5 inch muskie frys

[WISH]

Hey Kevin hows it going? I haven't visited the website for some time now, just been too busy with other outdoor activities (crappie fishing and waterfowl hunting). May be I can help with this question, at least some parts. For the last two years, as far as I know, Jake Wolf has had an over abundance of muskies. Of course all biologist make their request for 10-12'' fish for Fall stockings, but like I said abundance has been great at the hatchery, so they have been making calls to stock 5''ers. Obviously it would be sweet to grow all and any extras to 12" but with Illinois' budget thats not going to happen. So the last two years there has been a huge stocking of 5''ers at the Kaskaskia lab in History Survey Bay. Location was based on high water. High water provides habitat and of course lots and lots of larval fish. These fish were stocked during a time when white bass, buffalo, carp, shad, and other species of larval fish are abundant, i.e. crap load of food. As far as growth rates, the water is warm and food is available so they should grow well, but as you pointed out, they might not grow fast enough before a bass or walleye find them. As far as stocking and fish movement, we are currently doing a study looking at different aspects. I can tell you one thing, muskies coming out of a stocking truck during a boat ramp stocking are dumb. They sit at the ramp and wont disperse at all. Some get ran over by the truck( one or two) or by a fishermens trailer, or the water snakes eat them.
Personally, I believe in a few years muskie fishing on Shelby is going to be hot. Buddy caught a 12"er way up the Kaskaskia this last spring, had to be last years 5"er.

[ToddM]

Like what was said above, thse are overflow fish that could not be stocked into the ponds to grow to 10-12' long. It is too bad we could not somehow fund spring grove and raise them there. The survival rate would be very low for these fish. They have been stocking them in pana lake this size and have yet to survey an adult fish.

[Roadrunner]

Todd M email me rstanley@chipsnet.com or give me a call 217-562-3281 and I will give you a report on Pana Lake muskies. They are doing great but I am afraid we will lose a lot of them going over the spillway. I mentioned this at the IMA meeting at Shelbyville.