Tiger muskies

[riverbasher]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of the lakes that the DNR stocks with tiger muskies. I just read an In Fisherman article and am thinking about trying for them this summer. The article said the tactics for them are similar to northern pike fishing. Anyone have any tips and tricks also to catch one? Thank you

[huskiesplayer15]

NOt too many lakes have them i think, i beleive Calhoun and harriet have them, as does mille lacs, isnt tiger muskies sterile?
best fishes
Chris

[riverbasher]

they are sterile so the DNR stocks them. I read in In Fisherman that the MN DNR stocks several lakes around the metro with them

[RuKiddingMe]

The Tiger Musky is supposely sterile, but there have been know instances of them reproducing, but generally they don't. Really a pretty fish.

Just found this....

Tiger Muskie Waters in Minnesota
Each of the lakes is stocked once every three years.

Lake
Eagle
Pierson
Wasserman
Crystal
Orchard
Rebecca
Bryant
Bush
Calhoun
Cedar
Crystal
Hyland
Lake of the Isles
Nokomis
Round
Weaver
Gervais
Island
Johanna
Phalen
Silver
Cedar
Clear
Elmo

Enjoy...

RU

[Fisher Dave]

Most all metro waters have tigers in there now... not to mention I think they all have trophy class fish.

Other than the metro .. I have caught tigers in Leech and Millacs .. even if they are not stocked they do show up in lakes that have both pure strain and northern pike through the *natural* process (musky and northern breed).

As for fishing for them.. they do feed more often than pure strain muskies which makes them easier to catch .. downsizing your presentation can help.

[mtreno]

you will catch more tigers bass fishin then you will musky fishin. no need to lug that box full of huge musky baits around for tigers

[iFishMN.YT]

Lake Minnetonka has them and would probably be a good choice if you want to catch one, you just gotta find the bays/areas they are mostly in. As far as Lake Rebecca, whick I noticed on the above list, there is no tiger muskies, in fact they are all pure leach lake strain muskies, and the DNR nets them every year and strips them of there eggs for stocking other lakes. It is basically a DNR breeding lake for the purest strain of muskies found, whick is also why it is so protected. There is a 48" minimum if you wish to keep a trophy but that is all you can keep. They have also gotten rid of the northern pike in the lake to help protect them, and made the lake a no-gas lake, meaning you can only go on it with a trolling motor or some ores, and you cannot drive on the lake in winter. It is really a beutifull, peacefull lake to go fishing on with nice walleye and bass in addition to the monster muskies. Also big gills so ive heard. It is hidden just south of Rockford. If you are serious about muskie fishing, I would fish the pure strain instead of the Tigers, they get alot bigger and are more of a prize to catch. Good lakes to start would be Waconia, Independence, Minnetonka(which does have pure strain as well as Tiger), or my favorite, Rebecca, mainly because it is secluded and peacfull with NO party boaters since there is no gas motors allowed.

There is no better fishing experience than pulling in a giant trophy muskie and watching her swim away to be caught again whe its even bigger. I hope to one day mount a trophy muskie but it will have to be a giant of giants, over 52" for sure. I may never catch this fish, but as long as I die trying I will die with a smile on my face!

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[riverbasher]

thanks guys that gives me a few ideas. thanks for your help

[John Mickish]

I have never caught a Muskie before, and part of me hopes I never do. I hear it's like a disease, it grabs you then takes over your life! But man, what a way to go.

[EBass]

Hmm, I didn't see Indepence on that list. They are in there to along with real strain. I don't know how many, but I caught one when I was 12. Well I didn't really catch it. We tried to net it but it was so big a strong that it laid across the net. The hook was way bent and popped out and in slow motion one flip of the tail and splash back into the lake. I was trembling kid. And that was the only fish that I had on. Ah fishing stories!

[fishin789]

go to the dnr web site. you can look up the stocking reports on any kind of fish and for different years. it will show what was stocked.

[AWH]

FishinChad,

You're right about Rebecca in Hennepin County. However, the Rebecca mentioned above is actually the one in Dakota County. What few tigers that are in this lake are big ones. As it's my understanding that they discontinued stocking in there in 1995.

As far as Independence. The list that RU provided are the lakes that are managed for tigers, so that's why you didn't see Indy on there. But any pure strain lake like Independence will have at least a few tigers since muskies and pike are co-exisiting in the same water.

Minnetonka was brought up for tigers as well. Tonka was more likely to produce a tiger back in the early 90s. The DNR did a stocking of over 1,200 tigers in there back in '88. But with as many pike that are in there, there's still a decent population of tigers to be found.

