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| I've asked this question before and haven't really gotten a answer that makes sense to me.
Why are there Muskie in LOTW, Rainy, Vermilion, but they aren't in Kabetogama or Namakin? I have heard that a couple were caught in Crane but I don't know that for sure either.
Anyway, can anybody provide what would make Kab. & Nam. not have Muskie? Kind of baffling to me.  |
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Posts: 134
| Probably their lake associations dont want them....
(I know this is not even a factor on these systems, nor do I have a scientific or socialogical answer I just being a smarta** as this is a commom reason area do not get suplemental stocking) |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Likely never took before the glacial melt and water drain off was complete and now have falls preventing upstream ingress. |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Brian Hoffies - 4/13/2013 3:09 PM
I've asked this question before and haven't really gotten a answer that makes sense to me.
Why are there Muskie in LOTW, Rainy, Vermilion, but they aren't in Kabetogama or Namakin? I have heard that a couple were caught in Crane but I don't know that for sure either.
Anyway, can anybody provide what would make Kab. & Nam. not have Muskie? Kind of baffling to me. :(
Rainy has a very small population..I'm fairly certain Vermilion only had a small population prior to stocking. There's a few stragglers in Crane, but there's also some kind of rearing pond up that way that has had a few escapees.
Regardless...I think the NE part of Minnesota ( from Kab to Ely) would just be a goldmine for future Musky stocking. It would be like little Canada up there....unfortunately I never hear any of that area mentioned as possible stocking locations. Makes no sense to me but I'm just an FIB who doesn't make the decisions up there |
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Posts: 69
| My understanding is that vermillion was stocked and had no native population. The fish in crane are migrants from vermillion via the vermillion river. What baffles me is there is a viable fishable population on the Canadian side of both lotw and rainy however they are almost nonexistent on the U.S side |
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Location: oswego, il | kabetogema get stocked with muskies? I am in! |
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| I always thought the reason muskies don't do well on that the south end of LOW and all of Rainy is because of the pike populations is so well established. Hard for muskies to get a foothold in there with competition of lots of big pike. I know muskies move around through a system, maybe they tend stay put once they get to where they were going to. Stock the Missouri River system in South Dakota while you're at it and get back to me in about a thusand years. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | I'd say they are in there and very few people ever target them. All those areas are connected and have been for thousands of years. Certain areas must have had better conditions or some random occurance that made them establish in those areas. I bet if someone put some time in targeting them they might be surprised at what they find. |
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Posts: 833
| I saw Larry Ramsell speak last winter and he showed a photo of musky caught out of Vermillion in the 30s. If I am recalling correctly, he said there has always been a small population there, it just became more viable as a fishery once they started stocking it.
More lakes in MN is a big priority for the musky community, but there are many challenges to making it happen. Check the MMPA website for more info. |
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Location: MN | I too have heard references to muskies being in Vermilion pre-stocking from various people who have been on the lake/area for many years. My family has been on Vermilion since the 1920's and there was a story from my grandfather of a fish they named Walter who lived in a weedbed near our cabin. The story is that Walter was a ~5ft long fish who would follow in people's lures but never eat; it was assumed that Walter was a pike of abnormally large size. I've always wondered if Walter wasn't one of the pre-stocking muskies... hmmm.
Big Fork and Little Fork Rivers have muskies. There are a handful of lakes in the Arrowhead (in addition to Crescent & Dumbell) with shoepack strain. Growing up I fished one of these lakes, it was located one mile down a rough logging road and only had carry-in access. In retrospect I wonder if it was a rearing pond for the shoepack musky stocking program.
Edited by Mak51 4/14/2013 12:16 AM
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Brad P is correct...Vermilion has always had muskies. There is a story of a 60 pounder taken there in 1908 or so and I have several photo's of muskies in the 50's era and a tiger muskie taken in 1938. Just never was a fishable population there. Now that there is enough for them to find each other they can/do spawn as well as continued stocking = a world class muskie fishery!
As for Rainy Lake, the main population of muskies is in the NE corner. I have seen home movies of the early 1940's where several 40 pound class fish were caught in the western basin...perhaps a good place to explore?
Edited by Larry Ramsell 4/14/2013 12:06 PM
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| Larry Ramsell - 4/14/2013 12:02 PM
Brad P is correct...Vermilion has always had muskies. There is a story of a 60 pounder taken there in 1908 or so and I have several photo's of muskies in the 50's era and a tiger muskie taken in 1938. Just never was a fishable population there. Now that there is enough for them to find each other they can/do spawn as well as continued stocking = a world class muskie fishery!
As for Rainy Lake, the main population of muskies is in the NE corner. I have seen home movies of the early 1940's where several 40 pound class fish were caught in the western basin...perhaps a good place to explore?
Thanks Larry, my water of choice is Namakin & Kab. I'll continue to look around and also ask questions but it doesn't sound to promising. |
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Posts: 540
| interesting stuff! there are lakes around me here too that have real small population of muskies that I think are still barely just hanging on over the years from the beginning. I believe some have died off just in my lifetime already. Kinda sad but what do you do.
