Shawano Lake, WI - Spotted Muskie Program Candidate?

[jlong]

There has been lots of discussions lately in regard to the possibility that the spotted strain of muskies (MN) is superior to the clear/barred muskies commonly found in Wisconsin. I'm not starting this topic to re-open that can of worms... but rather to get some feedback on an idea.

The WDNR is already considering establishing a "Spotted Musky Program" to re-vitalize the small population of naturally occurring "great lakes strain (spotted)" of muskies in the Winnebago System (Poygan, Winneconne, Buttes Mortes, and Winnebago). That is great and I am all for it.

I'd like to add one more to the list.... SHAWANO LAKE. This 6158 acre lake probably could be considered part of the Winnebago System since it flows into the Wolf River just upstream. HOWEVER, it would offer the opportunity to study the spotted strain in a different environment. Winnebago is DARK/TURBID water with very little weed growth, severe algae blooms due to agricultural run-off, a forage base of shad/carp/sheephead and periodically very LOW oxygen levels. Shawano Lake is spring fed, has very healthy and abundant vegetation, an overabundant panfish forage base, clear water, and good oxygen levels.

For you guys fishing MN.... which type of water more closely resembles the successful muskie fisheries there? If Wisconsin had to choose between stocking Shawano Lake vs. Winnebago.... which do you think would be more successful? Which type of water would you prefer to actually fish on and possibly travel a significant distance to visit?

jlong

[john skarie]

It's hard to say that MN muskies are "superior" to WIS because you really need to look at the environment the fish are in.

In Mn 90% of the muskie waters have deep water available, good forage bases and are fairly large bodies of water. These are good conditions to let the MN muskies flourish. There are some lakes in MN that have WIS. fish in them, one of them close to me, the WIS fish are long and fat just like the spotteds that are also in the lake.

I think a lake that has low oxygen, bad algae blooms and a not so good forage base is a waste of time to stock any muskies in.

As far as traveling to fish for muskies, I always travel to Canada, the reason being the beauty of the shield lakes. I can fish jet-ski choked waters in MN, I really wouldn't be interested in doing it in Wis.

JS

[MuskyMidget]

While fishing R&H Fall Meltdown tourney on the Minoqua Chain, my partner caught a short fish. I swear it was of the spotted variety and looked similar to the MN spotted fish.

Are there already spotted fish in some lakes of Wisconsin?

[Jomusky]

I feel an active stocking effort in Shawano Lake would be much better then in Winnebago. Shawano's structure is that of a great musky lake while Bago is mostly a 18-21 foot mud flat. Shawano is also much smaller making it a more affordable and feasible venture. My opinion is that the DNR sould start with Shawano and possibly after that is established, focus on Bago. I've been told the Figure Eight Musky Club of Shawano put 1000 fingerlings in last year, but that is a far cry from the DNR standard of 1 per acre.

[MRoberts]

Sounds like a good place for some C&R musky club money. Also you should contact the Headwaters chapter of Muskies Inc. They may be interested in supporting a project like that. It might even relieve some pressure on our home waters, if we can keep you Valley guys over there.

[jlong]

Don't get me wrong.... Winnebago has a tremendous forage base. In fact, I don't think you could find a system packed more full of fatty food.

I believe that there will be some politics with stocking muskies in Winnebago over time, which is another reason I think Shawano Lake would be a better FIRST target. Currently the DNR manages the system for WALLEYES and it is nationally respected as one of the greatest walleye fisheries around. It draws lots of big money tournaments and tourists as a result. That crowd will not welcome a musky program.

Second, I think Winnebago is too BIG to simply stock enough fish to make a difference. At well over 100,000 acres it would take a lot of MONEY to raise enough fingerlings to stock a sufficient amount. It would take decades to accumulate enough fish to sustain a fishable population. That means my boys may not ever see the day that you could seriously launch your boat on Winnebago and drag for MUSKIES. Does this mean Winne should NOT be stocked? NO, it just means it is not the best place to START with a spotted musky study. And how would the DNR ever recapture fish to gather important data on the successfulness of their efforts?

