Muskie found dead

spilliard1

spilliard1

Well-Known Member
R.O.C. (Radio Operator's Certificate)
Guys I am might get blasted for this but I am going to do it anyway. There have been multiple large muskie found dead on the beaches of Turkey Point. Including 4 this morning. This source has found 7 this year. After the nice weather and multiple boats out fishing this past weekend its very painful to see. PLEASE lets get this out in the open and common. DO NOT FISH for these fish if you are not completely prepared to deal with them. They may be a top apex predator but that are an extremely fragile specimen. Muskie fishing requires several things that make the experience for both fish and angler a lasting one.
1) Heavy tackle
7' to 9' XH rods
65 to 100lb braid
80lb leaders
This helps get the fish into the boat quickly and causes less stress on the fish. The longer they fight the worse they are. They will discolor red & possibly bleed from their tail and skin all over the body in these times of stress. Less red and blood, less stress.
2) Huge nets
These fish are big and need huge nets. Once netted they can sit perfectly up right in the water inside the net. Scooping them into a small net and cupping them is extremely hard on them and their skin.
3) Heavy long nose pliers, jaw spreaders & BOLT CUTTERS
This one is very important. Do not dig the huge hooks out of these fish. Simply cut them with bolt cutters, they will work free. The stresses of digging at them and flipping them around cause them huge stress.
4) Bump boards
Many companies sell bump boards to measure fish. They are not hard on their skin and can give you a quick measurement. DO NOT lay them on the floor of the boat for measuring, they can flop around damage themselves and their skin. Do not hold them up by the gills alone either. Big fish are very heavy and that can damage the gill plates. Once ready pick them up quick supporting them under their mid section.

Once ready for release DO NOT torpedo them over board. The stresses they just endured require them some time to recover. If you have a big spread of lines out, STOP, I know its a shitty deal getting everything in and possibly untangled but these fish are worth the respect of stopping and dealing with them properly. Take in to account all the time you spend fishing for them, and dedicate a touch of it to preserving this awesome fishery we have here right now. Have some respect and please use the proper equipment to target them properly.

Others have posted some of the same tips, lets please try and keep these fish healthy.
Just note I do not care what people might have to say about this post. I have made my thoughts clear and I am not going to get into an internet troll battle. This is the only post I will make .This is how muskie fishing should be. I fully understand people wanting to target these fish but please do with the proper equipment and be prepared for what might happen on the water.

Let's keep this awesome fishery the way we found it...Please.
 
spilliard1 said:
Guys I am might get blasted for this but I am going to do it anyway. There have been multiple large muskie found dead on the beaches of Turkey Point. Including 4 this morning. This source has found 7 this year. After the nice weather and multiple boats out fishing this past weekend its very painful to see. PLEASE lets get this out in the open and common. DO NOT FISH for these fish if you are not completely prepared to deal with them. They may be a top apex predator but that are an extremely fragile specimen. Muskie fishing requires several things that make the experience for both fish and angler a lasting one.
1) Heavy tackle
7' to 9' XH rods
65 to 100lb braid
80lb leaders
This helps get the fish into the boat quickly and causes less stress on the fish. The longer they fight the worse they are. They will discolor red & possibly bleed from their tail and skin all over the body in these times of stress. Less red and blood, less stress.
2) Huge nets
These fish are big and need huge nets. Once netted they can sit perfectly up right in the water inside the net. Scooping them into a small net and cupping them is extremely hard on them and their skin.
3) Heavy long nose pliers, jaw spreaders & BOLT CUTTERS
This one is very important. Do not dig the huge hooks out of these fish. Simply cut them with bolt cutters, they will work free. The stresses of digging at them and flipping them around cause them huge stress.
4) Bump boards
Many companies sell bump boards to measure fish. They are not hard on their skin and can give you a quick measurement. DO NOT lay them on the floor of the boat for measuring, they can flop around damage themselves and their skin. Do not hold them up by the gills alone either. Big fish are very heavy and that can damage the gill plates. Once ready pick them up quick supporting them under their mid section.

Once ready for release DO NOT torpedo them over board. The stresses they just endured require them some time to recover. If you have a big spread of lines out, STOP, I know its a shitty deal getting everything in and possibly untangled but these fish are worth the respect of stopping and dealing with them properly. Take in to account all the time you spend fishing for them, and dedicate a touch of it to preserving this awesome fishery we have here right now. Have some respect and please use the proper equipment to target them properly.

Others have posted some of the same tips, lets please try and keep these fish healthy.
Just note I do not care what people might have to say about this post. I have made my thoughts clear and I am not going to get into an internet troll battle. This is the only post I will make .This is how muskie fishing should be. I fully understand people wanting to target these fish but please do with the proper equipment and be prepared for what might happen on the water.

Let's keep this awesome fishery the way we found it...Please.
Click to expand...
VERY WELL SAID.
Being a Muskie fisherman myself these fish need special equipment to fish & care for if caught. Yes you will catch a Muskie at times when not targeting them. Pls take care of these monsters if landed.
 
