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Post by chefstriper on Jun 19, 2013 15:42:40 GMT -5
Anyone ever do any musky fishing on SML? I hear of a few catches on occasion but wondering if anyone actually fishes for them specifically?
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Post by striperseeker on Jun 19, 2013 17:14:38 GMT -5
I really don't know. But, I have never heard of anyone fishing just for muskies.
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BentRod
Global Moderator
Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Jun 19, 2013 17:58:25 GMT -5
I'm sure you could in certain areas of the lake at certain times of the year. I know a few spots that hold them in the fall but bites would still be hard to come by.
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Post by SlightlyInsane on Jun 19, 2013 19:35:39 GMT -5
Anyone ever do any musky fishing on SML? I hear of a few catches on occasion but wondering if anyone actually fishes for them specifically? It is the fish of "10,000 Casts" to catch one in SML. It can be done, but not easily. |
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Post by Red Bear on Jun 24, 2013 10:33:21 GMT -5
dont they have a musky tournament on SML every year in which no one catches a single fish to weigh-in?
i caught what i think was a baby fingerling one year, that was pretty cool...
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Post by mwardncsu on Jun 24, 2013 11:42:34 GMT -5
I believe the Optimist has a Musky category - that is probably the one that goes un-claimed....
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Post by CorneliaGale on Jun 25, 2013 11:16:57 GMT -5
There were some guys that fished for them, don't know if they still do or not. Most of the muskies in SML are caught by accident. I don't know if they are still stocking them or not, lot of shad get cut in half by muskies in certain parts of the lake. There was one up above Moormans' some years back that would bite shad in too when you got close to his rock. Saw him a lot early in the morning going up on the trolling motor real slow. I think the OP dropped muskies cause no body caught any for years.
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BentRod
Global Moderator
Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Jun 25, 2013 11:35:42 GMT -5
They still have muskies in the optimist. I don't think anybody tries for them, but somebody that knows what they're doing could probably find one if they're lucky. Todd and Travis get one or two a year. I had one blowup on my planer board last year then it actually ate my planer board. Caught a 24-25lb citation by accident a couple years back.
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Post by formula180 on Jun 27, 2014 21:55:48 GMT -5
I remember in 1973 of muskies being caught in the Penhook area. Supposedly, there are springs in the area where they were caught. Does anyone know if they still stock muskies in the lake? We use to float the upper James River above Buchanan from the camp grounds below Eagle Rock to Springwood. The only muskies we caught were 24 inches or less. Hung into a big one once which turned out to be a carp and was caught on a white beetle spin.  I just got Tony Rizzo's Secrets of a Muskie Guide. It says he logged more than 36,000 hours on the water chasing muskies in 44 seasons. He kept very detailed records and his clients boated more than 3,000 legals with the largest being 55 1/2 inches and weighting 47 1/4 pounds. Book |
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Post by CorneliaGale on Jun 27, 2014 23:41:53 GMT -5
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Post by 2 oars & a trash can on Jun 28, 2014 18:04:08 GMT -5
That site also says there is a 20" minimum on Striped Bass.
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Post by mytoyzfishing on Jun 28, 2014 18:38:43 GMT -5
Had a good size one chase my Shakey Head when i was burning it back to the boat during a tournament last fall. Was in a creek a good ways up the Roanoke. That's my only experience with them on SML. I asked Dan Wilson last time he was at the striper club meeting if they still stocked them on SML and he said no due to other bodies of water being more musky friendly.
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Post by formula180 on Jul 2, 2014 8:23:09 GMT -5
The June/July issue of Musky Hunter magazine has an article titled "Size Matters When Stocking Muskies". The article was based on research conducted by Illinois DNR and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration Program in the mid 1990's. The program involved stocking three sizes, 4", 8" and 10" over three consecutive years. The 4", 8" and 10" were stocked in June, July and late August respectively. The stocking was monitored weekly and bi-weekly by electrofishing through December and March through May. The bass stomachs were examined and released. The results were for stocking mortality and largemouth bass predation were 5%/37% respectively for the 4"; 19%/6% for the 8"; and 15%/1% for the 10". The conclusion was that the 4" did not survive, the 8" some what...1-14% by fall, 0-8% by spring and the 10" survival was 1-34% by fall and 3-11% by spring. Another study I found also showed largemouth bass predation as the main source of loss. Largemouth Bass Predation on Stocked Tiger Muskellunge |
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Post by formula180 on Jul 2, 2014 11:47:27 GMT -5
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Post by SeaDawg on Aug 4, 2014 21:12:51 GMT -5
In the late 70s and early 80s we use to catch a lot of very big Muskies near the dam and the point right off Pelican Point Camp
ground - now it looks like Pelican Point "sailboat" marina. We caught them trolling very large spoons and jigs.
We also caught a lot on the James River where 130 and 501 cross, above and a lot BELOW the damn on 501. I have still seen them in there occasionally when we are canoeing and fishing for small mouth. I actually caught one several years ago while fishing for small mouth, was a long fight on light tackle.
Its hard to believe that large mouth would be the cause for the decline. There were plenty of large mouth in the 70s and 80s, and up north there are many large mouth AND many musky. My guess would be Stripers are the cause. Stripers were not extremely plentiful back then, not like now, and as the Stripers have grown, musky have declined.
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