Whitefish Muskie?

[Guest]

I have the chance to go up to a cabin on the Whitefish chain(Little Pine Lake) this summer, and I was just wondering if there is any muskie fishing up there? If so, what lakes on the chain should I look to? Any info will help. Thanks. ~TJ~

[Guest]

tcarlson,
I could be wrong, but I don't think there is a single muskie swimming around in the Whitefish chain. The closest muskie fishing around there would probably be a little farther north to like Woman Lake or Wabedo, or south to Shamineau or Alexander.

------------------
Adam Johnson
www.adamjohnsonfishing.com

[GullGuide]

Nope...no muskies
Don't forget the Mississippi river south of Brainerd as well. Mille Lacs has some monsters too.
GullGuide
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[GullGuide]

Tumble,
Many lakes in Minnesota once held populations of Muskie, in fact, most waters that are connected in some way to the Mississippi had them in there at one time or the other. Unfortunetly, through overharvest, etc, many of these waters no longer hold ski. I do not question the fact that your anscstor caught a muskie in Whitefish, but as of today, I highly doubt that any still exist.
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[TUMBLEWEED]

GullGuide, You might be right.It was a long time ago.Those before mentioned pictures paint a story of a wasteful era.While neat to look at,I'm glad we no longer punish the resources like that anymore.I'd like to think there is still a survivor or two of the skies
still up there.It is a big lake and all.
There was one time, when I was not much bigger than the life jacket I had on,when a huge fish kept surfacing near our boat.I do mean huge,nearly as long as the little twelve footer we were in at the time.It would dive when we would row closer to it,then reappear nearby.My gramps said it was a sturgeon probably,and that it was no harm to us.Several people saw it that year,including the postman who used to deliver the mail to the mailbox on the end of the dock.Then it just disappeared.Maybe it died or something,or swam to parts unknown??

[Toad]

Good stories Tumbleweed. I've also fished Whitefish all my life, though not as far back as yourself (wish I could've been there to experience the lake back then). For the first few years I fished the lake, we never even left Ruttger's (Whitefish) Bay for want of more walleyes. Sure has changed in even the 20 plus years I've known the lake . . .

I actually recall hearing of muskies from Whitefish on two separate occasions. One was a mere persistent rumor that was said to be circulating around the early 1970s. It involved a huge fish that had been spotted on many occasions, rolling in Pig Bay (Lake) and supposedly even hooked a time or two.

The other was an actual photo I remember seeing in the now defunct Mermaid Bait shop in Crosslake going back nearly 20 years. Photo was simply marked 'Musky, Whitefish' (maybe the old baitshop switcheroo trick - Ossie was just catching on as a sleeper muskie lake then). Wasn't a huge fish, but probably over 30-pounds. For a number of years during the early 80s, there was also a fair bit of talk surrounding "the muskie of a lifetime" in Whitefish. But I've never heard a peep about muskies in the chain since. Sure like to think there's a few out there. Though today, I'd have to see one to believe it. That's the kind of mystery that can fuel a fella's fire during a long winter, eh?

-a friend called Toad

[TUMBLEWEED]

I haven't been up there since the early 80's.It sure has been developed.As a boy with a 5 1/2 hp on a 12 foot Alumcraft,it was pure heaven to spend entire summers just fishing and exploring Whitefish and those others in the chain.Talk about adventure!! My gramps had shown me the basics and some handed down hot spots,I learned a lot on my own,and got plain lucky other times.I thank the lord for all those experiences. I remember the maid bait place there in crosslake.How bout the drive in church service,where you sat in your car at the drive-in!! If I didn't get out early enough on Sunday,Grams would drag
me out to town for church.Ahh, to turn back the clock!!!!!!

[TUMBLEWEED]

Well guys, You are almost right.While there may not be a fishable population of skies on Whitefish,they do exist there!!I grew up there as a kid.Our family had a cabin there for over a hundred years.I remember growing up and looking at all the family fishing pictures.One of them has my great,great,great
grandfather smiling while holding up a dandy
MUSKY!!!It was caught in the creek,that used to connect the back bay of Big Trout,to Lower Whitefish.The name of the creek was Indian Paradise.The weight listed for the fish was 47 pounds!!The creek is not connected to Whitefish now.I'm not sure when it eventually
was cut off.But I often heard stories of my relatives stocking up on fish,backed up by pictures of clothes lines full of strung up catches.An aunt in Canada has most of the old fishing pictures now.But I have the one of the ole swede, grinning from ear to ear,with a huge musky held out in front of him for all to see...