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May Muskie
Tips
Muskie Population
Densities"Why Spring Muskie
Fishing is Different"
I recently spent the better part of an hour on a long distance phone
call. It was with an old acquaintance from my Clear Fork days, Mr.
Richard Day of the ODNR. Many of you may not know it, but Dick is more
familiar with many of your catches than you would ever imagine. You see
he is the guy who receives and reads your Ohio Muskie scale samples and
is directly involved in recovering Muskie eggs in the Spring at Ohio's
Clear Fork Lake.
In putting together this month's article, I needed to put some data
behind what I have already suspected for a number of years. As you well
know by this point if you have been following my Spring Tips segments,
that I have traditionally specialized in Spring Muskie fishing. I have
been criticized from time to time, in a sense, because I've been told
"the shallows only hold those little fish, big fish won't hold shallow",
they say. Now I don't completely disagree with this opinion but with one
main exception, that it does not apply to Spring Muskie fishing. Spring
fish are shallow water residents. Comfort, food and spawning always
without fail make the shallows a sure bet for finding Springtime Muskies.
But I have always been annoyed at deep water enthusiasts that criticize
the shallow water techniques we use for Spring fishing. And if you
become an early season Muskie fanatic, get ready because some old
veteran Summer fisherman will scoff at your new found success too.
I have taken 274 Muskies out of Ohio waters since 1978 and one
Canadian fish. I have repeatedly seen a pattern in Spring fishing that
invariably stays consistent each season. That pattern is that the
majority of Muskies caught in the Spring shallows will be under 30" in
length. Notice I said the majority, not all. On the surface, many will
assess this as only smaller fish inhabit the shallow water of Spring,
but nothing could be further from the truth. At my home lake here in
East Central Ohio, Salt Fork Reservoir, I could safely say that 90% of
every Muskie fisherman I have observed this Spring here at Salt Fork, is
fishing deep water with deep diving baits the same way they would during
July. The general reasoning I've been told, is that the BIG fish are
still out in the deep. Well friend, if you believe that, then I've got
some swamp land in Florida I'll sell you cheap!
As you will notice in our "Season Tally" section, between myself and
my two regular fishing partners, we have boated 25 Ohio Muskies so far
this season. Of those 25, 4 were in excess of 40" and three qualified as
Ohio Huskie Muskies, the largest of which was 46 3/4" and 29 pounds. Our
total season percentage of Muskies over 30" is running at about 25%. You
can clearly see the overwhelming majority of fish caught were smaller
but likewise you cannot deny the presence of the big fish either. There
is my friends, contrary to what some traditional Summer Muskie men will
tell you, a logical reason for these lop sided Spring catches.
In Talking at length with Dick Day of the ODNR and basically
informally comparing notes (my catch experience plus his statistical
info) we came up with the following population density assessment for a
typical Ohio Muskie lake. This was NOT a study but a general assessment
based upon our best estimation, drawing from catch experience
statistical proof.
* 60% of the TOTAL Muskie population is made up of Muskies under 30".
* 30% of the total Muskie population is made up of Muskies 30" to
40".
* 10% or less of ALL resident Muskies are in the 40" and larger
range.
Now ponder the above information for a moment. In the Spring where
Muskies of ALL ages and sizes are crammed into the shallows along with
Crappie, Large Mouth Bass, White Bass, Carp, Shad and a whole host of
typical bait fish. Consider the above population densities and the FACT
that juvenile Muskies in their growing prime, represent the most
aggressive segment of the entire Muskie family. The bottom line fellow
Muskie Men, is that if you fish consistently shallow for Spring Muskies,
the majority of your fish will be smaller.
BUT NOT BECAUSE OF YOUR TECHNIQUE BUT BECAUSE MOST OF THE MUSKIE
POPULATION AT LARGE IS MADE UP OF SMALLER FISH!
Yes you will have to muddle through the little guys to get to the big
ones but believe me, it makes for a very enjoyable Spring season. You
gain a great deal of experience at this time of year also in playing and
handling Muskies for release. So to those of you who are taking
advantage of your new found Spring game plan, stick to that game plan.
Your next Muskie could be that life long trophy you've been looking for
and don't be surprised if it doesn't come out of 5' of water!
Good fishing and see you on the lake!
Danny Wade
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