Upper Long Lake Indiana

[biddler2]

I was there last Friday, I didn't see a speed limit sign either. I did talk to the DNR kid, he said it's been about 50/50 on the muskie question. One thing that might help is some better signs on how to get to the ramp (my first time there).

[Toad]

I've only been there once, but it was a spring saturday and only one other boat was on the water fishing for muskies. Maybe it was a slow day and it gets enough muskie fishermen on other days that would cause the homeowners to complain, but I wouldn't know. The ramp parking certainly seemed big enough to accommodate plenty of fishing so I don't think that that should be an issue.

If it is like Chae says, because people aren't (in their minds) catching as big or as many bluegill as they feel they should be catching, then that is hard to combat. I and any of us know that it is easy for any fisherman to come up with reasons why the fishing didn't go the way they would have liked and to chalk it up to, the weather, or the lure choice, or any other multitude of reasons. And if someone is after panfish, then "that other species with teeth" is certainly easier to blame than to figure out how to improve their ability to catch their target species.

I guess all you can hope to do is to let the DNR know that plenty of people like the muskie fishing in the lake and educate people in a manner that doesn't make them think you are telling them they are wrong in their thinking. It's a fine line to walk sometimes. It's unfortunate in that we have to have these issues when there are so few lakes with muskie and so many lakes with the more common species of bass and bluegill, which are both fun to catch as well, it's just that you would think people would feel blessed to have a fish as cool as a muskie in their back yards. Hopefully this lake stays the way it is or at least with enough muskie potential to give the guys up north another place to fish especially with all the hard work that went into making it a great muskie place. If I'm up there at any point and see the DNR there I will be sure and let them know how we did and how much we like the lake.

[ToddM]

The "muskies are eating all my --------" is an easy one to argue back on. Simply, if you were catching big ----- and you are not, that is overharvest. if the muskies were eating all your ------, you would not be catching any. the problem is on your end.