Outdoor News: 04/14/06 John Avis - Alexandria

GULL LAKE MUSKIES?

  I only hope the people of Gull Lake know what they are getting into when they ask for muskies to be stocked into their walleye lake. The addition of muskies to a lake where they are not native can change the balance of species, having a negative effect on the fish population - specifically walleyes. On Lake Miltona, we have seen just that since the DNR started stocking muskies in 1982, despite the protests of local citizens.

  To illustrate this point, let's review the Lake Miltona Data from the DNR. The first-year stocking of muskies reached maturity of 36 inches in 1989 and 40 inches in 1990. As the muskies matured, the walleye counts diminished. The walleye counts over the years: in 1986, 23.0 per net; in 1989, 28.0 per net; in 1995, 23.3 per net; in 1999, 7.1 per net; in 2000, 12.0 per net; and in 2003, 10.9 per net. This decline in the walleye fishery occurred even with the DNR's stocking of over 24.6 million walleye starting in 1995 through 2003; and the stocking of 105,248 fingerlings and adult walleyes during the same time period. In addition to the DNR stocking, the lake association also put 59,483 walleye fingerlings in the lake from 2000 through 2005.

  Yet according to the DNR, the preferred food for muskies is sucker and white fish, which in the 2003 survey were 0.5 and 0.3 per net which is well below the normal range for this lake. The muskie is not going to starve when they have walleye to eat. Outdoor News: 04/14/06 John Davis - Alexandria

GUIDES SPEAK OUT

Outdoor News 3/24/06

Marv Koep states: "The DNR has done a great job on Gull as a walleye fishery. Why change anything. If I want muskies I can drive 30 minutes in any direction. I'm not anti-muskie, but Gull is such a good lake right now, why mess with it."               

Outdoor News 3/24/06

Len Hodgson: "Stock them in Gull and they could get into Round, Margaret, Roy, Spider and the Cullen Chain. . .. Gull is known as a walleye lake. We're not starved for good muskie lakes."

MINNESOTA DNR STUDY RESULTS

   In a study by the Minnesota DNR, by Jerry A. Younk and Donald L. Periera, the conclusion was that Minnesota has a "successful [muskie ] management program" as angler success is good. If this is the case, is it worth the risk to expand stocking into more lakes? The study states "muskellunge angling is not wide spread."

MN DNR IS USING FLAWED INFORMATION

Follow this link to find out more about the MN DNR and Gull Lake