Musky On Fellows Lake

[jgassman69]

I have never fished for these before are they hard to catch? They look like a nice prize. I know they have a length limit and rightfully so but are they worth eating?

[Dutch]

They are sometimes called the fish of 10,000 casts. They may be edible but they smell so bad I won't let one in my boat.

[pruett417]

While it is completely within one's own personal rights to harvest Musky, I think it's important to spread the word about these fish, these fish are a resource that's worth protecting and preserving, I posted this in reply to another topic.....

As for the Musky, if you do happen to have the pleasure of tangling with one of the toothy critters that inhabit Fellows Lake, please do your part to ensure the fish is released healthy, quick fight, few pictures, and make sure the fish is fully revived for the release.

This time of year it's not as big as an issue, cooler water temps, but as we get later into the Spring and then on to the Summer these bruisers are very susceptible to injury and/or death after being caught, during long fights these fish will build up fatal levels of lactic acid.

Keep your fingers out of the gills, of course the gill plate will probably remind you of that, support the fish as horizontal as possible, not saying that you wouldn't do this, but as more and more people are getting interested in the Musky game, it's important to share as much as we can to ensure we all do our part to help these fish thrive in our local waters.

Musky are rare fish. Catching on of these fish is special in itself, and the larger the Musky is the greater the enjoyment. Unfortunately, the rarity of this fish, that makes it such a rewarding catch also places an ethical obligation on all Musky fishermen to practice catch and release. Musky are a rare and slow growing fish. Most Musky in the 45 inch plus range are certainly over 10 years old and many can be approaching 20 years of age.

It is important to remember that anytime you get a Musky in the boat to treat it with care. Even more important are the big Musky, any fish over 30 pounds is usually 15 years of age or older. Whenever one of these great fish is mishandled or over stressed it will not recover after the release. It will take years to replace that fish in our waters.

• First and foremost, keep the musky in the water as much as possible. Every second that musky is out of the water makes it that much more difficult on it its release. If you can, practice wet releases – catching, unhooking, photo and release all without taking the musky out of the net that is still in the water.
• If you do grip the musky, do so by supporting the fish under it’s stomach, right behind the gills. Do not squeeze it too hard and do not to use the gills or certainly not the eye sockets when holding a musky. The key is to support it’s weight. Larger fish may require additional support with your knee or lap.
• Additionally, if you remove the fish from the water for measurement or a photo, try to keep the musky as horizontal as possible. Keeping the musky vertical puts a stress on their body that they are not accustomed to or built for.
• Try not to “hug” the fish or get let it rub against you if at all possible. This causes the musky to lose its valuable “slime” and makes it more susceptible to disease.
• When you release a musky, do not worry about moving it back and forth in the water. Either hold it by the tail and let it breath on its own, or move it slightly forward and slowly back to create some movement through its gills. Wait for the tail to kick before letting loose if possible.
• Keys to success lie within the products designed specifically for catching, handling and releasing these fish. Barbless hooks, nets and cradles, and hook removal tools will help preserve and protect.

The longer we keep a fish hooked up - the more enjoyable to catch!?1? For these fish this can be the kiss of death. As the fish fights longer and longer, their lactic acid levels begin to build in their muscle tissue. The longer that fight lasts, the higher the level of lactic acid. Once that level of lactic acid reaches a certain point, the fish will never recover. The fish will often released looking healthy, however, an hour or two later - they are floating inverted on the top of the water. This is even more important on hot days or when fishing warm water lakes. The warmer the water, the less oxygen readily available to the Musky. The best tool for their recovery is to get oxygen rich water flowing over their gills fast. For this reason many anglers try to keep the Musky in the net throughout the release.

Just sayin.....I'll put my soapbox away now lol.

[Zeke Kuehn]

Well said pruett.

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

Wow it would almost be easier to just fillet it haha