Hybrids/Tigers

Rainy day ramblings here.Tom Gelb recently sent me a pic of his grandson with a 47 inch hybrid caught with Tom in Wisconsin this year.That got me thinking about hybrids and LOTWs.(biggest in my boat ever was a 48 inch 32 lber out of Eagle caught by old buddy Bill Linn yrs ago)
It seems to me I see and catch fewer and fewer here.Not saying they ever were 'common',just that it was not unusual to catch one in the past.Some nice ones as well.Now I haven't caught one in at least 2 years.So:
Why?
Any and all input appreciated whether scientific,opinion,BS,whatever.Hoping Doug J will weigh in on this as well.
Also,am very interested in the 'size' of any caught in the last few years.My PB here is 46 inches and if memory serves,and maybe it doesn't anymore,Doug Js and Mark Windels PBs were also 46 here.It also seems to me the few I hear about nowadays are quite small.
What's up with all this?Fewer weeds?(a more recent thing though)Fishing tactics?Randomness at work?Or....?

Got a 46" in 99 in Sabaskong area, back to back trolling passes in Nov. up by Lily got 2 small ones about 6 years ago and fishing with Gawlik around Miles Island he got a real pretty 44" tiger about 4 years ago.
That's about it in the last 20 years :)
Darren

Gawlik is a true hybrid himself.

I've only ever had 1 in the boat from LOTW, 44" caught 10 years ago in Astron.

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Ryan

I too have noticed fewer hybrids in the last five-six years. For years it averaged about 2% of the total catch, so if you caught a 100 muskies you would catch two hybrids. I've two 46" hybrids in the boat, one I caught and the other by a client. Had a client have one on many years ago that I thought was pushing 50", but it got off trying to net it! I caught a small one this spring fishing bass, first one in several years.

I would guess that the main reason there seems to be fewer hybrids, is that for some reason there's not as much overlap of spawning seasons between northerns and muskies as there used to be. Peak natural hybrid production occurs when you have a cold long spring which delays northern spawning coupled with a rapid warming which brings on muskie spawning. Ice out records show the ice is leaving the lake around a week or more earlier than in was ten or so years ago. I suspect that this causing a separation of spawning season, but that's just my guess.

Doug

There ya go.Thanks Doug!Was fearful it might have been Bush's fault.
Ryan a great fish and photo.

Sully got one around 12 years ago I think was 36 and Musky Lew got a 46 about the same time. I can't remember seeing any others from our group. I like Doug's logic, why, because it is only logical !!

Steve

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Yep been a while...here's Brian with a old pic 46.5 and myself with a 39 trolling

Here's the 46" from my Rock & Roll days !!!! :cool

Cool pics,keep m coming.
Sidenote:After my trip home from Rope area just now I like wind a lot less.

Here is Dan's tiger from 2006 while he was fishing with Phil. I think it was a 39" or 40" and I thought it was from the west side just inside Astron but not positive. The photo looks a lot wider than that mouth area.Attachment 25596

Great Jeff.Damn they are pretty fish.Can we be less than PC and call them 'Pretty Boys'?

I'd be willing to bet that Astron has a higher than average hybrid population. All those big northerns and muskies close together with good spawning grounds. They're all gorgeous, I know that much.

Ryan

Attachment 25685
Ryan Koenig sent me this great pic to post.Doubt I will get it here but will try.

Well I butchered Ryan's pic but it sort of got here.
Should mention that Ryan and his father Ron have fished out of Baystore for about 15 years and they fish a couple weeks a year usually and as most here know,they fish HARD.Ryan mentioned to me they have only caught 3 hybrids in that time.

That is a fabulous looking fish.

I think this one was caught on Nice rack reef !!!!

Think I've seen all 3 of those before.