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Posts: 1299
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | From the Fishing Wire:
Michigan Survey to Track Lake St. Clair Juvenile Muskellunge
| October 25, 2016
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is preparing to start the second year of an annual survey to track Lake St. Clair's muskellunge population. The survey focuses on juvenile muskellunge populations to determine what the future of the fishery might look like.
Lake St. Clair is one of the most popular muskellunge fisheries in the state, with anglers targeting this species there for more than 100 years. Part of the lake's success stems from ideal habitat that features clean water, abundant aquatic plants and lots of forage fish.
The lake's muskellunge population has grown over the past 40 years due to an increase in aquatic plants, effective fishing regulations and the expanding popularity of catch-and-release fishing. This survey, conducted every fall in the shallow waters of northern Lake St. Clair, relies on an electrofishing boat to stun young-of-year muskellunge so they can be counted and examined.
This year's survey will be conducted the week of Oct. 31. Anglers and boaters on Lake St. Clair should keep a safe distance from the electrofishing boat if they see it while on the water.
"One way we can assess population status is to examine spawning success and survival of young fish," said Todd Wills, manager of the DNR's Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station. "Poor reproduction could indicate a problem with the health of the muskie population and its habitat, which our fisheries managers would then try to address."
The muskellunge that are stunned are measured and weighed and diet samples are collected to determine what, and how much, they eat. The young muskellunge then are returned to the water unharmed. Last year's survey – in which 34 young-of-year muskellunge ranging in size from 7 to 13 inches were captured – had diets mainly consisting of round gobies, gizzard shad and pumpkinseed sunfish.
The survey is coordinated by the Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station. Information collected is shared with the DNR's Lake Erie Management Unit, which is responsible for managing the lake's fishery. Additionally, DNR creel clerks are stationed on the St. Clair-Detroit River System – including Lake St. Clair – and they provide current information on how many muskellunge are caught and harvested by anglers.
For more information on muskellunge in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/muskie. |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | "Last year's survey – in which 34 young-of-year muskellunge ranging in size from 7 to 13 inches were captured – had diets mainly consisting of round gobies, gizzard shad and pumpkinseed sunfish." If you ask the LSC perch & walleye fishermen they will say the muskies main diet consists of perch & walleye.  |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Zib - 10/25/2016 1:47 PM "Last year's survey – in which 34 young-of-year muskellunge ranging in size from 7 to 13 inches were captured – had diets mainly consisting of round gobies, gizzard shad and pumpkinseed sunfish." If you ask the LSC perch & walleye fishermen they will say the muskies main diet consists of perch & walleye. There was a study done in 2016, that is being peer reviewed, that says otherwise. Here's a quote from that study: Moronidae comprised 26% of muskellunge diet but only 1.4% of the fish community in Lake St. Clair. White sucker was the second most common prey item found, but made up only 0.083% of fish community composition. Cyprinidae comprised 23% of the muskellunge diet and they made up 68% of the fish community in Lake St. Clair, while Sciaenidae composed 8% of the diet and only 0.08% of the fish community. Only a single yellow perch (Percidae) was found in a muskellunge, while they comprised 1.7% of the Lake St. Clair fish community.
Moronidae = Whitebass
Cyprinidae = Carp/Minnows
Sciaenidae = Drum
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | Will Schultz - 10/26/2016 7:51 AM There was a study done in 2016, that is being peer reviewed, that says otherwise. Here's a quote from that study: Moronidae comprised 26% of muskellunge diet but only 1.4% of the fish community in Lake St. Clair. White sucker was the second most common prey item found, but made up only 0.083% of fish community composition. Cyprinidae comprised 23% of the muskellunge diet and they made up 68% of the fish community in Lake St. Clair, while Sciaenidae composed 8% of the diet and only 0.08% of the fish community. Only a single yellow perch (Percidae) was found in a muskellunge, while they comprised 1.7% of the Lake St. Clair fish community.
Moronidae = Whitebass
Cyprinidae = Carp/Minnows
Sciaenidae = Drum
You can't present facts to LSC perch & walleye fishermen because they know more than the fishery biologists. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Of course they do. |
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Posts: 391
| They must compare notes with the Pelican Lake Association. |
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Posts: 431
| I would imagine the high percentage of white bass would be early in the season. I wonder when those collections were taken. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | tackleaddict - 10/26/2016 9:58 AM I would imagine the high percentage of white bass would be early in the season. I wonder when those collections were taken. May through September in 2014 and 2015. Pretty inclusive of the seasons especially over a two year time frame.
Edited by Will Schultz 10/26/2016 10:08 AM
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Posts: 1636
| Give the Perch and Walleye guys a break. They have probably had more than 34 Muskellunge attack their Perch and Walleye :P
Thanks for the post! Will be interesting to see what else they come up with. |
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Posts: 360
Location: Algonac, MI | How come they don't have Dussa's, Lokes, Wileys, Bulldawgs, Bondy's, Shadzillas, Double 10s, inline boards, sinker clips and planar releases in that study Will?
Edited by Contender 11/2/2016 1:36 PM
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