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Posts: 1636
| I know there is no way to really determine how much every muskie in every body will eat - especially with water temperature and time of year being a factor, but does anyone know if there are any articles or studies done on how much food a muskie might consume on a daily or weekly basis? How about in comparison to an adult Flathead Catfish?
Thank you for your time. |
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Location: oconomowoc, wi | Reelwise - 1/7/2016 11:09 PM
I know there is no way to really determine how much every muskie in every body will eat - especially with water temperature and time of year being a factor, but does anyone know if there are any articles or studies done on how much food a muskie might consume on a daily or weekly basis? How about in comparison to an adult Flathead Catfish?
Thank you for your time.
buddy of mine caught about a 45" or so in canada last year that had some sort of bird halfway down its gullet and still managed to eat a medussa.. i'm guessing they eat way more than we think |
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Posts: 1971
| Fish growth, lifecycle and food consumption is interesting. Muskies can definitely go weeks without eating when they are at sizes we want to catch (say 40+"). Some fish have to eat daily - gorging themselves because life cycle is so short. Chinook Salmon and Dorado (Mahi Mahi) are prime examples. A Mahi Mahi is 30 lbs in the first year and 70+ in year three! Most die before year 4 - crazy!
Edited by IAJustin 1/8/2016 9:18 AM
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | I don't recall anything specifically addressing your question and probably because trying to design a study to collect data would be nearly impossible since it would require capture and recapture of fish at least weekly. Weekly capture alone would completely change their behavior causing any data gathered to be questionable.
The best we have is assumptions based on forage size preference and stomach contents data. With adult muskies this indicates they feed less often on larger forage when larger forage is available.
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Location: Eastern Ontario | It may be that there are seasonal differences based on water temps that would leave you to believe that they would eat more in the summer when their metabolism was high ( muskies being cold blooded ) . John Anderson ( Ottawa Muskie Factory ) talks of seeing many summer muskies lying on the bottom covered by a fine layer of silt and in many cases lamprey or lamprey scars.
I've been doing this for 30 years and 20 years ago I thought I knew it all,now I think I know very little. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | horsehunter - 1/8/2016 11:06 AM I've been doing this for 30 years and 20 years ago I thought I knew it all,now I think I know very little. I'm right there with you on that!
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Location: Detroit River | Based on the amount of musky poop in my boat I'd say they eat a lot. |
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Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Is there any scientific data that suggest that larger muskies (40" and larger) may go weeks without eating ? I'm curious.
Edited by Top H2O 1/8/2016 12:26 PM
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/fisheries/species/muskie...
Good read. For those that don't want to, around 66% of the fish sampled had empty tummies, and that percentage increased with size, which suggests to me that bigger fish go longer without eating. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Top H2O - 1/8/2016 1:25 PM Is there any scientific data that suggest that larger muskies (40" and larger) may go weeks without eating ? I'm curious. Published studies? No. However, evidence of stomach contents in dead fish suggests that they may not eat very often particularly during hot water and cold water.
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Posts: 441
| They eat up to ten walleyes a day!!  
They like walleyes, more than anything else! 
Bass love walleyes, too!
Poor walleyes don't have a chance! 
I heard that from every walleye fisherman, I've run in to, on the Big V. |
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Posts: 1516
| when does a muskie become an adult?
Edited by Pepper 1/8/2016 3:24 PM
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Pepper - 1/8/2016 4:22 PM
when does a muskie become an adult?
When they lose their virginity |
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Posts: 8721
| Pepper - 1/8/2016 3:22 PM
when does a muskie become an adult?
when it grows hair on its ass?
Come on, you had to know you'd get a few crooked responses on that one.
Last I remember reading they reach maturity at around 3-4 years. I would think their diet depends on what they are capable of eating. The smaller ones that eat perch and crayfish and such probably eat a lot of the time. The jumbos who live in ecosystems with a lot of pelagic forage like whitefish for example? I wouldn't be surprised if a fish every 3-4 days would be all it takes.
Edited by esoxaddict 1/8/2016 3:37 PM
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Location: Smith Creek | Pepper - 1/8/2016 3:22 PM
when does a muskie become an adult?