Edited by leech lake strain 4/14/2013 1:50 PM
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| Guessing that when the glaciers retreated and the lakes became landlocked that the muskies were upstream spawning? Probably a few smaller fish got left behind here and there, but that's my wild ass theory based on nothing. Over time every lake sort of evolved based on it's independent ecosystem. Really makes me wonder how many lakes are out there that are unreachable that have populations of muskies that would make your head spin! |
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| I have been told muskies occassionally get caught near baudette, but not very common. I also thought that the Rainy River had a higher population years ago. The big, little, and I think the rapid river still have muskies and they dump into the rainy river. |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Actually EA, the glaciers didn't "retreat" (a pet peeve of mine when that term is used), they actually just melted away during the last "global warming". By the way, did you know that the areas of northern Wisconsin that had glaciers over them, the ice was up to one mile thick and that the ground was compressed up to 700 feet below what it is now? Crazy stuff! In many areas the earth is still "rebounding" (raising up), especially problamatic in river mouths in areas like the Great Lakes and elsewhere, effectively closing them off.
To the horror of some of today's fisheries scientists, some muskie populations in land locked lakes could have begun with one female and a male or two...hows that for genetic diversification?
Edited by Larry Ramsell 4/15/2013 9:24 AM
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| I worked with a guy who CPR'd a 46"er out of Crane Lake. Healthy looking fish but as mentioned sounds like a small population. |
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| Larry Ramsell - 4/15/2013 9:22 AM
Actually EA, the glaciers didn't "retreat" (a pet peeve of mine when that term is used), they actually just melted away during the last "global warming". By the way, did you know that the areas of northern Wisconsin that had glaciers over them, the ice was up to one mile thick and that the ground was compressed up to 700 feet below what it is now? Crazy stuff! In many areas the earth is still "rebounding" (raising up), especially problamatic in river mouths in areas like the Great Lakes and elsewhere, effectively closing them off.
To the horror of some of today's fisheries scientists, some muskie populations in land locked lakes could have begun with one female and a male or two...hows that for genetic diversification?
You know Larry... I never really thought about that before, but does anybody actually think the glaciers turned aronud and went back North? "It's too hot down here. Let's go!"  |
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Location: Cave Run Lake KY. | Capt bigfish - 4/13/2013 8:30 PM
I always thought the reason muskies don't do well on that the south end of LOW and all of Rainy is because of the pike populations is so well established. Hard for muskies to get a foothold in there with competition of lots of big pike. I know muskies move around through a system, maybe they tend stay put once they get to where they were going to. Stock the Missouri River system in South Dakota while you're at it and get back to me in about a thusand years. ..........................................................................................................Capt bigfish -----ID lke to hear more about the Muskies that do will in lakes with high pike populations, there was talk of muskies spawning twice in these lakes, once before the pike and then again after the pike and in deeper water, Larry Ramsell must know more about this. Marv |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Chin Whisker/Marv:
Muskies that have always co-existed (sympatric) with pike do well and grow bigger and in many places spawn twice (both time after pike, not once before) and usually offshore in deeper water.
Muskies that were landlocked in lakes absent pike (allopatric) historically rarely grow to 40 pounds and generally seldom over 30-35 pounds. |
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| Larry, would that be because a lake that is large enough to support healthy musky and pike populations typically has a better forage base? It makes sense that lanlocked lakes don't grow big fish typically. |
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| musky-skunk - 4/15/2013 1:23 PM
I worked with a guy who CPR'd a 46"er out of Crane Lake. Healthy looking fish but as mentioned sounds like a small population.
Any idea what year it was he caught that fish? Did he catch it Walleye fishing or was he fishing for Muskie or Pike? Trolling?
Thanks for any info you can get from him. |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Brian Hoffies - 4/17/2013 8:13 PM
musky-skunk - 4/15/2013 1:23 PM
I worked with a guy who CPR'd a 46"er out of Crane Lake. Healthy looking fish but as mentioned sounds like a small population.
Any idea what year it was he caught that fish? Did he catch it Walleye fishing or was he fishing for Muskie or Pike? Trolling?
Thanks for any info you can get from him.
seen several taken from Crane via Pic...all in the upper 40's, all looking very healthy, and all a total fluke....somehow, someway they occasionally end up in that system. There's a few other lakes in NE MN that have the same thing happen...( hence why I say that part of the state would be a goldmine for Muskies)
Edited by Musky Brian 4/18/2013 3:15 AM
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| Thanks for all the replies and input guys. More then I expected! I don't know that I understand why the fish aren't there but I now have some opinions on the matter.
Thanks again. |
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| I have a photo of a 2009 or so yearly trip to voyagers with 2 friends of mine.
Its a 22" Clear Muskie caught in Kab between Sphunge and Moxie islands.
I am not an expert but it is clearly "NOT" a northern. No bars/spots/patterns of any kind.
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | there are some Silver Pike sprinkled throughout NE MN...have caught a few on one particular lake. Not saying that's what you caught for sure but take a look at a picture and compare |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Chros can you post a picture? Sounds like it could be a silver pike or perhaps an albino pike. |
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| Saw an episode of Midwest Outdoors where Roger Cormier boated a really nice 'ski on Crane. |
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