| The MI DNR sent me Master Angler Award Program data from 2000 thru December 18, 2002. In a nutshell, the Michigan Master Angler Award program, musky class, requires an entry of at least 42" or 20lbs. The DNR keeps track of the submissions: size, weight, keep or release, date, location by lake and county, fishing method and bait used. No one can make any strong conclusions from the data because there are all kinds of reliability and validity problems, but it is interesting to consider. Here's a partial summary...
In 2002 there were 74 fish entered; in 2001 there were 104; and in 2000 there were 114. Of the 2002 fish, 57 (77%) were released and 17 (23%) were kept. Of all the 2002 fish, over 90% were caught trolling on Lake St. Clair or the Detroit River. And most of those St. Clair/Detroit River fish were caught on Believers. Average 2002 length was around 47", with a 16 (22%) fish 50" or bigger.
It was very interesting to note that most of the catch and keep fish were caught by folks who were not fishing for muskies. To explain, most of the kept fish were caught on baits like crawlers, jig/minnow combos, and a 53"er on a spincast tube jig. Dang those walleye and smallie fishermen!!
Again, there are so many variables that affect the data we can't really draw any conclusions. Let me know if you want copies of the data, about 12 pages total, and I'll fax 'em to you. |
| Ranger,
How many of those catch and keep were speared? It has always perplexed me as to how they give master "angler" awards to speared fish. Here in the northern lower there are still quite a few lakes that see a fair share amount of spearing shanties on them each winter.[:blackeye:]
I have thought of taking up spearing but it would interfere with my two favorite winter past-times, shooting hibernating bear cubs in their dens and clubing baby seals[;)]
The incidental catching and keeping of muskies is a major problem not just because of the master angler fish but more importantly all the non-legal fish that are kept, because a 30"+ musky is huge to many people who don't know any better.
As a side note that 53" on a tube jig was not an incidental catch, if it was caught opening weekend (April 28,29) on Long Lake, she had finished spawning as was laying in about 6" of water in a shallow bay when three walleye fishers came upon her. As their comments on the news report said 'each of them casted about twenty times before they finally hooked it', IMHO-it should read "SNAGGED!" [:blackeye:]
Anyhow, thanks for the information it again shows as to how we as musky fihermen have to try to educate others-we owe it to the future! |
