Question to Pose...

[MuskyBrian]

On another HSOforum, based in IL, there is an ongoing debate of why it is right/wrong to Ice fish For Muskies. I was quick to jump to the side of it being wrong, but other then my personal preference not to use Live Bait and the Inability to use proper equipment, I found myself running out of arguments. I would also think handling the fish becomes a much bigger issue, as in this particular case the fish was layed down on the ice and measured after being caught. The guy also shot the whole thing on film and turned into a music video, but thats neither here nor there.

Was wondering what you guys thought on either side of the argument, I never really put any thought into this subject ever before?

[Giant_Jackpot]

This is one of the reasons to end the muskie season on December 1st. Not that it will solve everything but it could help. Were they targeting muskies or was an incidental catch? Unfortunately we will never be able to eliminate the incidentals but hopefully we can educate people on proper release when it does happen.

[Random guy]

This can be a touchy topic. I believe that fishing musky through the ice is ok as long as it is done properly. By done properly I mean that you must be prepaid to handle these fish in the best possible way in some of the harshest conditions. Below is a little bit I posted about catching a musky through the ice after the question was raised in another forum on Fishing Minnesota;

Catching a musky through the ice can not only be very exciting but can also be very confusing in the heat of the moment with that large beast stripping out drag and folding your ice rod in half. The key to this is to be prepared for one of these toothy critters when they do decide to attack.

Even if you are fishing pan fish, walleye or something as crazy as catfish through the ice, musky and pike are roaming looking for an easy meal.

Preparation: It is important to have the necessary tools available for such an event. A needle nose pliers, a release friendly or rubber tipped jaw spreader, a good hook cutter and most important a hook proof glove to protect your hand while handling these very upset fish with hooks looking for a finger to target.

Landing a musky through the ice: This is no easy task and you need to be ready for it and know what to do not only to protect the health of the fish but also protect yourself from possible injury.

A musky or large pike does not like the idea of going through an eight inch hole one bit and they are not going to make this easy for you. It would be best to use a larger hole when targeting these larger fish, giving you room to get that large head turned and pointed in the right direction.

As for landing a fish in a smaller hole the first thing is not to rush it. If you have got the fish this far you have a solid hook set and the fish is not going to leave you, allow the fish to simmer down enough so you can control the position of the fishes head. Once you have the nose of the fish coming into the edge of hole gently pull up and back and begin to turn the fish horizontal so it will come up the hole.

This will normally work since the fish has tired enough from the fight and if you do it gently the fish will agree to it.

The fish has been hooked farther back or is so large you cannot turn it into the hole, now what? If you have something available such as an ice skimmer or pole from your portable that has a blunt hook or curl on the end of it use it to reach down and pull the head of the fish gently towards you. Now you are home free.

Once the fish is up and out of the water you want to move quickly, you have a few things working against you. First off the old saying is a fish can hold it’s breath as long as you can, anything more you are starving the fish of oxygen.

The cold air temps are also very hard on the fish; you do not want to expose the fish to freezing temps very long. Remember this fish is designed to handle “almost” frozen water nothing colder. If the slime is to freeze it becomes useless and the fish has now lost its protective layer.

Try not to set the fish on the ice or in the snow if at all possible, snow not only wipes the slime off the fish but also makes many tiny cuts in the fish’s skin and opens the door for disease and infections to enter the fishes system. So move quickly and try not to handle the fish more then necessary.

If needed do not be afraid to cut the hooks off and leave a portion in the fishes mouth. This is actually better than tearing a hook free, musky and pike can dissolve a hook very quickly without much scarring or damage to the tissue. If the hook is tore out the fish will have much more scarring or even loss of some muscle use and un-repairable damage.

Now for the fun stuff: Get a photo of that huge fish; you have earned some bragging rights with all you have accomplished!

Hold the fish horizontally and snap some quick shots and return the fish back to the water.

The release is the most important trick to all of this. This fish is tired and you may need to hold it for a little bit until it gets it bearings back. If the ice allows it don’t be afraid to stick you arm right down the hole holding the fish horizontal under the ice and help this fish out, you owe it to this beast for the battle and thrill it gave you, your clothes will dry.

If the ice has become to thick to do this hold the fish in hole as far as you can reach, the fish will let you know when it’s ready, it will tell you with a couple of good tail kicks and maybe a good splash on the face.

CATCH-PHOTO-RELEASE so this fish has a chance to grow to fifty or even sixty inches long. Plus think of the spawning capabilities this large fish has for the future.

Who knows you may hook into it again when it has grown to this large size or even better another angler or even a young angler will have the chance to experience the thrill and battle you just had!

I believe with the proper tools and handling methods fishing muskie through the ice can be done safely. It is the same as open water fishing; with the proper catch and release tactics a fish will not be harmed. Although many times the proper methods are not used summer or winter and I will admit musky through the ice are subjected to greater odds of mishandling in the winter due to the cold and the desire to set the fish on the ice. Keep them out of the cold, off the ice and get them back in the water ASAP. If EVERYONE could do this it would not be a problem.

[AWH]

I really think that mortality rates are going to be much higher through the ice than during the open water season.

Jon's post has a lot of great information. Think about what he said about bringing that fish up the hole and compare that to open water. Think about how much longer you're going to have to fight that fish than during open water. You can't bring it in quickly and reach out with the net to grab it while it's still fairly green. To get it up that little hole, you're going to have to tire it out. You're going to have to stress this fish out more than during the open water season.

Now, this fish can still be released successfully. But think about open water and how you sometimes have to stay with a fish for awhile before she swims off strong. How much more difficult will that be through the ice? And how many people will say "screw it" to staying with that fish with your hands in freezing water in bitter cold conditions? I just see much higher odds of poor releases in these conditions for these reasons.

But as Jon said, it can be done. You just have to be prepared and be willing to do what it takes to execute a good release, no matter what the conditions are.

Aaron

[Random guy]

It is good point that the fish does have to be played out to land it. My thoughts on it are if you are prepaired and willing to do what it takes to ensure the fishes health so be it. If not the angler has no business trying to catch musky through the ice. That post was written for "accidental hookings"