Third, I think Jomusky makes a great point. The aesthetics of musky fishing are important. Shawano Lake is much "prettier" than the Winnebago System and has much more potential of becoming a "tourist spot"... which is important when asking for government money. If given the choice of fishing a lake who's water literally "stinks" or one that is clean, clear and suitable to swim in... I know where I'd go.

Stepping down from my soapbox..... what do you think should be the objective of a DNR spotted musky program? Simply dump some fish in a GIANT body of water and see what happens, or select a smaller (but large in comparison to most lakes in the state) body of water where the population can be more easily managed and learned from? Seems like a "no brainer" to me.

jlong

[Winnebago]

Winnebago is about the same size as Mille Lacs. It took about 10 years of 5,000/ fingerlings per year to establish the fishery. If I remember correctly, Winnebago has a tremendous perch population, there's your muskie forage.

Given the choice, I'd say do both. It is certainly doable and if the muskies cannot make a go of it in Winnebago, they will either leave via one of the outlets, or die (I doubt that that would happen.)

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. Muskies and walleyes coexist in many fisheries, most are considered the best for both fisheries. Worries from walleye fisherman should be non existant.

Tom B

[Jomusky]

Ya MR that's right we are sick of not having a Boom Flowage within walking distance. JLong and I have even been talking about moving to your neighborhood.

[Krappie]

JoMusky is correct to say that the Figure Eight Club in Shawno plants fingerlings in Shawno every year. I also believe that the DNR and the Figure Eight Club have been planting Shawno with northern Wisconsin strain muskies for the last 10 years or so. I had talked to a couple guys this past weekend that belong to the Figure Eight Club and Muskies Unlimited and they said that a good portion of the fish planted by them are from 16" - 22" long. So it's obvious that survival rates are going to be much higher than the smaller fry.

Some guys are getting into some nice fish, but it may be a few years until the really big gals start showing up. I heard of a couple fish in the upper 40" range have been caught already. It's also been said that the DNR has planted about 1 fingerling per acre this past year on Shawno. I believe that most of these fish were the Northern Wisconsin Strain. I don't know what type of Lake conditions will support the Spotted Strain, but as far as I know, the northern Wisconsin strain is doing quite well. Hopefully the ski's will help clean out the skinny snakes out of the lake, and make it into an even more quality fishery.

It looks like the Wisconsin DNR is aggressively stocking some Great Lakes Spotted Muskies in the Bay of Green Bay, and it's tributaries. I would venture to say that you could reap some good rewards right now if you venture out on the Fox, Menominee, and Bays of Green Bay. It's just a matter of time until the egg is cracked, and the Wisconsin moves back into the ranks.

Great question and comments thus far. Looking forward to some more input on this topic.

catch ya later,
Krappie

[jlong]

The DNR and Wild Rose Hatchery (spotted musky) manager spoke at our club meeting this week. They shared lots of interesting information with our group. I'm impressed with how many fish they have ALREADY planted and there future goals.

Unfortunately, Shawano Lake is NOT a candidate for spotted muskies. When I asked if the lake was considered part of the Winnebago System... all I got was a dumbfounded look. Apparently, they didn't even know that it is a tributary of the Wolf River which forms the Winnebago Chain. All additional attempts to begin a conversation on the subject were completely ingnored (kind of disappointing).

Considering the limited production of spotted musky fingerlings.... the HUGE waters of Green Bay and its tributaries AND Lake Winnebago will consume ALL of their output. I just hope that those fish will actually reproduce, or those waters will never have a large enough population to consistently contact. There is NO indication that the spotted muskies in the Broad Stock lake are successfully reproducing. Hopefully the presence of moving water in Green Bay's tributaries will make a difference. If not, I feel that these waters are TOO big to attempt to create a "put and take" fishery with the limited hatchery capability.

Bottom line, the WDNR has done an outstanding job so far with the spotted musky program. Expect to see some BIG fish showing up in the Fox River, Menomonee River, and Sturgeon Bay.

jlong