Catch and release fishing yielding larger muskies from Wisconsin waters

Weekly News Article Published: May 11, 2010 by the Central Office

MADISON – Big muskies – really big muskies – await Wisconsin anglers this fishing season, based on what anglers reported catching and releasing last year.

“This tells you what is coming,” says Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Tim Simonson, referring to a graph he prepared showing that Muskies Inc. members reported catching and releasing 105 muskies 48 inches and longer in Wisconsin in 2009.

“The 48-inch-plus fish have been increasing every year and in 2009 was the highest ever in their 40 years of record-keeping,” says Simonson, co-leader of DNR’s musky management team.

This year, those fish are now a year older and about an inch longer, based on average growth rates among older muskies in Wisconsin.

Musky populations, heavily fished in Wisconsin in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s after four world record catches triggered a musky fishing frenzy, are now recovering and the young fish are allowed to grow bigger. (Learn more in the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine article “Long Live the Kings.”).

“What we’re seeing is a combination of higher size limits and increased voluntary release of legal size fish over the years,” Simonson says. “The growth rate of muskies is slow so it’s taken a long time to produce 48-inch and larger fish.”

Wisconsin records suggest that it takes 18 years on average for a musky to reach 50 inches, with the fish growing faster when they’re young and slower later in life, Simonson says. Before age 10, they grow about 4 inches a year. After about age nine or 10, they grow about 1 inch per year.

The growing popularity of catch-and-release has given Wisconsin muskies time to grow. Wisconsin anglers reported releasing 96 percent of the 223,101 muskies they caught during the 2006-07 license year, the most recent statewide mail survey of anglers.

This catch-and-release ethic also has helped to make this fabled “fish of 10,000 casts,” more like the fish of 3,000 casts, Simonson says.

“Our goal is to maintain catch rates of one musky every 25 hours,” he says. “That means that two anglers in a boat would spend about 12 hours to boat a fish.”

Musky densities are generally very low, even in the best waters, because muskies are large top predators with low reproduction. Good musky waters average 1 adult fish for 3 surface acres, compared to up to 20 adults per 3 surface acres in good walleye lakes.

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Rooting out weed walleye By: James Smedley

As the strengthening sun penetrates the shallows, walleye look longingly to the emerging weeds of June. They anticipate relaxing under the leafy shade and ambushing prey at their leisure. While the water temperature might be a little warmer than they'd like, an all-inclusive weedbed vacation has both food and shelter. That may be anthropomorphic clap-trap, but trust me, the fish are there.

While weed dwellers feed with impunity on leeches, minnows, insects, and crustaceans, most anglers are probing structure along shorelines or sounding the depths of secret mid-lake humps. We stick to familiar territory because what we know about evicting walleye from the weeds is that most open-water methods don't work. Virtually every traditional tactic practised in the cabbage yields more vegetable than meat. Take away vertical jigging, live-bait rigging, and trolling spinner rigs, and average walleye anglers are left scratching their heads. However, when we fine-tune our presentations to toss the salad, summer holidays are not quite as stress-free for weedbed walleye.

Once committed to weeding through vegetation, the first step is finding the weed walleye take to in a given lake. Cover is key and walleye will use what's available. These shade-loving predators will even lurk under a canopy of lily pads or weave their way through deeper stands of pencil reeds. In northwestern Ontario broad coontail flats are thrown into the mix. In southern waters, Eurasian millfoil enters the scene. In the northern-Ontario lakes I fish, however, cabbage is king for walleye. Ideal beds include thick deep-water "muskie" cabbage growing up to the surface from a 5- to 10-foot flat. No matter the type of weed, a peppering of weedless pockets and areas of sparser growth where the water drops off around the fringes is ideal. Look for such weeds growing along shoreline flats, over saddles and extended points, and up from mid-lake shoals as summer approaches.

 

The bottom can be sand or mud, but the best beds will include a bit of structure like boulders, a rock pile, or even water-logged wood. A steep dropoff adjacent to a weed flat provides the security and convenience of an easy transition from their deep-water haunts to the leafy canopy, but in the more stable, warmer weather of late spring and summer, walleye are just as liable to be on long, sloping flats.