Nicely said Jesse👍👍. As you know me well enough that’s one species I don’t target just for the reason I’m not set up do musky. But there has been the odd accidental catch.
With the amount of pike I do catch are released provided they aren’t hurt or bleeding. I’ve had to revive some because of the amount of stress that it puts on. I’ll put them in the live well before being released back. Also, this one of the reasons why I’ve changed my tackle from multiple hooks to single hooks. Less carnage on the fish from lure removal.
As to your rant I’ll start my rant.
Social media (not mentioning which ones) shows an individual constantly posting and bragging on catches being made of fish that I would be ashamed to post because of sizes, quantities and mishandling of the fish. To me that’s not a fisherman, that’s a meat hunter bragging about quantities. 😡
 
That’s ridiculous blame the fishermen ever consider the wind and temp change kill more fish this is a joke to blame fellow fishermen
 
From my post you could assume I am blaming fisherman. I never once said fisherman killed them, however in battling these fish for most of my adult fishing life, I have learned that they are very fragile and need proper attention. If anyone wants to call it a joke, go for it I don't care. It's not a joke to me or the several passionate muskie fisherman out there that are thrilled we have such a gem fishery in our back yard. I am trying to spread knowledge about how to fish for and care for them properly so we have them for years to come. I have pictures of these dead fish but feel I do not need to post them. Temperature and wind change do not kill muskie, that to me is a joke. With the number of boats (27 on sun when we were out) fishing for them and the number of posts of fish being caught all across social media, it's simply an odd coincidence that several show up dead. This thread was never created for a long drawn out bashing of me or others. It was simply created to spread some knowledge.
Sorry to Stomp for what this thread might bring. I just have a soft spot for the toothy critters!! I hate to see them dead. Great post G.Mech
 
Tyler0420 said:
If there’s that many dead musky at turkey point I wonder how many are in the st Clair/Thames river area.
Click to expand...
Based on my observations, the St Clair fishermen are, in general, far better equipped and prepared to handle the fish than many I've been watching around Long Point. Sure there will be always be some casualties but we need to do our best to minimize the damage if we're going to hunt these things. We all assume & hope our fish swim off healthy after release but the reality is, some do die during and after release so we need to be diligent.
 
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If anyone is interested in the Muskies Canada organization, there are local chapters in Hamilton, K-W, & Belle River. All of these chapters are full of knowledgeable muskie guys, guides, and bait builders. The monthly meetings run from September until June and are fun, informative and usually include a guest speaker, prize table, and a few adult beverages. Anyone is welcome to attend any of the meetings, feel free to show up and check one out. I am a member of the Hamilton chapter but the K-W group chapter is also popular locally.
  • Hamilton's Next meeting is tonight at 7pm at the Powerhouse Restaurant, 21 Jones Road, Stoney Creek ON
  • K-W's next meeting is Wednesday Nov 15th 7pm at Ernies Roadhouse, 7 Queen St W Cambridge
  • Belle River meets on Fridays at the Belle River Legion (upstairs), I will confirm the next date
https://muskiescanada.ca/en/
 
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@spilliard1 I think this is a phenomenal post!
I've spent years targeting muskie, and have seen several posts this year of mishandled muskie from longpoint.
These fish are EXTREMELY fragile for their size, and a lot of people are ignorant to that fact.
Proper handling and release tools can save a lot of fish.
Please treat them with care.
Let'm go, let'm grow!
 
This is a good post some good knowledge being shared. The inner and outer bay is a developing Muskie fishery that needs to be respected. To many social media posts and poor fish handling will harm this fragile fishery.
 
The post is OK. Nothing most don't already know and goes for basically all trophy fish . The most likely culprit is the Fluctuating water levels and temp or a commercial vessel or netting. It's common especially in big lakes like Nipp and even the French. We saw 2 dead trophy muskie floating in the French this fall year and neither was a result of fishing practices. Have also witnessed local gill nets with big muskie in around north bay and cache bay. Have caught many long point muskie with no issues and have never witnessed any issues from others . This can't be said for the Detroit River where muskie routinely get clubbed for eating perch and walleye.
I think a more appropriate approach would be a reminder that all trophy fish should be handled with care
 
spilliard1 said:
Guys I am might get blasted for this but I am going to do it anyway. There have been multiple large muskie found dead on the beaches of Turkey Point. Including 4 this morning. This source has found 7 this year. After the nice weather and multiple boats out fishing this past weekend its very painful to see. PLEASE lets get this out in the open and common. DO NOT FISH for these fish if you are not completely prepared to deal with them. They may be a top apex predator but that are an extremely fragile specimen. Muskie fishing requires several things that make the experience for both fish and angler a lasting one.
1) Heavy tackle
7' to 9' XH rods
65 to 100lb braid
80lb leaders
This helps get the fish into the boat quickly and causes less stress on the fish. The longer they fight the worse they are. They will discolor red & possibly bleed from their tail and skin all over the body in these times of stress. Less red and blood, less stress.
2) Huge nets
These fish are big and need huge nets. Once netted they can sit perfectly up right in the water inside the net. Scooping them into a small net and cupping them is extremely hard on them and their skin.
3) Heavy long nose pliers, jaw spreaders & BOLT CUTTERS
This one is very important. Do not dig the huge hooks out of these fish. Simply cut them with bolt cutters, they will work free. The stresses of digging at them and flipping them around cause them huge stress.
4) Bump boards
Many companies sell bump boards to measure fish. They are not hard on their skin and can give you a quick measurement. DO NOT lay them on the floor of the boat for measuring, they can flop around damage themselves and their skin. Do not hold them up by the gills alone either. Big fish are very heavy and that can damage the gill plates. Once ready pick them up quick supporting them under their mid section.

Once ready for release DO NOT torpedo them over board. The stresses they just endured require them some time to recover. If you have a big spread of lines out, STOP, I know its a shitty deal getting everything in and possibly untangled but these fish are worth the respect of stopping and dealing with them properly. Take in to account all the time you spend fishing for them, and dedicate a touch of it to preserving this awesome fishery we have here right now. Have some respect and please use the proper equipment to target them properly.

Others have posted some of the same tips, lets please try and keep these fish healthy.
Just note I do not care what people might have to say about this post. I have made my thoughts clear and I am not going to get into an internet troll battle. This is the only post I will make .This is how muskie fishing should be. I fully understand people wanting to target these fish but please do with the proper equipment and be prepared for what might happen on the water.

Let's keep this awesome fishery the way we found it...Please.
Click to expand...
 
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