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Posts: 189
Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | My folks have a place on Webster, and in October, was walking along the seawall, and spotted a 5-6" muskie. Watched him for a good five minutes, so I'm sure of what I saw. This is clearly not a stocked fish, because we stock them bigger than this if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure it's not widespread, but got me wondering how much natural successful nookie is going on.
Have anyone else seen anything that would signal some natural reproduction? |
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| Josh...the 5" to 6" spotted, mean looking fish they are seeing are probably Gar. yep.. Gar. baby Gar look VERY similar to baby muskies in the water. very similar. i'm not 100% saying you didn't see a baby musky...but in reality, you saw a baby gar. in water, you cannot tell them apart..
we could be getting a little natural production...but it would be VERY MINIMAL.
peace in the east
tomcat |
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Posts: 189
Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | I know about the gar in the lake...my early days on that lake, I was fooled by the older "surfacing" gar more than once. But I'm pretty sure, I'd say 95% sure that is was a muskie. It was no more than 3 or 4 feet off the sea wall, and I got to watch it for a good 5 minutes, in crystal clear colder water. Should have taken a photo with the polarizer for proof, but didn't think about that until later.
There is a lake in Ohio, far south of Webster, that has natural propogation, so why not Webster? I just have to imagine, that with the amount of Muskie stocked in Webster over the years, nature tends to find it's way, even if only on a very small scale. |
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Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Josh,
I have seen the same thing as you, 4-6 inch muskies. Sure they naturally reproduce every once in a blue moon. Is it an amount that will greatly help/affect the lake, in my opinion no. I would say 1-3% of the muskies have some sort of natural reproduction. |
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Location: Alexandria, MN | I can't say what you saw, but I would wonder about the size? Shouldn't a Muskie be
more than 4-6 inches by October? I know the ones that come from a Muskie Farm
are twice that big or bigger by October?
Not sure what kind forage Webster has, but if those are Muskies they are not growing
as fast as they could be. I thought Webster was a Shad based lake? Those Muskies
should have plenty of food.
Any ideas? Just wondering what you guys think.
Steve |
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Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | The ones I saw were shorties in mid-May. |
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Posts: 259
Location: Alexandria, MN | 4 to 6 in May sounds right!
I hope those fish help to build a great population. Sounds like it is going strong
right now. |
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Location: Somewhere on the water!!!!!!!! | The fish in Webster definatley reproduce.
The DNR doesn't think they are reproducing but they are to some extent, nobody knows if they are survivng or not.
I have seen small Muskies 5"-6" at the dock for weeks at a time, hanging out in about 6-8 inches of water eating minnows.
As far as the size at this time of year, I don't know that one but I know they are too small to eat shad when they are that size anyway.
Edited by Ralph Florio 12/6/2004 4:47 PM
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Location: syracuse indiana | there was a time on the barbee chain in the channel between irish and banning 2 years ago that a friend and i were throwing lures around i spotted a little ski around 5to 6 inch splashing around the surface. i worked that little fish for quiet a while and it finally swam away. i dont know why it was having trouble. must have been hooked on a hook and bobber couse there were some older people panfishing right near by. but as far as i could tell it swam away in better health i hope. i feel it ws a natural nookie fish. it was inlate may into june when this happened...bill
Edited by archerynut36 12/6/2004 6:10 PM
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Location: Chicago, Beverly | I'm sure that there is some natural reproduction, but as others above stated not really enough to sustain much of a population. Another fish in those area lakes that often get mistaken for small Musky are Grass Pike. I'll attach a picture of one I caught off my dock.. They only grow to an average of 12-15" and a max of 18"(world record was caught in Kosciusko County on Dewart Lake). As for my pic, only way to get a photo was to place it on the sidewalk and snap quickly before releasing it..
Edited by kevin 12/7/2004 8:32 PM
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 12 inch GP.jpg (49KB - 119 downloads)
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Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Kevin,
Where did you catch that? Barbee chain? |
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Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | I'd love to know where you caught that as well. Mine didn't look like that though. Definitley light background on my little guy.
Interesting thing is....my father has an older lake map book from the early 80's and it lists grass pickerel as a spiecies that's in Webster. I thought there was only one kind of pickerel, but I just looked it up and there is at least three. This one, redfin and the chain pickerel(light pattern lookes like chain link)...in case anyone is interested.  |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Barbee chain on a crappie jig, was pulling the jig through a bunch of gills when this guy shot out of some weeds and nailed it.. I have caught several others since that one(caught it in '95 I think) all off my dock(channel on kuhn).. They seem to like weeds, shallow water and channels. I have seen them on Webster in a couple channels also. Fun to catch on a ultra lite rod. |
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Posts: 189
Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | Since this has become somewhat of a pickerel thread, just for sh!ts and giggles...my girl caught this pickerel out here in a New Jersey muskie lake. Sorry for the vertical, but the girlfriend wasn't quite the comfortable fisherman she is becoming now. On a shiner minnow under a bobber. I think they're real pretty fish.
Edited by muskiefishman 12/7/2004 9:26 PM
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leahpick.jpg (38KB - 115 downloads)
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