DNR to expand muskie fishing opportunities

[HD]

DNR to expand muskie fishing opportunities
(Released March 15, 2011)


Roosevelt Lake in northern Crow Wing County and the Sauk River chain of lakes in Stearns County southwest of St. Cloud will be stocked with muskellunge this fall in response to growing angler interest, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“This decision is a positive step consistent with our long-range management plan for muskie and northern pike,” said Dirk Peterson, DNR fisheries management chief. “Many people representing a wide variety of interests helped create that plan, and the desire to develop new muskie fisheries was clear.”

Results of the DNR’s extensive public comment process in 2010 showed that about 80 percent of the 25,000 comments received supported stocking muskellunge in additional lakes. The substance of all comments, regardless of support or opposition, were factored into the DNR’s decision.

Muskie will not be stocked this fall in three other lakes the DNR was considering. Upper and Lower South Long lakes near Brainerd will not be considered further for muskie management. Stocking in Lake Tetonka west of Waterville has been put on hold indefinitely pending resolution of local issues.

“Although physically and biologically suitable for muskie management, the lakes initially proposed in the Brainerd area have public access issues that raise public safety concerns,” said Tim Goeman, northeast regional fisheries supervisor. “Their combined 2,100 surface acres also would not meet muskellunge fishing demand in the Brainerd area, so we will continue to look for a larger, yet-to-be-identified lake for future consideration.” No new lakes are currently under consideration, he said.

DNR will collect additional information on recreation use and user attitudes in the Lake Tetonka area and expand its public outreach efforts before re-considering stocking muskie in Tetonka.

Stocking muskie in Roosevelt Lake and the Sauk River chain is a step toward fulfilling a goal in the long-range management plan that calls for up to eight new waters to be stocked by 2020, focused on areas of the state without nearby muskie fishing opportunity.

The muskellunge is one of Minnesota’s largest fish, growing to more than 50 pounds and more than 50 inches in length. Anglers have become increasingly interested in the so-called “fish of 10,000 casts” now that 50-plus inch fish can be caught in Lake Mille Lacs, Lake Vermilion and other waters that have been stocked since the 1980s.

“As muskie have grown in size and abundance, so has interest in catching them,” Goeman said.

Muskie anglers are the fastest-growing segment of Minnesota’s fishing population. About 14 percent of Minnesota’s licensed anglers target muskie, and the quality experiences Minnesota offers attract muskie anglers from across the nation.

[DDSBYDAY]

     My lake of no fish is going to have Muskies stocked  . 

[glenn57]

i grew up within spittin distance and still live a stones throw from the sauk river chain and i hear way more against muskie stockin in that watershed then for it. i think its the DNR'S  wish more than the "response to angler interests". no tmy opinion, just saying what i hear!

[beeker]

what is the benefit of introducing a new species into "virgin" lake? I guess I don't get it?

[DDSBYDAY]

   I'm not sure but I think there is a Musky lobby pushing for more musky waters.

[BiggA]

Money is pushing for more muskie waters. It is almost completely a sport fish they dont get eaten
and it is actually expensive to buy lures and proper equipment.

[Tyler Rother]

Why do people complain about stocking Muskies in lakes?

Read this...

Will higher musky length limits cause overpopulation and impacts on other species?
Muskies are a low-density species, even in the absence of angler harvest. High minimum
length limits are not appropriate for all waters. They are best suited to large waters with
low-density muskie populations where a few fish will have the opportunity to live long
and grow large. Most class A-1 muskie populations have fewer than 0.5 adult muskies
per acre of water. In contrast, an average adult bass or walleye population is about 8
times this value and northern pike populations are even higher. Even with their larger
size, muskies have less of on impact than other species simply because of the number of
mouths to feed.
As the largest predator in a lake, muskies can pretty much eat what they like. Studies
have shown that what they prefer to eat are smooth, fatty forage species like suckers and
cisco. For example, a recent study examined the food habitats of Wisconsin Muskellunge
(Bozek et al. 1999). Thirty-four musky lakes where sampled over a 4-year period, with
1,092 muskellunge (8 to 46 inches in length) examined. Only 6 walleye (0.9% of the diet
items) were found in all the samples.

A recent multi-lake study, Fayram et al. (2005) found that largemouth bass was the only
game fish that had a detrimental impact on the survival of stocked walleyes. In contrast,
northern pike, muskellunge and small mouth bass did not have strong predatory or
competitive interactions with walleye populations. For example, in the past, musky have
been introduced to lake systems in an attempt to quell stunted panfish populations. It has
never worked, it is just too difficult to reach the required density of musky. Bass and
Walleye have much more of an effect on panfish and can be used to control stunted
populations.

This goes right along with What happens when muskies are stocked in a lake?

http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/musky/Muskylengthlimitfaq.pdf

I see no problem with it.

[corny13]

I like Muskies....   The benefits of muskies in new waters is less pressure on the native lakes..and yes there is a lot more pressure than 30 years ago...
Yep I had read the study that showed those Largemouth bass must all be kept and eaten....

[nic53]

I live about 15 miles from the chain and am excited to have a lake that close to fish muskies, Im not a big muskie guy, make it out only a couple times a year but it sure is fun have then fallow ups and having one of them big boys hit a top water bait! Does anyone know how many years it will be before it is really gonna be worth fishing for them in these stocking lakes?