After its first encounter with ToddM |
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Location: oswego, il | Flambeauski - 1/8/2016 3:34 PM
Pepper - 1/8/2016 3:22 PM
when does a muskie become an adult?
After its first encounter with ToddM
Milton Burrow is not the only one called uncle miltie!
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Pepper - 1/8/2016 4:22 PM when does a muskie become an adult? Maturity is normally 5-7 years usually males reach maturity before females. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Ok, So where is the scientific data that supports that Muskies over 40" don't EAT anything for "Weeks at a time" I personally have a hard time believing this..... Because some fish that I have "Stocked/hunted have tried to eat or have eaten 1 or 2 times in 2 days.....BIG Fish eat.... that's why their Big. Show me wrong. |
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Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion |
Ok, If I eat a BIG breakfast and than Crap it all out before the next breakfast, does that equate to me not eating for "weeks"
That's not Science or a good study at all. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I never said it meant they didn't eat for weeks, I said it meant (to me, and I'm not a scientist) that they don't eat as often. Question, is your metabolism faster or slower than it was when you were 16? |
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Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Flambeauski - 1/9/2016 6:43 AM
I never said it meant they didn't eat for weeks, I said it meant (to me, and I'm not a scientist) that they don't eat as often. Question, is your metabolism faster or slower than it was when you were 16?
My metabolism is slower.... But I still eat more often..
I don't get the question Mr. beauski. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Assuming a muskie's metabolism slows when it ages like yours or mine does, we can conclude that if an older (bigger) muskie is eating as often as a younger (smaller) muskie it will be more likely to have undigested food in its belly, not less likely, which is what the study found.
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Posts: 1971
| Top H2O - 1/8/2016 8:21 PM
Ok, If I eat a BIG breakfast and than Crap it all out before the next breakfast, does that equate to me not eating for "weeks"
That's not Science or a good study at all.
Do some research on fish digesting their food..more data out their on bass and pike, but it's safe to conclude from research...When that 50" muskie sucks down a 2Lb whitefish in late fall there is going to be remains in the stomach for a week maybe more. Also, Based on the study above with 66% having empty stomach's you can make the hypothesis based on the data that at the very least muskies often go more than 48 hrs without eating. If they didn't the vast majority would have something in their stomach.
Edited by IAJustin 1/9/2016 11:12 AM
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | It should be obvious that the eat more in the warm temps due to higher metabolism, which is often so high that food digests quickly and is out of the system...3 day cycles on Eagle Lake during July in and out of the deep to feed when I radio tracked them. In cold water, not so much and I think that is what helps the giant girths in the fall...they are still eating to build fat and eggs and it isn't digesting as fast.
In captivity (Shedd Aquarium in Chicago) they have been known to go six months without eating...but that is in an abnormal situation (expect where I fish a lot!).
I don't think there is any "norm". They are opportunists...and feed accordingly. |
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Posts: 271
Location: davis,IL | First I think the wrong question was asked, it should be how often do muskies attempt to eat. Judging from what I've seen that is somewhat often, perhaps multiple times a day depending on conditions. Size of prey also factors into this. Remember they are primarily an ambush predator. That means that the "prey" needs to be in the position in relation to the muskie for him to strike successfully. Also the more distracted the prey is the better, that's why muskies seem to be somewhat predictable as to their most active times, low light, adverse conditions, etc.
Edited by muskydope 1/25/2016 4:26 AM
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Location: Eastern Ontario | We know also that muskies strike for reasons other than hunger or feeding. i have seen muskies strike a smaller fish kill it and leave it where it falls. I have also caught fish with half of their last meal still outside the mouth. ( usually the tail ). |
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Posts: 1636
| muskydope - 1/25/2016 5:24 AM
...the "prey" needs to be in the position in relation to the muskie for him to strike successfully.
This is pretty cool. |
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Location: Madison, WI | Have to remember that Muskies are cold blooded. If you look at them more like other cold blooded creatures (snake and such) and less like a mammal it makes sense that they could go weeks without eating. Also, when we have contact with muskies they are usually exerting much more energy than is their usual - most of the time they're sitting quietly underneath a dock waiting for precious little Julie to dip her chubby toes in the water |
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