Rising with the sun doesn't have to be part of the weed angler's routine. In fact, the higher the sun is in the sky, the greater the attraction of the weeds. When early morning anglers are heading in for lunch, big weed walleye are lounging in the shade, taking easy meals as they pass by and working on their sculpted golden figures. In fact, many of these rotund predators never leave the weeds until some clever angler gets a hook in their mouth.

The first tentative attempts at weed walleye are usually made along edges, because we can use some traditional tactics to tempt them from cover. Trolling crawler harnesses, other spinner rigs, and crankbaits tight to a weed edge will take fish if there's a definite transition between it and open water. However, most edges are not clear cut and residual tapering weeds mean trailing long strings of vegetation in front of walleye just after our boat has parted the shallow waters overhead. Such a presentation elicits more chuckles than strikes from walleye.

Working an edge from a cast length away with 1/4- to 1/2-ounce jigs is a more stealthy approach, plus we can remove weed after each retrieve. Simple ball-head jigs will suffice. They sink quickly and are readily available. Effective finishes include unpainted, white, pinks, reds, oranges, black, and chartreuse. In clear water, metallic silver and gold can be good. Cast to the edge, especially points and inside turns, and let the jig sink straight down along the face of the weeds. Two- to 4-inch soft-plastic twister-tail grub and action-tailed shad and minnow bodies work well in this situation, because the falling jig instills a life-like swimming action in them. Pop the jig up a few feet just as it touches bottom, then let it fall again. With light-sensitive eyes, walleye are not inclined to chase jigs out into the sun-streaked shallows. Usually hits come immediately, but slowly swimming the jig along to the end of our retrieve can milk a commitment from a curious follower, especially in stained water or on cloudy days.

Casting deep-diving crankbaits to edges is another effective way to pull walleye from cover. Stubby diving crankbaits like Fat Raps and Bomber Fat "A" s burrow down along the face of the weed edge. Casting at an angle or parallel to the edge increases the time a lure swims in the strike zone. Edges are often more productive at first and last light and on cloudy days, when walleye are more prone to leave the thick greenery and explore its perimeters.

If walleye won't come to us, however, we must go to them. Infiltrating a walleye's weedy world is easiest along the sparser fringes. The presence of weed provides cover, while sparse growth allows lures to run unobstructed through clear areas. Shallow-diving floating minnow baits like Rapala's original floater, Long "A" Bombers, and Rebel Minnows retrieved through patchy weeds can fool walleye hunting the outskirts for minnows. In the stained waters typical of weedy walleye lakes, combination of dark green or black backs with gold, orange, or red bellies are effective, as well as perch and firetiger patterns.

Suspending jerkbaits like the Rapala Husky Jerk or Storm ThunderStick take the ruse one step farther. With a pull-and-pause retrieve, these neutrally-buoyant lures simulate a wounded minnow hovering vulnerably, then making pathetic surges forward. Such a presentation drawn through the weedy glade forces walleye to make a move. The same is true over deeper weedbeds or along drops where weed growth tops out at two to four feet below surface. The diving depth of stickbaits and jerkbaits is controlled by the height of our rod tip on retrieve, so we can manipulate them to flirt with weed tops. Momentary hang-ups are part of the attraction, with strikes usually coming after we liberate our lure with a sharp tug.

These slender crankbaits stand up to the punishment of rubbing shoulders with stalks and leaves and allow the aggressive presentation necessary to draw walleye from their beloved shade. When walleye don't materialize along edges, over weed tops, or from sparse fringes, it's time to advance farther into the morass.

As we proceed into the thick of things, look for gaps in the weeds. Most of these pockets are not large or clear enough to effectively present a crankbait, but furnish just enough space for pitching or dunking 1/8- to 3/8-ounce jigs with soft-plastic bodies or tipped with a real meal, a worm or minnow. A slight breeze allows us to drift over a weed flat and constantly look ahead for pockets or edges to pitch or dunk a jig in. A front-mount electric can help steer you toward potential targets, but limit its use, since it can spook close-in walleye. Plan your attack on the greenery. Start upwind and drift down.

