miltona

[RumRiverRat]

Muskies are technically an invasive species.

If they cannot naturally reproduce in a lake they do not belong there.

Walleyes fall into this category as well.

If Muskies are so fragile than maybe we should not fish for them at all.....

[CaptainMusky]

Spare us all Captain Musky with the I am such a great person because I fish for Muskies act.

All the stereotypes about musky guys are reinforced in threads like this one.

you're clueless seriously. You don't know me. I fish for muskies less than 10% of the time. You make some bold assumptions merely because of my username. I don't care if its pike, walleyes or muskies these fish do not release well in high water temps. So you can go ahead and think it was solely about muskies but you are completely wrong. Bass are about the only fish that don't seem to have much trouble with the high temps.

If you didn't have the reading comprehension of a five year old you would see the comments were directed toward the hypocracy of comments made by guides pertaining to high water temps when in fact they were caught in the act themselves. And the fact that someone else would comment that its "just a fish" which is completely ignorant. Probably the same type of guy who hits mille lacs pounding the 20 to 26 inch walleyes in 30' of water but releasing them to count toward the mortality total.

[RumRiverRat]

Muskies are just a fish.

Nothing special about a fish that needs to be stocked in lakes for people to fish for them.

[RUNnGUN]

No.

It is not because of us as individuals that we all have the opportunity to catch these fish, it is because of the DNR and their stocking and management program. It is because of Muskies, Inc. and all they do for our fisheries. It is because of the catch and release principle that so many of US as a whole practice.

Can I ask you, has your muskie fisherman improved since the above was instilled? I can say with confidence, without hearing an answer, that it has. But since we post pictures of big fish and suggest you don't fish them in warm water, we are all arrogant fisherman and belittle others? What a complete joke.

The bottom line is that these fish don't tolerate warm water very well. With all the efforts (and money) put forth to stock these fish and manage our fisheries, suggesting that others don't fish them in warm water does not make us arrogant. Responsible and resourceful, maybe, but arrogant, no.

Make sense?

[CaptainMusky]

Agreed run, there are obviously tons of things I didn't know about fishing until I either learned it on my own through experience or someone explained it to me.

It matters to me that the fishing opportunities I have todaythe species we have that are plentiful remains that way for my kids.

Comments from folks who obviously use fishing as a chest thumping ego boost by tallying their counts within their footers mean absolutely ZERO to me.

[RumRiverRat]

Why stock muskies in lakes that get so warm? Muskies do not belong in many of the lakes they are stocked in.

Biologically it just does not make sense to introduce a fish intolerant of warm water in so many lakes.

[CaptainMusky]

RRR, Temps typically do not maintain at dangerous levels for extended period of times. Last year was about the worst I had ever experienced and the temps were high for a month. This year and most years its a week or so.

The fish will survive the water temps just fine its when they are harassed by anglers.

Same with walleyes. You don't see them floating because the water is too hot, its because its too hot and someone caught and tried to release them.

[delcecchi]

Maybe we (dnr) ought to close musky fishing on any lake with surface temps too high, maybe 70 degrees? Could have spring season and fall season. Individualize it to the lake or zone.

[vister]

That is why they call it fishing, not catching

[CaptainMusky]

I'm not really an advocate for closing the season as suggested because that would be complicated to manage. I think if people use common sense it solved itself.

[Nick Kuhn]

It would be too difficult to do such a thing. And with respect to this year the warm temperatures came at a strange time. If you booked your muskie trip for Labor Day weekend up here and found that to be the hottest weather I really can't blame the fishermen: water temps should be nowhere near 80 that week. Not everyone that fishes muskies gets to choose when they fish. Especially those who book guides months in advance; as they probably have traveled quite a ways. Someone who can fish them regularly probably isn't the kind of person to book a guide.