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Location: MadCity Wisconsin | Please see attached press release regarding PIT tag scanners to be assigned to CCMI anglers for the Leech Lake strain-Wisconsin strain muskie study. Cool stuff.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 07, 2010
Unprecedented Muskie research on Lake Monona gets major boost!
Contact: Jim Olson at 608-282-6200 or 608-233-4455 (home) [[email protected]]
The Capital City Chapter of Muskies, Inc. (CCMI) announced today a major development in the stocking project of muskellunge (muskies) in Lake Monona. CCMI has recently received grants from the Hugh C. Becker Foundation (Minneapolis), the Madison Fishing Expo and the Blackhawk Muskie Club (Janesville), has held fund-raisers and received donations from its members to finance this project in 2010. These funds have been used to purchase muskie fingerlings; PIT tags, and scanners. The recent grants have permitted the acquisition of ten data scanners. These scanners will be used by CCMI anglers who have been highly successful in catching and releasing muskies in Madison Lakes. The data from captured and released (unharmed) muskies will be entered into a WDNR data base that will track important information for the next 10-20 years. This unique project provides the opportunity to collect currently unavailable data for many years to come. CCMI & WDNR have been conducting stocking research here since 2007 (including stocking 3,000 PIT tagged fish, using 50% WI and 50% MN strains of Muskies) to determine which of two different strains is better able to grow here in Madison waters. When the fish is captured a scanning wand is passed over the fish and a unique number is displayed from which the date stocked, size, and muskie strain can be determined
The data collection phase of the project (mining of the data) will be kicked-off Monday May 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. This event will occur at the East Side Club, 3735 Monona Drive, Madison. WDNR representatives will demonstrate how to use the scanner. Kits containing the scanning wands and instructions will be provided to the highly accomplished muskie anglers. The event is open to the public.
There is no known or documented natural reproduction of Muskies in Madison area lakes. As a result, it is believed that all muskies in the Madison Lakes have been stocked. Muskies stocked in the Madison area lakes in the past were derived from Northern Wisconsin waters. The Leech Lake, Minnesota strain, according to some muskie experts, may result in bigger, stronger and higher quality muskie populations. This data will permit WDNR to compare the growth rate of the two strains; the comparative growth rate between muskies in the Madison lakes and the historical growth rates of muskies throughout Wisconsin; the survivability of the strains; and the travel distance of the muskies within the local chain of lakes. This research project will result in a thorough and comprehensive multi-year experiment comparing results. The outcome of this objective, thorough, scientific research project will be key in determining how best to use the very limited stocking resources.
The Muskellunge is the official fish of the State of Wisconsin. According to some sources it takes the average angler more than 50 hours to catch a legal muskie.
The Capital City Chapter of Muskies Inc. is a volunteer organization established in 1983 and has over 350 members residing primarily in central Wisconsin [www.capitalcitymuskiesinc.org
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| Interesting study. I was wondering if the 20'' muskie I caught in wingra creek this week was from stocking or natural production. Looks like it was a stocked fish that either jumped the dam from wingra, or swam up from monona. I am kinda bummed I was hopeing it came from natural reproduction. I might stop in and check it out, thanks for the info. |
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Location: Yahara River Chain | I will add that many of the PIT tagged fish have been fin clipped as well. The WI strain have either their front or rear right side fin clipped and the Leech Lake strain had their left side front or rear fin clipped depending on the year. Just remember left and Leech and you will be fine. I should also make note that many of the fish we've captured and gotten pictures from it seems that their fins have grown back to where we could not tell that they have been clipped. It should be interesting to see what happens, Getting a real answer on age and growth rates to clear up without question of their ages and how fast they really grow.
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Posts: 415
Location: madison wisconsin | Gerard, the 33 that I caught last year with you, did we determine if it was a leecher or not? Can't remember... |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | Jamie, I'm pretty sure it was as the spots were quite distinctive.
On Saturday, I talked to a fella fishing gills and he said he caught a "tiger". When I questioned him if it was a hybrid or true? He said it had "spots". They are getting caught and are surviving. |
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Location: madison wisconsin | I was pleased to hear about the scanners at the meeting awhile back. Who has them? Hanson, Reinstra, and the DNR was it? I'm anxiuos to hear the future results from stocking. |
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Location: Yahara River Chain | Right now SteveR has all of them. They will be handed out at the meeting on Monday. We have several in the Chapter chosen by their releases in the MI Data base and we have contacted them. The WDNR will use them in the spring when they set out the fyke nets for a population survey. There will be less holding time if they have more scanners than the one they have. I think we will keep one for sign out if someone has a couple of days off and would like to carry one.
