Musky/Pike Regulation Changes

LOL, no you guys didn't run me off. Been busy this weekend working on cleaning some stuff out of the house and putting it on eBay since this bitter cold is keeping me indoors.

You certainly are a great group of guys and i enjoy this site with all your posts Red and others too.

I'm glad it came to all this really. It put me in a reading mode and i have learned some things about what we have been talking about. That's another reason why i join sites like this. To make new friends, to learn from others and share experiences and ideas. It has changed my aspects on a couple things and i conclude in agreement that the new 40" reg will do nothing harmful to our fisheries. I have debated this with my friends all year and maybe now that i know more about it i can try and explain it to them also the philosophy of such. I also really like the idea of slot limits for eyes and will check into that more also. Old dogs can learn new tricks. Thx

We have a pretty healthy population of big pike within 30 miles or so of the Kinzua outflow and they are not stocked.......natural reproduction has thrived here for many years along with a decent population of natural pure-bred muskies.

If I could change one aspect of the new regulations, I would (at least) make it illegal to harvest pike ON THE MIDDLE ALLEGHENY RIVER during the SPAWN. I am seeing and hearing about more and more big pike being harvested from the river, and not just within legal limits. Several people are taking everything they catch which can be as many as 3 or more fish per day, especially in shallow areas covered with ice. Many ice fisherman are keeping them and some are showing their kids how and where to fish for them......the cycle repeats itself over the years.

We are still getting nice pike in the river but no where near the numbers like we were just 4-5 years ago. In most musky studies I have read, BIG muskies and BIG pike usually do not co-habitate together. It is an either/or situation as the pike usually conquer all for the simple fact they spawn first and eat the smaller musky fry year after year until the muskies are gone. Since the PFBC stocks our waters pretty heavily here with muskies, there have been trophy populations of both species for many years. The incredible amount of bait fish has probably helped sustain them both.

Again, I am not a biologist but as the muskies get more plentiful and are allowed to reach adulthood and by adding more "illegal pike fishing pressure" that is occurring here in Warren Co., we could possibly see the Warren County stretch of River become void of large pike someday.

Just a school teacher speculating on the future. Take it for what it is worth.....

Speaking of pike eating musky. These are a couple of pics i ran across of a guy that had a strange find on the water one day.

There have been instances of muskies going after big ducks and geese, getting them stuck in their throat (because their teeth angle back towards the throat like a shark) and then asphyxiating.

Talk about your eyes being too big for your tummy........

I had a LM Bass down a sucker in my tank last year that was maybe 1 inch shorter than the bass. Talk about indigestion! The bass had the tail sticking out for three days. Fish do crazy things!

ppalko

The pike won the battle but the musky won the war........ makes you wonder how big he thought he was.

The number of fisherman who do not know about the new musky/pike regulations is surprising. Last year, I had a few clients who did not know about them......there are plenty of good fisherman around here who are not familiar with the changes since they do not fish for them. I am sure it is the same in other areas, too.

I am not knocking anyone with that statement just stating the facts. How many non-musky/pike fisherman have actually read the "rule book" lately?? I do not make it a common practice of reading it from cover to cover each year but I should....

wisco and ohio are nearly stone age when it comes to musky regs. in those states, for the every day shiner draggers out therre, it's all about the harvest.

same with kentucky. green river enjoys a yearly "fish stacking" at one end of the lake during the spawn. not pretty.

taking a few pages from Minnesota's and canada's books would be a start.

i wouldn't mind becoming a musky mecca AFTER they put in regulations. i'd hate to see people crossing over to this state just to harvest a "trophy" 40 incher.

there arent many muskies in this state worth fishing for anyways!