RK forces me to rethink my plans

[buzzin for bass]

RK, sure you had to go and write about the great muskie fishery on Mille Lacs. I'm sure I'll get chastized for this one but...I have never fished the big pond and was on the fence of whether or not I even wanted to. I have a small boat and don't like crowds so I tend to fish smaller out-of-the-way lakes.

I've known/heard about the very good fish for a while now, but when you start throwing around the legitimate possibility of a world record class fish based upon already giant fish that may still have 5+ years of growth left it's darn near impossible to look the other way. I suppose if I paid a guide I'd have the safety of a seaworth boat and the knowledge to find the fish on that massive hole in Minnesota. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to give it a try.

And nicely done on another well written article Mr. Kimm.

[Bobb-o]

Loved the article also, couldnt put it down!

[eyehead]

Where is the arcticle at????? Thanks

[hanson]

Newest issue of In-Fisherman.

Very, very interesting read.

[buzzin for bass]

What really surprised me was that, and correct me if I'm remembering wrong but, the DNR stated the large fish were the early stocking classes of Wisconsin strain muskies which they had found to be heavier than Leech Lake strain muskies of the same length. I always thought the Leech Lake strain was supposed to be larger.

[guideman]

Post deleted by guideman

[eyehead]

Good read that's for sure. With all this "World Record" hype...lol there will be so many boats out there throwin plugs for skies it wont even be funny. I thought last year was bad, this year will be a zoo no dought.

[RK]

Hiya -

Thanks for the kind words guys. Glad you enjoyed the article. It was a fun one to write.

Mille Lacs really is a fascinating fishery, just because of the population dynamics that are playing out there. Frankly, that aspect of it is more interesting to me than actually fishing there. Amazing what happens when you put a fish like a muskie into a near perfect environment...

About the Wisconsin Strain fish in there. They were stocked by the DNR. Stocking on the lake started in 1984, with fingerlings obtained from the WI DNR. It wasn't until 1989 that the MN DNR switched to Leech Lake Strain fish once they figured out how to get fry (based on the research Bob Strand did on Leech), and, oddly enough, once they figured out how to raise suckers to feed the things.

As far as their size, from what the DNR guys say, the Leech fish get longer, but if you have two fish of equal size, the WI fish will carry more weight... Not universally true I'm sure - but generally speaking anyhow.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[binsfeldnick]

There are some true giants in there. I've seen them. Buddy of mine caught and released a 55 1/2" out there 2 years ago and got a replica made. I think it was at the musky expo that year. Also was in an article in musky hunter magazine. He also released 2 fish over 50" out there last year. This year it's my turn to get one.

[cupper]

Awesome article RK! I just read it last night... I was glued to that thing. All I need to do now is figure out a time to get up there. I am sure there will be a mass-exodus of anglers heading up there for the same thing. Very interresting read.

Thanks!

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Another great job, Rob. I really enjoyed the article, liked the pics too .

Definitely something different than I am used to reading in a fishing mag. The biology of that lake is amazimg, and it was very interesting to read about.

[cjac]

Let's not forget the lure that is featured too!!! Awesome bait! Got that exact one!

Congrats Luke on the Mojo press and hats off to the author as well!

[cjac]

"It's likely in 50 years, there won't be ciscoes in Mille Lacs".

That is alarming, and read that along with the one page article on p.36 and it'll really make you sit up and take notice. It could very well say most of Minnesota, not just Mille Lacs.

[Jim Hudson]

Yup, very good article Rob... With some awesome photos of Mille Lacs beasts.. Scary how big those fishes are and what we could see in the future...

CJAC, I agree on the global warming article and what was eluded in Rob's article as well.. Scary stuff... Esox Angler also had an article recently about this as well... Things will always change, but man, I hope we will still be able to enjoy the fisheries we have right now in the future...

[mtreno]

[Note from admin: Please read forum policy before posting again. Thank you.]

