Any minnows and small fish that inhabit the shallow weeds are good. Currently, muskellunge are primarily a recreational fish species within the United States, but in the 1800’s they were also an important commercial fish species within their native range. Muskie can reach lengths greater than 50 inches and weights of over 50 pounds. According to an Ontario study, larger lakes tend to be better environments to produce trophy size fish. Muskellunge and northern pike many times inhabit similar habitats, and research in Minnesota revealed a few interesting findings. The back, head and upper sides of muskellunge range from an iridescent green-gold to light brown. Sorry pal, it’s a little more complicated than that. The Musky has drawn the attention of lots of these thrill-seeking anglers. A final anatomical feature to check is the tail, with muskie tails being more deeply forked and northern pike tails being more rounded off. Males weigh normally 3-20 pounds, while females normally weigh 3-40 pounds. The muskellunge has developed into a popular sport fish, and intensive management combined with catch-and-release angling and responsible watershed management will maintain populations for years to come. It’s possible that Muskies eat a portion of the smaller, hammer handle size pike that plague so many of our lakes these days. Be sure you know how to handle them before you go fishing for them! Their appearance is streamlined, with their dorsal fin located directly above the anal fin, and their mouth is equipped with sharp canine teeth (Trautman 1981). © 2015 American Expedition, a brand by Ideaman, Inc. ∙ 7 Cedar Ct. Union, MO 63084 ∙ Toll Free US: 1-800-205-4332 ∙ International: 1-636-583-1145. 1 0 obj Take a look, however briefly at what makes a good Musky lake and you’ll conclude that anyone who wants to see Muskies thrive must also be an advocate for habitat. The muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) is the largest piscivore in the Great Lakes and provides unique fisheries for trophy-sized fish in all Great Lakes connecting channels and several areas of the Great Lakes proper.Most populations of muskellunge in the Great Lakes are self-sustaining. Their underside is plain white in color. Call 888.426.2151 or email [email protected], Dabrowski, K. D., J. Rinchard, F. Lin, M. A. Garcia-Abiado and D. Schmidt. <> Because of this fishes large size and the allure of catching the reputed “fish of ten thousand casts”. Both genders continually grow with age. The natural range of the muskie spans from north to south from Tennessee to mid-Ontario, and from east to west from New York to Minnesota. Anglers often fish large pools and around woody debris. Through its Table Rock State Fish Hatchery in Burke County, the Commission stocks muskellunge in the French Broad, Nolichucky and New rivers as well as Lake Adger, an impoundment on the Green River. In English before settling on the common name muskellunge, a variety of names were used including muskelunge, muscallonge, muskallonge, milliganong, maskinonge, maskalonge, muskinunge and masquenongez. 1989. At first glance, the solution seems simple, just stock a bunch of lakes with Muskies and you’re in business, right? The resulting larvae are then reared in state hatchery ponds for subsequent stocking. Muskie, in the absence of northern pike, tend to reproduce in the same shallow, weedy areas that would normally be dominated by northern pike spawning during the spring. Northern pike (Esox lucius) is a closely related species in the pike family that reaches similar sizes as muskie, and could easily be confused with muskellunge. At that rate, a 2500-acre lake with great natural reproduction and lots of food still only supports about 500 adult fish. The spawn lasts 5-10 days and the eggs are laid on a rock or sand bottom. The male fish tend to measure between 22-39 inches long, while females are slightly larger, measuring 22-50 inches long. One school of thought believes that muskellunge spawn by simultaneously extruding eggs and milt. As a top predator, they feed on a variety of fishes, particularly suckers, as well as salamanders, small mammals and other large food items. A Muskie has an elongated body and a flat head, with light colored with dark bars running down the sides of their body. The male fish tend to measure between 22-39 inches long, while females are slightly larger, measuring 22-50 inches long. endobj Obviously, it takes a lot of luck to become an adult Musky and even more important, it requires great habitat. Click here >>. They like thick weeds to hide in when they hunt for other fish. Such intensive management is crucial due to the lack of spawning habitat in the manmade reservoirs of Ohio. Muskellunge have six or more pores on the underside of their jaws and the upper half of their cheeks are scaled, while northern pike have five or fewer pores and entirely scaled cheeks. Peak feeding periods for muskellunge usually occur when water temperatures are in the mid-60s. ����9sj<3yn��1^��r̓\�"J They prefer shallow water with a rocky bottom and heavy cover. Muskies live in lakes and large rivers. There are sometimes maximum limits for certain fish as well. The muskellunge (scientific name Esox masquinongy) is a freshwater game fish.It is the largest member of the Esox (Pike) family. All this attention has been great for Musky devotees because there’s been an explosion of new fishing gear, lures, videos and a growing assortment of contraptions intended to make it easier to get a trophy into the boat. Although many fish have an open season of all year, there are some that do not. While smaller lakes will support Muskies, the likelihood of producing really large, trophy fish is better on a really large lake. Journal. Early life stages of muskellunge are sensitive to habitat perturbations. Muskies spawn in late spring when the water temperature is in the mid-50s. Lakes that were more developed or had fewer acres of shoreline required constant stocking to maintain fishable populations of Musky. In Minnesota the demand for places to fish Muskies is outpacing the supply of “new water” and so the questions naturally come up, how do we preserve the quality of existing Musky fisheries? Protection from wind and colder main lake water temperatures make isolated bays, islands and small creek inlets all good spawning sites. Simply stated, in northern pike, males determine the sex of offspring, while in muskie, females determine the sex of offspring. endobj Actively feeding Muskies often roam deeper open water and feed on these larger forage species, returning to shallow cover that they use as resting areas. It usually happens in late April to early May. MUSKELLUNGE Fish for Musky. As anglers become more mobile, better equipped and more knowledgeable, the idea of catching trophy fish is gaining in popularity. In adult female muskie, the urogenital region resembles the shape of a pear, while in adult male muskellunge the shape of the region resembles a keyhole (Figure 2) (Lebeau and Pageau 1989). Muskies are adaptable though and if shoreline cover is undisturbed, they can use a variety of shoreline covers for spawning. The importance of a forage base suitable to Muskies is critical to developing or sustaining a healthy fishery. Their underside is plain white in color. As a top predator, they feed on a variety of fishes, particularly suckers, as well as salamanders, small mammals and other large food items. Trautman, M. B. 1981. So this appears to support the notion that adult Muskies, given the option, would prefer to feed on these rather than to select the game fish that many anglers seek to protect.