Stocked Tiger Musky in the Zumbro.

[MURPHFISHER]

I have a couple questions I am curious about. I am sure Crappie Tom has some good answers for me... When were, and/or how often are muskie stocked in Lake Zumbro? I have caught fish anywhere from 30 inches to (almost) 50 inch fish and I have seen people catch 50 inch fish So they must be different year class fish, correct? Also, how and why do they get below the dam and seem to stack up down there?

I also heard that Mac's was sold this year. Is it going to remain open for fishing (I hope)? Thanks for any responses...

Murph.

[JIvers]

According to the Minnesota DNR's Lake Finder website, the Minnesota DNR stocks around 300 muskie fingerlings per year in Lake Zumbro. For 2002, the total weight of those 300 muskie was 85 lbs. which gives you an idea of their size. The Lake Finder website's results for 2002 should be available at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showstocking.html?year=2002&county=Olmsted&species=MUE%7CTME. On some waters, the rule of thumb for muskie stocking is two fingerlings per acre each year, but on Zumbro that number is lower. Muskie stocking began in 1994, and has been done every year since, so yes, there are different year classes in there. Some years have seen over 500 stocked, so the exact number varies from year to year, but I am a little surprised they are as low as they are.

Pure-strain muskies are stocked in Zumbro--I am not aware of any hybrid tiger muskies being put in there. That leads to a question I have for those of you who know Zumbro better than I: has any evidence been found that the muskies in the Zumbro have been reproducing? I doubt any spawning could go on the reservoir itself, as there seems to be little muskie spawning habitat in there, but I wonder if the river downstream from there might offer some better spawning conditions.

[CrappieJohn]

Murph.... The muskies were stocked over a period of several years. Which years and how many per I saw once on a dnr site. What that addy is anymore I could not say.

The fish that were stocked tough are not tigers and in fact are the leech lake variety....I got set straight on that a year ago.lol To my knowledge they did not put any spawning sized fish in the lake.

Why they seem to end up where they do is a good question. There is adequate deep water above the lake to satisfy the argumnet going in that direction, but I have a theory.....

If you were to look at a map of the lake you'd find some of the deepest water along the face of the dam. I also think that this water is prone to natural and wind related turbulence, which helps to keep the water well oxygenated, cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I think that much of what they muskies eat finds shelter in this immediate area in the summer and winter months, thus pulling in those hungry young ones. As the turbines begin to pull water, that action is first apparent in the deeper water recesses at the immediate dam and can suck these bait fish and the feeding muskies thru and dump them on the other side. The turbine blades must be spread wide enough to allow quite a few of these fish to survive the ride, and hence your finding them where you do.

Not all of the critters go the route just described. I see many muskies each year fishing the lake for crappies. In fact I end up feeding a number of crappies to them, while trying to get the crappie to the boat! My personal best from the lake is about 39 inches. But I do not go out to catch muskies and they are more of an incidental fish for me.

The muskies in the lake are hard to find. My thoughts are that they have taken on a very deep-water disposition, as most of the fish I see or get on come from waters of at least 18 feet. I have seen a couple of the birds in shallower water resting, but every one of those which has hit or attacked a hooked crappie or sunfish have come from deeper stuff. I know that people are fishing them on thew lake, but they seem to have limited luck. Most of those to whom I've spoken seem to find the bigger northerns,but few muskies. If I were a muskie fisherman, I'd be studying up on as many deep water fishing tactics as possible. I'd be getting a good map of the lake and then I'd be concentrating on that water....begin by fishing those really deep, less angular points (hint, hint). I am also thinking that deep diving shad type baits would be good ones to start with and even a spinner bait that was left to sink deep before the retreive would be good.

Something that needs to be mentioned is that this lake, in my opinion, is not your "classic" southern Minnesota muskie lake like those found on the Cannon River chain or the faribault lakes to the west of us. There is a lot of deep water with steep drop-offs in the Zumbro. Weeds are very limited, except in the warmer and shallower bays.....the areas where I do not see muskie activity.

Here are a couple more observations I have made. Except for the early spring....well ahead of the spawn....if I am seeing northern activity, I will not see muskie activity. If you are finding yourself getting an occasional catfish while crappie jigging, don't be amazed to see a muskie show up. Virtually all of the muskies I have seen or caught have made their show from down deep. They come up to hit or chase. Those seen in shallow water were either watching a crappie/sunfish nest and swam off as soon as we approached too closely and they were all fish of about 18 inches. How big they actually grow in the lake I cannot attest to, but I have had 13 inch crappies shortened to mere mouth and gills by these toothies.

Also of note....you cannot disregard the northern population in the Zumbro. These fish get pretty large. My personal best in this catagory is about 18-19 pounds and I have seen winter killed fish floating just after ice-out that would have gone 22. The average northern will be four to 5 pounds, some up to seven or 8 are common. The big ones again come from nowhere and give a guy a real serious wake-up call, especially when they hit a 1 1/2 inch tube fished just two feet down!

[Dan Thiem]

Excellent post eyehunter,

Would you mind telling me what muskie spawning habitat would look like? What kind of bottom, sand, rock, mud, etc.

I for one would have to say I've caught more, and seen more muskies below the dam . Also in the river. As far down as Hammond. But then again how many have we caught on the lake by accident while crappie fishing?

I heard one time that the reason so many below the dam is when we get floods, some wash over. I don't know. Sounds kinda goofy to me.

[MURPHFISHER]

Thanks for the replies. I have heard that they get washed over during floods as well. Between that and getting sucked through the turbines, it is nice that they even survive. I have never caught or seen any above the dam or farther down river from Mac's.

I just got some bad news from a co-worker who went down there over the weekend. He was approached by the new owner and told that the DNR would be called if he was seen fishing there again. I guess my favorite spot has now been taken away..... That is too bad, really to bad

Murph

[JIvers]

Muskie spawn over shallow weedbeds. They do so in the early spring, shortly after Northern do. Zumbro is a steep, deep lake, with few, if any, shallow weed beds of the sort muskie need to spawn on. Of course, there is also little Northern spawning habitat in there, but they seem to be doing alright. This is something the DNR has found perplexing about Lake Zumbro--they aren't sure where the Northern in there are coming from.