In large weedbeds there are vast areas where gaps, edges, and holes become less defined, limiting the effectiveness of regular jigs. In fact, the difficulty of presenting any lure through a maze of rigid stems and leaves is the inherent problem with connecting with bed-ridden walleye. A solution is found in weedless jigs such as Northlands' Weed-Weasel and Lindy's No-Snagg. Although we likely miss a few strikes with weedless jigs, they're designed to navigate the greenery, incorporating stiff weedguards that virtually eliminate getting hung up in heavy cover. They also have forward-pointing hook eyes situated on their nose, making them slide through the weeds. They're also suited for a technique called snap-jigging.

This more aggressive approach entails casting over emerging weedbeds and to edges, breaks, and holes, and tearing through the greenery with a series of short, sharp pulls made with a snappy wrist action on the rod. Minnows, worms, and even leeches simply wouldn't stand up under the punishment of this, but soft-plastic baits stay on the hook and represent a darting minnow better than a darting minnow. Favorites include minnow imitations, but any soft plastic with a slim profile and subtle action will serve well when snap-jigged through foliage. Ideal conditions for snap-jigging see moderate to thick weed poking up to the surface, but don't be afraid to rip through thick growth. Let the jig sink into the weeds between sharp pulls. While momentary hang-ups occur, it's all part of the presentation that see walleye inhale a jig just as it breaks from the weeds.

When weed-loving walleye really need a wake-up call, turn to rip-jigging. This aggressive approach can trigger reaction strikes. It entails literally ripping 1/2-ounce or heavier jigs through the weeds with long pulls. Don't worry. You can't rip it too fast. If a hungry walleye wants your lure, it will catch it. Even plastics rip off a jig with this technique, so bucktail-adorned styles, which are also good for snap-jigging, are the order of the day when you pick up the speed. White, black and red, and patterns with black, yellow, chartreuse, and orange that imitate perch are productive mixes of bucktail. Again, a jig with a forward line tie can help deflect weeds. Banana-heads are popular for rip-jigging, but some practitioners even use bullet- and wedge heads, feeling that tearing off greenery is all part of rip-jigging and doesn't seem to deter walleye.

When walleye can't be triggered into an instinctive attack, slow things down. Rooting a content walleye from its shady lair sometimes requires delivering a tempting entree of real meat to a break in the weeds, without spooking the fish with the noise or shadow of our boat. Our goal is not to pull bait through the pocket, but leave the worm, minnow, or leech in full view for tentative walleye to scrutinize. It's a tall order, but slip-floats deliver perfectly. The concept is simple, cast to a break in the weeds, maintain a reasonable distance from your float, and set the hook when it disappears. Adjust the stop on a slip-float so the bait sits about halfway down to the bottom, within the upward gaze of our prey. The float itself does nothing to attract the fish. It simply suspends bait in one area and indicates when there's a strike. It does this best when the weight under it is balanced against the float's buoyancy. Optimum balance means near neutral buoyancy. This provides maximum sensitivity to indicate strikes and offers virtually no resistance to dining walleye. The low profile of a balanced float also means most of it remains underwater, save the narrow painted tip, minimizing the effect of wind and keeping the float over the sweet spot longer.

Slip-float rigs rely on the seductive powers of live bait, so it's important to present bait as naturally as possible. Rather than balance a float against the weight of a jig, use split shot above a single hook. Match hook size to minnow size, but for worms and leeches scale down to no larger than a No. 6 bait hook. Colored hooks or the addition of a bead can add a splash of color, but the most important part of the slip-float equation is lively, healthy bait. Maximize the action of minnows by hooking them in the back, just in front of the dorsal fin. Worms and leeches also hover seductively when hooked near their middle. We can instill a little movement with slight flicks of our rod tip, but it's the simple, quiet, stealthy delivery of the real thing that can be key to extracting walleye from the weeds.

As waters warm and the shallows thicken with summer growth, walleye have a new place to hide. The weeds are the foundation of an annual summer vacation that sees smug walleye living the good life in a lush hammock of greenery. Adjust our presentations to probe the beds and the vacation is over.
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