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| I am meeting with Daryl Ellison the West Metro fisheries manager in the near future and would appreciate those who muskie fish in the Minneapolis Metro area answering a few questions.
1) Would you rather fish for pure strain or tiger muskies?
2) How much time do you spend on tiger only lakes? (%)
3)What is your biggest tiger muskie?
4)What is your biggest pure strain muskie?
The more information I can bring to this meeting the better.
Thanks for your participation. |
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Posts: 51
| We (myself and other friends from Iowa) enjoy coming to the Metro area to fish the hybrids. I would hate to see the DNR quit stocking them. They seem to grow quite fast and it's exciting to catch something different. I believe the metro area is the only place in the midwest where you can fish for tigers. Correct? Anyway, my biggest Tiger is 43" and biggest pure strain is 51" and from Iowa water, biggest from MN water is 49". I wouldn't say that I would rather fish for one more than the other, I enjoy both, and the MN residents should feel very priveledged to have a choice each day they leave the house. I can't say enogh good things about the way the MN DNR has taken care of their musky program over the years. Great Job, and THANK YOU !
Clay Fletcher
Edited by MUSKEEZ 3/1/2006 9:12 AM
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| Biggest tiger,,, 43
biggest metro purestrain,,,51 1/2
purestrain metro fishing...85 %
metro tiger fishing,,,15 % picking only the right weather windows
Ive lived in MPL's all my life and have tiger lakes by me I also commute daily past several tiger lakes,,,Hardly anybody is using the tiger lakes,,at least not to the extent they should be,,,its nice to have a tiger fishery but in the past few years the DNR has took to buying their tigers from 'private' rearers and their paying the same price for a tiger fingerling has they are for a purestrain fingerling,,,,Tigers on average live 7 years,,,purestrains twice has long and farther theres no comparison,,,We have too many tiger lakes in the metro at least half should be converted over to LL fish to help spread the pressure thats growing in the metro because people just "dont want to fish tigers"
DJS good luck with your meeting,, |
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Posts: 158
Location: Eagan, MN | 1 - I'd rather fish for Pure Strain
2 - In the past maybe 10%, but over the past 6 years it's been 0% (I'm assuming Calhoun is NOT considered tiger only, although from what I hear that is the direction they are taking it, kind of a shame)
3 - Biggest Metro Tiger ~32"
4 - Biggest Metro Pure Strain 48"
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Posts: 291
Location: Minneapolis | 1) I much prefer fishing for pure strain muskies
2) Maybe 5% on tiger-only lakes. Ten years ago my tiger-only percentage was much higher. I also don't count Calhoun as tiger-only; I hope it doesn't revert to tiger-only.
3) Biggest metro tiger: 41"
4) Biggest metro pure strain: 48"
I definitely think some of the metro tiger lakes should be converted to pure strains. It's clear the pressure on the pure strain lakes is increasing while the tiger lakes are under-fished. I don't think ALL of the tiger lakes should be converted; variety is good, but I think the current balance is too tiger-heavy. Maybe the stocking decision could be based on lake size: those under 200 acres get tigers, those over get pure strain? |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | If the DNR is buying Tigers at market prices and the decision was made to switch the tiger lakes to pure strain, would the DNR's cost go down considerably because they would be raising the tigers in the state hatcheries rather than buying them, therefore could stock more fish overall as they could raise more fish with the same amount of money they are spending on third party fish?
How about adding something to this survey? Would you support proposing a rule change to allow two lines per boat as long as both lines were used with lures (no live bait)?
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 3/1/2006 12:08 PM
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| I forgot to put my answers in
1) I would rather fish for pure strains (bigger, more easily located)
2) 0% of my time is spent on tiger only lakes
3)Biggest tiger 41"
4)Biggest pure strain 50.5"
I feel nearly identical to the statements made by happy. If price isn't and issue having the number of "tiger only" lakes we currently do makes zero sense. The arguement that they don't reproduce thus can be discontinued is silly since no meaningful natural recruitment is occuring in the metro with pure strain populations. Pure strains are easier to catch throughout most, not all, but most of the season and grow to much larger sizes. The fact that they grow faster has been made as to why they are stocked in the metro, again not sure what that has anything to do with. The arguement for the current amount of "tiger only" lakes escapes me.
Edited by DJS 3/1/2006 12:07 PM
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| Luke, I am not sure of the answer to your question about cost. I'll ask it though.
I think that bait shops and tackle manufactures have a bigger stake in 2 lines so I'll let them make that arguement.
Go ahead and answer the questions if you have time.