[RF23]

Great article, there are some true giants in there and these next few years could be crazy. I have had the itch bad for the last few weeks and this article didn't help.haha Is it June yet?

[CommonSense Guy]

So we have some WI strain fish approaching 23 years old, and some Leech strain fish approaching 18 years old. I wonder how long these fish can live in that lake. If a few females can make it a few more years we will definitely have a new state record. It should be caught this year. But I don't know about a new world record. I think you need a native fish living in the cooler waters of Ontario to live long enough to get the girth needed. But we will see.

[eyehead]

State record without a dought, but world record 70 lb Musky?? Mille lacs was hyped up just a tad to much I think It's good for all the resorts, convieniant stores, ect. though

[MuskieMojoTackle]

There is no reason Mille Lacs cant produce a world record fish.

Do you really think we've seen the biggest fish that lake holds? I don't.

[eyehead]

Im not saying Mille Lacs doesnt have the capability. I think there's a few lakes in our great state that could produce a fish like that, but thats a long shot if ya ask me. Just my opinion anyways.

[CommonSense Guy]

No question there are fish in there we have not seen. Probably a few close to 60 inches. I just don't know if they can grow the shoulders like their Canadian sisters.

[B420]

"I just don't know if they can grow the shoulders like their Canadian sisters"

You see any of the fish in RK articles? They look like they got every bit of shoulder any candian fish has! Easily both a state or WR could come on that pond. Longer growing season than Canada and tons of easily accessible forage.

[RK]

Hiya -

The world record angle on the article wasn't all my idea, frankly. Part of being a freelancer.

That having been said, however...

The chances of a world record coming out of Mille Lacs are astronomically small. But the chances are probably better there right now than anywhere. It's just a function of the math involved. With the huge percentages of mature fish in there right now, plus the developmental benifits they have by being first generation, the window's open, just looking at it from a statistical standpoint. Consider that all it'd take is an individual fish - one fish out of a significant population of mature fish - exceeding the expected maximum growth at age by a few percentage points and you're there... The chances of that occuring go up as the numbers of mature fish - fish that are reaching their theoretical maxiumum size at age - go up. With the large number of mature fish in Mille Lacs now, the percentages add up. Like I said, you probably have a better chance of getting run over by the space shuttle... But the odds may be better there, at least at this moment in time, than at any other point in the MN fishery's history.

One thing that hasn't received much mention about the article is the implications this population dynamic has for the future of the fishery, or at least for angler expectations of the fishery. Plain and simple - what we're experiencing right now is a once in a lifetime deal. It'll be a good muskie fishery in the future, but one with a more typical population dynamic. But it's fun while it lasts.

If you ever get a chance to talk to some of the fisheries guys, especially large lake specialists like Tom Jones, do it. It's amazing what those guys know. I could have written an entire article about the Mille Lacs smallmouth fishery just based on us getting sidetracked while we talked about muskies.

again - thanks for the kind words on the article. Glad you enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[B420]

RK,

I think the chances of WR out there would astronomically increase if the WR wasn't a WI hoax,

but that's a whole seperate issue that we don't need to rehash here. Again, great article!

Ben

[CommonSense Guy]

Well I hope we get both. I have no doubts the state record fish is alive in Mille Lacs and will be caught soon. I don't think anyone can say a world record fish could easily come from Mille Lacs. I think it would take the biggest fish in Mille Lacs right now to gain another 10-12 pounds to get there. But just because a fish gets that big doesn't mean it will be caught. The odds of locating that fish are slim. Then to get it into the boat is another story. No doubt a WR lives but I think the odds of it coming out of Georgian Bay, or the French River, or some other lesser know lakes in Ontario is more likely. But it sure would be cool. It will be interesting to see how Mille Lacs evolves. My guess is it's still on the rise but will peak and then come down some. Remember it's only been a muskie fishery for 20 years, not 10,000 years. But lets not forget Vermilion either.

Anyway when our state record is caught I hope it's weighed on a certified scale and then released. And I hope it's on video.