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Location: Minneapolis, MN | The FRV chapter got lucky enough to have a few guys in the boats helping with the DNR survey on the chain last week. I thought I'd share some photos of some awesome fish. One is 49 and the other was a pig at 47.5 at 34lbs!
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 4/18/2005 6:21 PM
(2005_DNR_Chain_Survey_47x34.jpg)
(2005_DNR_Chain_Survey_49x31.jpg)
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 2005_DNR_Chain_Survey_47x34.jpg (48KB - 83 downloads)
2005_DNR_Chain_Survey_49x31.jpg (29KB - 80 downloads)
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Posts: 2024
| 34 and 31" girths? If that's not a type-o, wow! |
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| I think Joe got a bit ahead of hiimself on the keyboard there. Fat fish none the less. I got out today (4/18) hooked 2 and boated one. Both fish really were not beat up like they were spawning yet. Great day to be out...and a great day to dry off after you fall in the water when pier you are standing on breaks. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | I reported what was reported ot me without giving it much thought. After thinking about it, something definatly got lost in translation. |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Do they still stock musky up there or just threw spawning>>> |
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Posts: 42
| pretty sure they stock them still.
MG5 |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | The chain gets regular stockings from the IL DNR and the SOB chapter makes substanital suplemental stocking of over wintered Leech lake strain every other year. |
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| Where do we stock next????????????????????????????????????  |
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Looks like the Leech Lake spotties are starting to show up in numbers...and they DO get fat!
Muskie regards,
Larry Ramsell |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Larry: There were only a small number of fish that appeared to be Leech fish in the nets. Only one of the big fish may have been a Leech fish but we will never know because they were not marked when they were stocked. Most of the Leech fish that appeared in the nets were in the low 30's and they have been in the lake long enough to be well over 40. Since not many Leech fish get caught on the Chain many beleive they are not surviving. Some want to believe they are surviving but their appearance changes due to the dirty hot water. What are your thoughts about the theory of Leech fish losing their spots in a lake like the Chain? |
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Posts: 341
| FYI Joe
I've only come across one spotted 2 years ago 35'' with nice poka dot markings. But your probably referring to older fish.
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Luke Chinwalker (Joe):
As I noted in our email exchange, our experience with the Leech Lake fish in Nancy Lake, which were ALL LL fish, color patterns varied considerably and should not be a determining factor on what you "think" is there. You idea to fin-clip future stockings is a great idea and will let you know exactly what is happening with them.
In one of the threads on the research board on this site, this was discussed as well. You may want to refer to it. I believe it was in the "genetics" thread, but don't recall for sure, and time right now does not permit me to search for it.
Muskie regards,
Larry Ramsell
Wisconsin Muskellunge Restoration Team
www.WisconsinMuskyRestoration.org
Edited by Larry Ramsell 4/19/2005 4:09 PM
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Never new that very interesting, make sense though |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Larry is right. I have been told by the dnr it can be tough to tell the spotted fish once they get big in a non-native spotted environment. You actually can't tell them from a barred fish. |
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Posts: 135
Location: Elgin, IL | Interesting subject. I do most of my fishing in N. MN so I was interested in Leech Lake fish in the Chain. I was also fortunate enough to help the DNR on Tuesday of last week. We netted 38 muskies. All ID'd, sexed, weighed, measured, tagged, and released. Outside of it being an awesome experience and a great time, I was perplexed that we could only CLEARLY identify 2 or 3 Leech Lake fish. I was measuring and weighing, so I spent most of my time around the tail end of the fish (lucky me!). It was interesting that there were quite a few times that the last foot of some of these fish looked a lot like Leech fish. But as they pulled the cradle away to reveal the rest of the fish, their appearance resumed the marking patterns typical of barred fish. The DNR guys even hesitated on occasion with their ID. I can see why.
My gut feeling is that the Leech Lake fish are alive and well in the Chain. Where are these fish? Are they just not moving into the shallows with the Barred fish the week the DNR pulls their nets? Are they not being caught as often because the frequent deeper structure? Suspend more? Or maybe, as suggested, the Leech fish, as they age, start to acquire markings more typical of barred fish. Water clarity, temps, forage are all different from their native Miss. River headwaters. Why wouldn't they be marked differently? And even up in MN, we've picked up some older Leech Lake fish on occasion that seem to lose some of their distinct spots. See the attached photo. (Vman holding the fish)
And check out the top 4 photos of Chain fish in Musky Fever's album (2003 Pictures). Those fish look quite a bit like Leech Lake fish to me too. All theories of course. Which is why I agree that Joe and Larry's suggestion to fin-clip the stocked Leech fish in the future might help definitively answer the question of whether or not the Chain can sustain a population of this variety of muskies. Of course, when it's all said and done, I was just happy to be able to handle so many big fish in one day! Incredible.
Mark
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| I hear a lot of talk about the two strains. Seems like if they are truly different some enterprizing folks should be able to do a DNA identification on the strains and then do a positive ID. It might also be able to tell if they are crossbreeding and the outcome of that on size of fish later as they mature. Any thoughts? |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | DNA sampling could work however the cost would be prohibative and with Gov Howdy Doody cuting the DNR funding it just can not be done. If ten years ago you told people that fish like this would exsist in the Chain they would have locked you up for being nut's The ILL DNR & Local Muskie clubs have done a wonderful job in bolstering the Muskie fiheries in ILL and deserve a round of applause from all of us
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| Thanks John I was just interested. I did not mean to question the good work being done. I agree that the fin clipping is the cheaper way to go and when you don't have the money you don't have the money. |
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| Have all the stocked fish in the Fox River (GB) been spotteds?. I've caught both spotted and what seemed to be barred 42" ers with fin clips. Unless they Stocked barred and spotteds in near years this is hard to understand. Maybe some of the spotteds have changed coloration?>
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| 2 summers ago i caught 4 or 5 chain fish that were clearly spotted. All were small 28-30"ers. I havent seem one since. This topic is interesting. I hope project green gene can determine the appropriate strain. What about the "cave run" strain? Any luck/info on that? |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Dave the Fox Chain is not in scope for Project Green Gene. The lakes in scope for Green Gene are very different types of water from the chain. Most have a shad forage base. If we are going to learn anything specific to the chain a chain specific study will have to be conducted. Using PIT tags this season is the beginning to getting better data about the fishery in the future. Identifying strains other than what the IL DNR stocks before they are released will also help IMHO
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 4/20/2005 3:43 PM
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Posts: 341
| Musky puke,
That's the definition of musky slime. Looks like a glazed crispy kreme after 10 minutes in the microwave.
Joe if I get any tagged fish this year I will email you.
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| Joe,
Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was involving all Illinois lakes. Oh well. Based on what i have heard and seen (this thread being the exception). I am not sold on stocking leech lake strain fish in the Chain. This is based on very limited info and observation so who knows. |
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Posts: 189
Location: Barrington, Il | The Leach Lake strain are the only ones available for purchase by the clubs. That is why they get stocked in the Chain.
Jeff |
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