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Location: Northern Wisconsin | http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=220:1:0::NO::P1_COUNTY_NAME:WA...
Why isn't Delavan a very good musky fishery? From looking at the stocking reports one would think Delavan would be a "good" musky fishery. They have been stocking it for 20 years. Are there just too many pike or what?
Anytime I have been there all I get are pike. |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | It has been stocked at a very low level and not very many people specifically target them. It is a great lake for many other species too. |
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Posts: 2361
| I would guess it is predation wiping out the young fish. There just is not much of a population there. Too many large bass and northern pike in the mix I think. I think if they held them until they hit 16-20" before stocking, the fishery would bloom to some extent. The water quality and forage are certainly there to support them. |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | What year did they drain the lake |
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Posts: 8782
| The lake was drained in 1989. Wow, was that really 22 years ago?!? Holy crap.
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![](<a href="http://flmnetwork.com/content/generators/skinny-sig-generator/">")
Posts: 485
Location: On my favorite lake! | Lots of pike. I am guessing is the reason. |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | time they drain it again and stock muskie, no pike :P just kidding |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Trophy pike fishery, but surprises do exist here, too. |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | The stocking levels have been increased so things will change in the future. FRV has been working with the dnt on delevan. Thanks to muskyboy and his efforts there. 500 a year on a body of water that size is not alot of fish at the old stocking level. Then you have nobody targeting them so most are just incidental catches. |
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Posts: 40
Location: United States | I too have been watching this lake closely as my parents have a place on it. I think the WDNR has been giving the stocking a good effort but as previously mentioned the abundance of large bass and pike must be taking their toll.
Stockings (all large fingerlings 8 to 13 inches):
2009 - 2500
2008 - 2267
2007 - 1667
2006 - 1373
2005 - 2500
2004 - 2500
2003 - 4144
2002 - 4136
2001 - 4072
2000 - 250
1998 - 1135
1997 - 2500
1994 - 2505
1993 - 2670
1992 - 290
1991 - 2500
I have heard of muskies caught up to 37 lbs recently. Some definitely are surviving but the population does appear to be low. This lake certainly did not experience the stocked lake syndrome occuring from the first wave of a new species for a given lake - ie the high survival rate and resulting large class of big fish from the initial stockings. I asked the WDNR fisheries biologist for the lake about this and he too reiterated the bass and pike population. Perhaps Geneva will have better results??!!
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Geneva will have better results with the depth and cisco populations.
Without natural spawning of both species in a lake it's extremely difficult to introduce even large fingerling musky into a pack of waterwolves - you need more progressed juveniles . . The same would go for the pike in a musky lake. I believe this could still work, but it will take larger numbers or larger sized juvenile musky to be stocked, but when dollar signs are involved, the State will throw their punches.
Edited by Sam Ubl 1/27/2011 1:46 PM
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| Any recommendations for 12 guys looking to fish Muskies in late July and not looking to break the bank?
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | Mr. Mike,
As the others have already said, if its muskies you want then expect it to be slim. To give you one example of the kind of pike to muske #s you might see. In a two year span we landed 700 pike with only 7 muskies landed.
There are a lot of average WI pike, the bass are the real story in Delavan. Tow the "boat's" over to Pewaukee if its a muskie you want. At P you could expect the ratio to be close to being reversed.
Brace yourself to get bombarded of all the "dangers" of the fish at that time of the season, have fun with that. Did ya have to say "late".
June,, or December or something, yeah that's what you said. |
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Posts: 317
| The big D has a lot of nice Muskie in it, but no one targets them. I have seen a dozen or more sunning themselves on a calm clear day. This lake has produced several 50" class fish in the last few years as incidental catches, including a 51" 40# fish 2 years ago. I have raised a high 40's fish a few years ago. I did have a nice one follow a hooked Pike in, and I had a nice one come into the eight when a big Pike came out of nowhere and took the bait away-that should tell you something. I think more fish would be caught if people targeted them and night fished the lake. |
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