Thanks! |
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Posts: 158
Location: Eagan, MN | From what I understand one of the main arguments for tigers is they can be raised on pellets, which is a lot cheaper than the live minnows required by pure strain fingerlings. Another is that they can thrive in the marginal (not sure what marginal means - maybe poor forage base?) waters where pure strain would not do well. I'm not extolling the merits of these arguments, just repeating what I've heard. I'd like to see tigers nearly phased out, maybe just keep stocking them in the 3-4 waters where they've done really well, then direct our efforts to maintaining the pure strain lakes and hopefully adding one or two more. |
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Posts: 21
Location: Jackson, MI | 1) I would rather fish for pure strain, but I would miss the small tiger lakes.
2) 70% pure strain, 30% tigers. I generally fish the tigers on the weekends to escape the crowds on Tonka, WBL, etc.
3) biggest tiger = 41"
4) biggest pure strain = 47"
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| we have to be 'VERY"carefull how we arguue or present this,,,we want most of the tiger lakes switched to pure but if we make the case very strong that were not getiing the value out of the tiger lakes they may just decide not to stock them anymore AND not switch to pure,,so we would actually lose water,,, |
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| Happy, I am going to argue that Calhoun continued being stocked with pure strains. That is going to be the focus of my meeting with Daryl. I know Shawn Kellett is in contact with Ron Payer on the issue of changing all the lakes over. I will leave that to Muskies Inc. I just want to fight for Calhoun at this point. The conclusion my survey may bear out is that if Calhoun is switched totigers only people simlpy won't want to fish it , myself included. I also don't need to use this survey for my arguement if I don't find out things that support my stance. That's the beauty of a survey! |
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Posts: 158
Location: Eagan, MN | Just wanted to repeat something I alluded to on my last post - I don't think you can just 'switch' the tiger lakes to pure strain lakes, as a lot of the tiger lakes aren't suitable for pure strain. At least that's what I've heard. However, we may be able to divert some of the $resources from tigers to developing entirely new pure strain waters, one's that have never had muskies of any kind - tiger or pure. |
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Posts: 670
Location: Otsego, MN | 1. fish pure strain 99% of the time.
2. biggest metro fish 48"
3. Fished a tiger lake once so I have never caught one yet.
I just don't fish the tiger lakes here in the metro but I probably should, it's still a muskie. |
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Posts: 479
Location: Eden Prairie & Pine Island | Rather fish pure strains most of the time, but that's only due to the fact the fishing is better i.e., more and larger fish caught.
Fish tiger only lakes about 5% of the time each year
Biggest Tiger 41"
Biggest Metro oure strain 51"
Is this for your only personal request of the DNR or part of a coordinated effort by MI and others? |
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| Muskies Inc. would like to see all of the metro tiger lakes switched to pure strain lakes. I am most concerned with Calhoun due to the trophy population already present. MI had has communication with the DNR regarding what they would like to see happen. |
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Posts: 1
| 1. Pure Strain
2. 3-4 times a year (Weaver, Crystal)
3. 36 inches (Calhoun)
4. 43 inches (Calhoun) |
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| I don't if it makes cent$ from a finacial perspective. But personally, I would enjoy it if more lakes had a mix of tigers and pure strains. Even if they just stocked 10 percent tigers and 90 percent pure strain. It's always nice knowing you got a shot at a tiger.
I also think if new pure strain lakes are added, it might make sense to stock half tigers during the first three or four stockings. The fast growth rates would help give the lakes trophy potential a lot sooner.
FYI - I have spoken with DNR officials who have told me that some stocked lakes do have quite a bit of natural reproduction going on. So not sure about that comment above. |
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Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | Pure Strain . . . Gave up on Tigers years ago. |
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| DJS
how bout an update after the meeting????? Im intrested if you get anything other then "middle of the road" replys like-"will look into it"-"possibly in the future"-'Were not totally against that" |
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| The latest update is this. This tiny survey for my own personal use was going to morph into a slightly larger survey that was going to be distributed at the Blaine Muskie Expo. That all sounds great until I come to learn that the DNR, to my surprise, has someone whose job it is to do just such a thing. To make a long story short the Minnesota DNR is NOT interested in any angler survey unless they are the ones creating and distributing such a survey.
I know a lot of you guys run your own small business's. How fast would you go under if you didn't listen to anything your customers had to say unless you sought them out and asked the questions? |
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| tigers 40%, largest 48, natural 60% largest 49. If you hit the tiger lakes at the right time, the action can be fast and furious. I love having the tiger lakes because I have them to myself most of the time. I also would like to see a mixed bag of pures and tigers in the same lakes, but I would hate to see them not stock tigers at all. |
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| "Muskies Inc. would like to see all of the metro tiger lakes switched to pure strain lakes."
Gee, I haven't seen this posed to my chapter. (North Metro) Are we jumping the gun here? How many tiger guys even read these boards? |
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