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Location: The Yahara Chain | Check out the "Mammoth Muskie Speared" article in the Daily News Trawler.
A gentleman is proudly displaying a 41.2 lb. musky that he speared during the "Sturgeon Shivaree".
Is this legal in Michigan? |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I believe in the UP the season is open until the end of February or it might be extended until the first sunday in march like our game fish (no musky) is in Wisconsin. |
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Posts: 216
Location: Belleville, WI | There is an open season for spearing?!?! Why is this speared fish being glorified? |
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Posts: 32909
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Glorified? I'm not sure that is the right word. Not everyone has the same feelings and attitude about Muskie conservation as we might, and this is a classic example. I know there were several folks working to change the pike/muskie spearing rules over in Michigan, but haven't heard about any progress on that front recently. |
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| This is quite an issue in Michigan. Any musky over 42" can be legally speared so long as it does not come from one of the few 'protected' lakes. Unfortunately this protected lake list is seriously outdated (covers waters which received tigers in the 80's, but not all the lakes that are currently being stocked, nor larger trophy inland waters which rely on 100% natural reproduction.) MANY 50+lb muskies have been speared over the years, and a few of the premier trophy waters around no longer have fishable populations as a result. Efforts are underway, not necessarily to eliminate musky spearing entirely, but to do a better job protecting a few waters in dire need. The trouble is that there are groups currently pushing the opposite direction - to expand musky spearing waters and reduce size limits. |
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Posts: 16
Location: Michigan's U.P. | Yup...it is a mess up here. folks spearing muskies to lay on the ice(because dontchaknow they eat walleyes)...so they can load the freezer up with walleyes in the spring with hope dat da warden don't stop by da camp...and they wonder why there is not much of a musky fisheree in the U.P.
All of the groups that are pro-spearing are against the musky because they think the big fish clean out the lakes. There is no education done whatsoever by the MI DNR regarding muskies...we might as well not even have them with the way the DNR handles the musky program..."hands off management."
It makes me sick and if I didn't live on a lake up here, I wouldn't even buy a Michigan fishing license since I normally travel 2 hours back to WI to fish. |
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Michigan Musky Regulations