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Posts: 174
Location: Ontario | Throwing this out to all the different regions of muskie fishing. Our season here opens in June,after the spawn has finished. Are your areas open during spawning season ? Any opinion on impact , wether scientific or personal ? |
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Posts: 1529
| mother nature alone dictates when big girls drop eggs. i have seen the june opener in ontario still have spawners..
thats why the first 3 weeks here are fickle. big stuff is re-couping from stress |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Many areas they go through the ritual but the spawn never is able to develop due to bottom content, low oxygen, or many other factors. All that are there are the ones that are stocked by the local wildlife depts. Many of the state that have year around open seasons have next to nothing for natural reproduction, Its the areas that do we must be concerned with as the fish would know better how to pick a mate than the local fisheries tech.
Edited by muskie! nut 4/4/2013 4:52 PM
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Location: SE Wisconsin | The Pike are paired up and spawning in real shallow along the shores I live on.. Musky will not be too far behind, maybe a couple weeks from now. More and more are starting to show up and stage below the dams on local rivers in my area, but those rivers are closed from gamefish season until the Wisconsin state opener, so aside from the usual snaggers those fish will be A-Okay. |
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Posts: 174
Location: Ontario | So I get that the northern US States and Ontario basically share similar weather and spawning times.Do the southern fish have the same type of regulations ? I keep seeing Kentucky fish being caught during our winters,are they open seasons year round ? It maybe seems a little counter to the whole conservation thing. Not questioning the ethics of the individual fisherman,just a question of geography and rules,thats all |
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Posts: 153
Location: MN | Iowa has open season year round for muskies, except for a couple glacial lakes.
South and North Dakota have year round seasons for muskies as well.
If the MN DNR decided to open some stocked lakes to muskie fishing I would fish them. I personaly think they should, we have been told that these fisheries are dependant on stocking. Is this true or not? I understand a few fish pull off a sucessful spawn. The muskies in the lower half of the state most likley have completed their spawning by the general opener anyway. Maybe open these lakes to fishing muskies for the normal fishing opener. Maybe tiger only lakes. Lots of possibilites. Might have an effect on the illegal muskie fishing that starts on opener, I see it all the time on Forest while I am fishing for walleyes. If I had a chance to fish early I would, Clear lake (tiger muskie lake) is only a few miles from my home. No one in Muskies Inc would dare broach this subject, they would be shunned. I think I'll send my state legislators a note with some ideas, if you agree maybe you should too. While I don't agree with it, MN legislators are always going around the MN DNR with new rules.
Go ahead and post how stupid I am now. |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | The pike here in Southeastern Wisconsin are spawning hard core rite now. I have seen them 3 miles away from Pewaukee Lake in creeks so small you can jump across them. Saw 9 more last night on the north side of hy 16 while looking for shed deer antlers. The largest was a low 30's with three smaller males rubbing against her. They are all scared up and finishing up spawning. Good thing its going to rain for a few days because I have a hard time believing they could make it all the way back without some more water. It was so shallow I could have just picked them up. Very cool to see them that far up these little creeks.
Spawning muskies will be visable on Pewaukee Lake this opener. Ice is still over a foot thick and not going anywhere soon.
As for targeting muskies that are spawning? Well its going to be hard to catch the big females. The small males will be easy pickings because they are all excited already and will react quickly toward movement.
As far as ethical? I don't target spawning females. I just try and pick on the smaller agressive males.
Since we have very little natural reproduction from muskies I don't think it matters much. Catch and water release. They are back at it in a few minutes usually looking for a female to hang with.
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Posts: 174
Location: Ontario | Im not suggesting targeting the fish when they are spawning out of season. Just wondering how different fisheries view their open seasons throughout the country |
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Posts: 456
Location: Kansas City BBQ Capitol of the world | After spawning how long typically does recovery last before they get active again?
Thanks,
Ron |
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Posts: 67
| Approximately 2 weeks depending on the area. This is for northern WI |
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Posts: 456
Location: Kansas City BBQ Capitol of the world | Thanks Movich. It's not warming up down here as expected and that may push the plans back a week.
Thanks,
Ron |
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Posts: 132
| Explore open water right after the spawn. Fish will slide out to heal up/recover but are still catchable.
Edited by RunNGun 4/13/2013 10:46 AM
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Posts: 2097
| It doesen't matter in southern lakes like Cave Run in KY. There is zero natural reproduction. |
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Posts: 171
| Its known that fish in Illinois do not successfully spawn, however, I would like to know where the 3-5 inch Muskies that were seined from the Fox River near the Elgin area came from. Have they ever stocked fry or Muskies this size in the Fox Chain? Is there any proof that there is absolutely no reproduction in Illinois besides the fact that the lakes that have Muskies in them are not overpopulated? Could it be that the Bass and Walleye keep successful spawning "hidden?" I mean... Muskies are pretty much an "invasive" species to Illinois and most large predators will take out the young of their competition (including their own species and especially in a smaller body of water). I don't think Illinois has a biologist that goes from lake to lake and studies something like this over a decent period of time.
Edited by bshep 4/13/2013 8:13 PM
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| I remember a few winters ago we were watching our tipdowns in shorts and tshirts, the ice was a clear 4"+ and we had crappies and walleyes and lgm bass hitting constantly. Then the coolest thing ever happened when the big girls came in to feed. Then we caught some 5" muskies. What's up with that? |
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Posts: 2015
| You get all the conditions right in states like Iowa and Illinois I'm sure you have years when a very small percentage of the eggs hatch....they definitely go through all the motions. I think most years the water warms too quickly along with the issue of suitable spawning habitat...but to think zero percent of the eggs hatch every year is not accurate from what I've seen as well.
Edited by IAJustin 4/14/2013 9:58 AM
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | All lower peninsula Michigan waters are open. Our opener is the 27th of this month( the last Saturday) Fish will be spawning or pre spawn. Chance at a pre spawn fatty? Im fishing. Cold water equals good release. This is way better then super warm early season temps where water temps hit 80 by June. I have never missed an opening day. I wont start this season. Mike |
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Spawning fish in season ?