AWH

[Muskeez]

On the topic of fishing Lake Rebecca up in the NW part of the metro area: This is indeed one of the lakes that the DNR uses for stripping eggs from many females each spring. I used to fish there in the early 1990's. It is a peaceful lake and has some large fish of course, but I would not recommend fishing it. The biggest reason is that many of us, although we think we are careful with them are really hard on the fish when we do catch them. We hold them by the gill plate (with their head out of the water even if the rest of her is in the water she can't breath), we often work too long at saving our precious hooks instead of quickly cutting them with a bolt cutter. Then when we finally get the hooks out we grab them by the gill plate and hoist them over the side for a multi picture 2-3 minute photo shoot and some even get laid on the floor for a measurement before returning them to the water. We then swish them back and forth and send many of them swimming off to a sure but slow death. Now, before anyone starts throwing mud remember I say WE, and we are all guilty of taking too long to release fish and being too rough with them, they do a good enough job of trying to hook themselves in the eyes and gills that they don't need any extra help trying to kill themselves. Now the only way to prevent any mortality is to not fish for them and in 99% of the cases that would be ridiculous, but in the case of brood stock lakes I feel it is the only option. We need each and every one of those fish to remain strong and healthy in order to continue to be able to use them to help stock the many great musky lakes in the great state of Minnesota. So please if you do choose to fish the brood stock lakes make sure you have all the release tools very readily available and get those fishes heads back into the water asap. Thanks for listening, I did not post to try to upset anyone or get a backlash of comments, only to try to educate anyone that is new to the sickness we call Musky Fishing. Have a great year and grab some tail!

[Guest]

Muskeez,
I'll diffuse some of the ranting at you. I love to fish muskies too, I'm hooked deep. I basically caught hell for this last time I broughtit up. I absolutely support the right for every individual to make their own choice. I'm sure I've accidentally killed my share of muskies,but Fishingchad brought up a point that continually confuses me. Why do people that practice C&R fiannly keep one by putting the actual trophy fish on the wall? Just a reminder to all that you can get the resin replicas that look real nice, last longer and really aren't much more expensive. Then wouldn't it be nice to have the photo of your fish being released under the replica knowing that it might still be out there swimming and maybe somebody else might get to catch the fish of a lifetime........and hopefully get another resin replica of it.

[John Mickish]

Hey art, I'll second that and it also goes for all the other species too. It's one thing to keep a fish to eat but (In my opinion) it's a total waste of a resource to keep one to hang on the wall.

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It still beats workin'

[Ole the Guide]

Muskeez and Art,
You've hit the nail right on the head! We need to stay off of these brooding lakes so the fish can stay healthy. I've heard from many people that have fished Rebecca that they (the fish) will follow but do not bite anyways! They seldom catch any!
Plus I agree that keeping a trophy is a bad idea! Get a replica! That fish is 25-30 years old and doesn't deserve giving you the right to control his destiny and take him out of this world. Ego's need to be parked at the ramp as well and ditch the old fashioned macho male attitudes!!
Take a quick photo (horizontally) and get them back into their environment!
Just my $.02 worth!
Ole

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"Please release me let me go"

[iFishMN.YT]

Well I dont think there is anything wrong with keeping 1 fish in my entire lifetime to hang on my wall. Especially when that is probably the only fish I will ever not try to release, and like I said, it would have to be more than what a "Trophy" fish as some people would define but more like the fish of my lifetime. I may never catch a fish that I think is worth mounting but if I do I sure will mount it if I can. The fish that are taken from lakes that are mounted really have little impact on the fish, its the millions that dont make it to that size because they were eaten that can really affect the fishing.

I have also seen a few studies of muskies in particular that have shown how strong a muskie can be and how ALMOST all recover fully even after the roughest handling. You can search the internet and find a few of these studies that caugh muskies, handled them roughly for the studies sake, and put transmitters on them, and to even everyones amazement most fully recovered. I am not saying that we shouldnt handle fish carefully because we should, but I dont think it is reason enough to not fish certain lakes because you want to protect the muskies. Always bring the right gear with you everytime, handle them with care, get them back in the water quickly, and you will rarely ever kill a muskie.

Im not tryin to argue im just giving my 2 cents. We are all free to believe what we will.

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[EBass]

You all have very good points. Lot's of wisdom here is showing and that's great. I'm not a musky man per say, but I have caught a few by accident. And yes lake Rebecca is one of the lakes that I USED to fish for bass, but I mostly caught muskys and wasn't prepared for them. (no net, no hook cutters, and not the right fishing gear) Especially on ten pound test with a plastic worm. Needless to say, I'm not going back there.

[Trailblazer]

Cap't: You stated: How about a little more controversy? A guy who is real serious about catch and release should use barbless hooks!

That is pushing it a bit too far. While barbless hooks are mandatory thoughout some locations in Canada or lakes around the country, how does it differ one muskie guy from another. I can tell you that every muskie guy I know, and there are quite a few,not one uses barbless hooks. And I'll tell you: The hook up percentage is greater and we have more experience in handling muskies than amateurs catching them by acccident.

