rivers
- 42” minimum on most lakes and rivers
- 38” minimum on 3 lakes/river with limited growth potential
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | VMS agree 100%. Eat a 40+ inch fish, you are taking big risks with yourself, wife & kids. The toxin's are well documented as are the effects. Doe's immediate release of all fish make sense? Lots of muskies are caught out of season incidentally by non-muskie fisherman and even targeted by some "muskie fisherman" during spawn. So, are they more vulnerable during spawn? Yes, they get caught and drop eggs all over the boat, so we close the spawning time period?
That leads to an conundrum. F.Ex. When are they spawning this year in Northern WI? Setting seasons in WI north or south of Highway 10 makes a lot of sense or does it? They may have ice into June up North!! Even the DNR can't predict pre spawn, spawn, post spawn, so how to best protect an apex predator, It's much like Great White Sharks. It takes action by people who care. Actually if you look at their teeth, both have serrated teeth. Ouch time to go to ER!
What's your opinion? How do you break the current kept WR or State record? It's about seasons and conditions- and size of fish. LOL! should 63.5" be the no-keep limit? How many people have +60" bump board or muskie stick?
If its year round immediate release, I think it's an improvement and better for the resource. Some asxxxxxes are going to kill fish anyway. Ethical muskie fisherman won't target them during spawn, if they know they are spawning or if the water temps are to high. Those are the ones who really care and are the best supporters of the resource..
Its Winter Net time! Let the scales fly!
Edited by ESOX Maniac 3/2/2019 11:13 AM
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Posts: 65
| just curious how many fish you have seen caught that were dropping eggs?
I know that it does happen, but I have NEVER seen it. I have asked the question on this board : what % of fish caught during/around the spawn drop eggs? Very few people said they actually have seen ever seen it happen. |
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Posts: 612
| Seen a few good ones spill hundreds of well formed eggs on the bottom of the boat. Pretty messy and not good for future fish populations. Know if near spawn (which can vary a few weeks depending on environmental factor) I won't fish. |
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Posts: 65
| NPike, you have seen a “few” dropping eggs out of how many fish caught total during the spawning period? What state/province was this?
just curious, I’m trying to get some idea of the % of fish caught during spawning period that are actually ripe females. Thanks |
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Posts: 343
| When I lived in Tennessee the season is year round and during the spawn it was extremely difficult to get a bite, I never caught any dropping eggs, though a couple other friends have caught fish that dropped eggs (but very rarely). |
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Posts: 3500
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Duke - 3/11/2019 9:18 AM
NPike, you have seen a “few” dropping eggs out of how many fish caught total during the spawning period? What state/province was this?
just curious, I’m trying to get some idea of the % of fish caught during spawning period that are actually ripe females. Thanks
Hiya,
To be honest....Unfortunately I don't think this could ever be answered with any validity as we have no clue of how many incidental catches occur out there by people fishing other species, or where allowed, those targeting muskies....
Steve |
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Posts: 1023
| My guess is that it will have no negative effect on CLair muskies BUT I still say: “Why take a chance with such a superb fishery!
A lot of big name guides are opposed to it. However, I think I’m a few years we will start to see some of those guys and ithers fishing muskie in May. Not a criticism - just a guess. |
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Posts: 612
| They do this w bass in the NYS lakes. Bad news many are sneaky and target pike - musky and pretend to bass fish. Hard for DEC to prove there not bass fishing on the cast. Bass fisheries are a lot harder to mess up and tend to be more prolific. Hope they never get that stupid in NYS, who are they fooling with this crap. Sorry to sound negative but these fish need to spawn with max protection (IMO). |
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Posts: 8808
| The only way to completely protect the spawn is to have a "floating" season that varies from year to year based on ice-out and water temp, on a lake to lake basis.
We all know that's not realistic. Perhaps the easiest solution is to have a revolving moratorium on each NR lake in each region. Muskie fishing closed for the season. Other variables aside, that would ensure that every X number of years you'd have at least one year class of fish where (presumably anyway) that lake's population of muskies would have the benefit of reproduction to whatever extent nature allowed. In some areas that would be a pretty big hardship for anglers. In others? Well, just go fish whatever other lakes are around. In fact, now that I think about it... Might be best to just close each lake to fishing once every so many years all together. Let the fish do their thing for a calendar year. No fishing, no harvest, no spearing, no interference. I'd hate it. But down the road I suspect it would lead to better fishing everywhere. |
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Posts: 612
| esoxaddict - 3/11/2019 8:27 PM
Might be best to just close each lake to fishing once every so many years all together. Let the fish do their thing for a calendar year. No fishing, no harvest, no spearing, no interference. I'd hate it. But down the road I suspect it would lead to better fishing everywhere.
They do this in northeast Ontario (not for ski's) but for trophy pike, walleye, specked trout. This is a solid idea.
Edited by NPike 3/12/2019 5:16 PM
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Catch and immediate release season- Michigan