Northern Musky season set to open Saturday

The northern zone musky season opens May 26 and anglers are likely to find good prospects for catching the official state fish, now that water temperatures are finally climbing and making the fish more active, state fisheries biologists say.

“The start of the 2012 northern musky fishing season should be timed perfectly with an increase in fish activity now that water temperatures have warmed into the mid- to upper 60s throughout most of northern Wisconsin,” says Dave Neuswanger, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor based in Hayward.

“Most muskellunge completed their annual spawning ritual weeks ago during an early warming period, so they have long since recovered and will be ready to chase just about anything that moves.”

Neuswanger says that jerk baits and even spinners with bucktails should provide good action. “Anglers will find healthy musky populations in traditional waters, but do not overlook some of the smaller, out-of-the-way lakes and streams that often have surprising numbers of fish between 36 and 44 inches long,” he says.

Fish in these waters tend to be more naïve than those in heavily pressured lakes, so they are more likely to be encountered and caught. Multiple-fish days on some of the less-pressured lakes and streams are not uncommon. “Also, this is the time of year when anglers targeting bass with spinner baits are subject to surprise attack by muskies, so using a wire leader and keeping some hook-out tools and gloves in the boat are good ideas,” Neuswanger says.

Mike Vogelsang, fisheries supervisor based in Woodruff, reports that musky in his area spawned at least two weeks ahead of “normal,” with the peak right around mid-April.

“Water temperatures have been steady and cold for several weeks now, but they are finally beginning to moderate a bit, a trend that should continue through the musky opener. That will make the musky active. Look for them near newly emerged weeds with deeper water nearby – the transition from weeds to deep water on the edges of bays are key spots.”

Weedy open flats that are 5 to 9 feet deep also make for nice “drifts” while casting, Vogelsang says. “Early in the season anglers may also want to scale down the size of their baits a bit – it’s not always necessary to throw those big tandem bucktails or 12-inch jerk baits. For the first couple weeks of musky fishing, smaller bucktails and 6-inch twitch baits can work equally well if not better.”

Terry Margenau, fisheries supervisor stationed in Spooner, says that now is an exciting time to be a musky angler in Wisconsin. “Twenty-five years ago our musky populations were growing in numbers but many fish were mid-sized, or 32-36 inches long. However, with the continued practice of live release by sport anglers and more restrictive regulations, there has been a shift toward more larger fish – what the musky angler wants.”


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