For us Muskie Nuts, that is all we primarily fish for 90% of the time. We have the right gear, the right tools, and the experience to release them all properly.

Our challenge is to teach folks who do not fish for muskies on proper catch and release. Heck, I remember 2 guys on Tonka last year trollig for walleye in an area I was fishing for Muskie. I saw the guys rod just bend like you would not believe. I watched the battle and as the fish got close to the boat, they tried to hand land him. Bad mistake for starters. Then they had a small walleye net which got half its body in the boat and the ther guy had to grab it and then they throw it in the boat. Since I was right there, Iasked them if they needed a hand and they said no. 5 minutes later, I asked them again as they were trying to unhook the fish which I estimated at least 42-44". They said no and so my partner told them to get the fish back in the water..bla, bla, bla...Other words were said I cannot repeat here.

The moral here is that these were inexperienced angler's that came across a muskie. They had no luewhat to do and 15 minutes later, the fish is back in the water. Who know if it survived, my guess is no. It was out of the water for 15 minutes which is harmful enough.

So to say: A guy who is real serious about catch and release should use barbless hooks! - is not a fair statement at all...

I am serious about muskie fishing because that is all I do and I do not use barbless hooks.

[Ole the Guide]

Fishing Chad,
I can agree with you on the "keep one Muskie in your lifetime theory". I think that would work, however, I'm talking about people that don't know what they're doing and abuse the priviledge.
I know a family that took two Muskies out of Elk Lake (another brooding lake)on the same day a couple of years ago. They were 48" and 49" fish. You know they were Female and it seems like such a waste for them to brag about these fish. Those fish are gone forever and the lake is small like Rebecca.
It would be more fun for me to have a replica made and say to my friends "yep, that was a heck of a fight and she's still swimming out there!" Or make a photo album with lots of photos of the different trips they made.
Ole

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"Please release me let me go"

[iFishMN.YT]

Ol,
I hear where your coming from, alot of people mount fish that should not be mounted simply because they do not believe they will ever catch one bigger, which is sad because the only reason I fish is to try and catch one bigger than Ive ever caught. My step-dad for instance mad me sad when he mounted a 14lb northern. That is not a trophy, but rather a big northern, and should have been released. Like I said if I do ever keep one, its gunna have to be huge, it may never happen but as much as I fish there is always that chance, and that is what fishing is about for me. I do consider getting replicas, they are pretty realistic and if I ever decide I want a trophy of every species I fish I will definately get replicas. Who knows I might not be able to kill a trophy muskie if I ever caught one, it would make me sad and if I got a camera I would probably end up releaseing it and getting replica.

Lets all keep this discussion peaceful.

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[BDR]

I think the definition of trophy varies widely with different people. It's really a personal choice. If it's legal and someone puts it on the wall who am I to say they shouldn't. I practice C+R. One of my prize possesions is a good picture of the 50"er I got. Right on the livingroom wall where a mount would go. Maybe someday I will have a replica made.

Here's alink to the DNR's info for muskie/ TigerMuskie.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/muskellunge/biology.html

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See ya on the water!

Brian Rogers

[This message has been edited by BDR (edited 04-01-2004).]

[Icebreaker]

Would somebody tell me where I can get a replica made? I live in the western suburbs. I asked at a bait store and they did not know.

[Capt. Quicksteel]

How about a little more controversy? A guy who is real serious about catch and release should use barbless hooks! My dad, the best old musky fisherman I know started using them years ago because it's easier to release them(he's 81). I fish with him a lot and always use them on those trips. I can't tell the difference as far as fish getting off but man, the release is a piece of cake! Also, it's a lot better if you hook yourself! Just a thought.

[BDR]

You could look into these names Fiber tech, Artistic anglers. I've seen both and look very nice.

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See ya on the water!

Brian Rogers

[Dave B]

Musky make EXCELLENT cut bait for cats. The slime and oily skin are great attractants.

Not as good as chicken livers, but chicken livers arent free.

[John Mickish]

Icebreaker, there is a guy up in Duluth that does them. I talked with him at the sportsman show and he does real nice work. Do a search for artistic anglers. Don't quote me here but I think it's $7 and inch, and they last forever.

[Walleye Guy]

Artistic Anglers in Duluh is the place to go for replica's. I have a 50.5 x 26.5 replica on the wall at home done by AA and 9 out of 10 people who see don't know its a replica.

[iFishMN.YT]

Dave B I really hope your kidding.

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[ilikepike]

I second the recommendation on using barbless hooks for C&R. The first thing I do when I get a new lure is press the barbs flat with a pliers. I do it for everything from panfish jigs to muskie jerkbaits. It makes the release so much easier and I have never got a lure stuck in my flesh that I couldn't get out with only a minor puncture wound. Just keep the slack out of your line and you will not lose a fish using barbless hooks.