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Muskellunge
The
muskellunge, maybe the most glamorous game fish in North America.
Known familiarly as the muskie and formally as Esox Masquinongy.
The
muskellunge is a pike, closely related to the northern pike. It is the
giant of the pike family, frequently attaining weights of 30 to 50
pounds. The world record taken on sport tackle, 69 pounds, 15 ounces
and 64 1/2 inches long, was caught in the St. Lawrence River. A
102-pounder has been reported. A 30-pound fish probably would be a
little over four feet in length; a 50-pounder about 4 1/2 feet.
The
muskellunge, at first glance, looks much like the other pikes. It has
the long, slender body, with dorsal and anal fins located far back,
the duck-like "bill" and the mouth full of long, sharp teeth. But on
the muskie the lower halves of both cheek and gill cover are
scale-less. Also, the northern pike has whitish or yellowish spots on
a darker greenish background. The muskie usually is a grayish olive
color with darker spots which tend to form oblique bands.
The muskie is a voracious predator. Fry
15 days old and 1 1/2 inches long eat live forage fish.
They consume 6.4 percent of their body weight
per day. Adults eat mostly minnows, suckers and shad. They seem
to be opportunists and when hungry will eat any
living thing they can catch and swallow. Average growth of
muskies is reported as 10.5,17,22.4,26.4 and 30.2 inches at the end of
successive years of life and a 48-inch fish would be around 14 years
old.
Male muskies mature in their fourth spring, females in their fourth or
fifth spring. Spawning occurs in April. Water temperatures range from
50 to 60 degrees F., but 55 seems to be about the optimum. Pairs of
fish cruise through weedy shallows, depositing eggs indiscriminately;
no nest is prepared, the eggs receive no care. They hatch in six days
at 60 degrees F. Eggs and fry are especially sensitive to water
temperature fluctuations. This, along with scarcity of forage of a
proper size and predation by water insects and other fish are
considered the principal limiting factors to reproduction.
Muskies can be propagated successfully in hatcheries. The greatest
problem is providing sufficient live forage of the right size and kind
at the right time. This involves providing water fleas which are used
when the fry first begin to feed and then live forage fish. Successive
broods of carp fry are produced in order to have the right sixes
available. The smallest ones eaten are scarcely more than a thread and
less than half an inch long. Later, when the muskies are placed in
ponds, minnows and threadfin shad are provided for forage.
The
muskies like clear, weedy waters, In spite of their wariness, they
frequently are caught in water which is quite shallow. They will
strike all manner of lures when feeding but at other times will not be
tempted by anything. Large plugs, spoons, spoon or spinner
combinations with huge feather or bucktail baits are used as surface
lures.
Live suckers, large minnows or sunfish
may be effective enough to be worth the trouble to obtain and
transport. Heavy casting tackle is usually used to give a better
chance of landing the large fish. A short, stiff rod and a strong line
are needed to play a fish of this size and a wire leader is a
necessity because of the sharp teeth. The people who landed muskies
accidently while fishing for bass or crappies were either very lucky
or very skillful. Most muskies hooked this way probably make a run and
keep right on going, taking with them whatever part of the tackle that
happens to break loose.
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