One other thing, this year will be the last year of the study as far as stocking and PIT tagging. However, if funds are available and I'm sure the WDNR will let us, we will continue to buy Leechers and implant the PIT tags. It something we will discuss with the WDNR this winter.
Edited by muskie! nut 5/8/2010 8:29 AM
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Posts: 256
Location: MadCity Wisconsin | If you are within driving distance of Madison come on out and watch the PIT tag Scanner demonstration at the Eastside Club, 3735 Monona Drive. Also Wally Banfi from Outdoor Horizons Radio will give a presentation on "Muskies, Top to Bottom"
Starts at 7PM this Monday night! Muskie lure Raffle after the program. |
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| muskie! nut - 5/7/2010 10:08 PM
Jamie, I'm pretty sure it was as the spots were quite distinctive.
On Saturday, I talked to a fella fishing gills and he said he caught a "tiger". When I questioned him if it was a hybrid or true? He said it had "spots". They are getting caught and are surviving.
Gerard, are any of the local clubs (or the DNR) still stocking hybrids? Or is it possible that there is some cross pollenation going on, or maybe some incidental stocking? From everything I have read and heard there hasn't been any official stocking of hybrids for quite a number of years, but that doesn't explain the 28" or so Hybrid I caught a few years ago. |
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Posts: 256
Location: MadCity Wisconsin | Wis. DNR stocked a few hundred Tiger muskie in Lake Monona back around 2003. They havent stocked any Tigers since that time. Before that the Oregon Muskie Busters used to stock a few Tigers in Lake Waubesa. I dont believe that the Oregon club is still active at this point in time.
Bryan Foerst caught a beauty of a Tiger around 46" last year on Monona. Maybe Gerard has photo of this fish. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | Jeff, Tigers were stocked in Monona and Waubesa in the early 2000's. The exact numbers and years are in the WDNR stocking database online.
Edited by Bytor 5/8/2010 6:25 PM
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Location: Yahara River Chain | EA, A couple of clubs are still involved with the Portage Project. They raise hybrids fairly easy there. And those clubs still involved whether they donate time of money get muskies in return and sometimes get fish in return and some of those fish are/were hybrids. I don't know of the numbers of how many.
Edited by muskie! nut 5/8/2010 6:03 PM
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Location: Yahara River Chain | Steve Reinstra - 5/8/2010 5:58 PM
Bryan Foerst caught a beauty of a Tiger around 46" last year on Monona. Maybe Gerard has photo of this fish.
Here it is.
Edited by muskie! nut 5/8/2010 6:12 PM
Attachments
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 forest47hybrid.JPG (20KB - 169 downloads)
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Location: The Yahara Chain | Here's the Waubesa Tiger stockings.
2003 LAKE WAUBESA SECOND LAKE 6N-10E-3 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 274 10.00
2001 LAKE WAUBESA SECOND LAKE 6N-10E-3 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 1,650 8.20
2000 LAKE WAUBESA SECOND LAKE 6N-10E-3 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 2,000 8.00
Monona's Tigers:
2003 LAKE MONONA 7N-10E-20 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 275 10.00
2001 LAKE MONONA 7N-10E-20 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 2,350 8.20
2000 LAKE MONONA 7N-10E-20 NORTHERN PIKE X MUSKELLUNGE UNSPECIFIED LARGE FINGERLING 250 8.00
Over 6,000 of them were put into the two lakes. The average size stocked was 8". I think most of them got eaten when they were young. We don't catch a lot of Tigers on the chain. I have scene a few swimming around in monona with their heads out of the water. I only get about one a year in my boat.
I believe Bryan's fish was 47". That is the only big Tiger that I have heard of being caught since the early 90's when the Tigers ruled the chain.
Edited by Bytor 5/8/2010 6:42 PM
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| I run into packs of those tigers from time to time. Usually once or twice a year I'll catch 2-4 in a few days, and then there gone again. In 08 I caught 2 1 day, 1 the next day and 2 more later that week. Plenty of them in the chain, just like to hang out with eachother it seems.
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