2008 SPRING MUSKIE ASSESSEMENT SUMMARY

2008 SPRING MUSKIE ASSESSEMENT SUMMARY

REGION I

SPRING LAKE NORTH

We started fishing 30 traps of all sizes on March 17th. Water temperature at the North Spring Lake boat ramp was 51°F. We pulled nets on the 20th, so effectively fished three days.

We caught a total of 170 MUE's, 106 males and 64 females. About half the females were flowing at the time we brought them to the hatchery. Fish were spawned and all were returned to the lake by the 21st. of March. All eggs have hatched and the fish are out in trays in the start tanks at Jake Wolf.

We were able to recapture 57 tagged fish this year. It has been 2 years since we quit actively tagging fish on Spring Lake. We recovered 3 tags from morts that were collected during the VHS fish collection and this springs' brood fish collection.

REGION 2

FOX CHAIN O’LAKES

The muskie survey in spring 2008 was conducted over 21 net nights of effort. Three areas in the Chain were surveyed. On 4/14 – 4/15 seven net nights of effort were fished in Lakes Channel and Catherine, on 4/15 – 4/16 seven net nights of effort were fished in Pistakee Lake, and 4/16 – 4/17 two net nights of effort were fished in Lake Marie, two in Bluff Lake, two in Petite and one in Spring Lake. The Fox Chain was beyond flood stage and over it’s banks so the system was “no wake” throughout and netting locations had to be close together to reduce running time. High flows throughout the system increased by-catch to the point that nets could not be lifted by three staff and fish were sorted over the side of the boat for target and non-target fish.

Water temperatures varied from 39º F to 48ºF from north (Channel/Catherine) to south (Pistakee), respectfully.

We collected 55 muskie in 21 net nights of effort during our targeted muskie survey and another 47 muskie in 24 net nights of effort during our walleye broodstock collections the week prior. For this summary all data are combined.

CPE during muskie project = 2.6 muskie per net night

CPE overall = 2.3 muskie per net night

Avg. Male = 33.1” and 9.6 lbs. (n=71)

Avg. Female = 39.3” and 16.7 lbs. (n=28)

Avg. Muskie = 34.2” and 11.6 lbs. (n=102)

Immature muskie - Avg. 13.7” (n=3)

Marked fish summaries shown below for growth purposes:

Floy Tag	PIT Tag	Sex	Original Date	Original length (inches)	Recap Date	Recap length (inches)	#2-Recap Date	#2 Recap length (inches)	#3 Recap Date	#3 Recap length (inches)	Growth per year (inches)
6478	46592D5D28	M	4/15/05	35.1	4/8/08	35.5					0.13
6166		M	3/31/04	35.2	4/9/08	37.2					0.49
6181	4724157940	M	4/1/04	32.8	3/29/07	39.3	4/14/08	39.3			1.62
6272	465850264F	M	4/15/05	36.5	4/15/08	36.9					0.13
5101/ 6425	4658567E65	M	1/1/97	29.0	4/3/03	35.8	4/13/05	36.0	4/17/08	36.5	0.68
6306	4658540B3F	M	4/15/05	35.4	4/17/08	36.2					0.26
6169	46592D7D44	M	3/14/04	33.7	4/13/05	35.4	4/17/08	36.4			0.67
	4723374A15	M	4/12/06	32.9	4/17/08	35.6					1.36
	46582D2C68	M	4/4/06	23.4	4/17/08	32.8					4.66
6403	4658567E65	F	4/13/05	33.5	4/15/08	39.4					1.97
	472406645E	F	4/13/06	44.5	4/15/08	45.2					0.35
6270	464D20413C	F	4/15/05	40.4	4/9/08	45.4					1.65
6447	4659355641	F	4/13/05	39.1	4/8/08	45.3					2.06
6187	465924606A	F	4/4/06	37.9	4/3/07	38.6	4/9/08	38.9			0.49

Sixteen marked fish were collected. Two fish had marks that were untraceable (one had the spaghetti tag in the fish with the data portion removed and an LV (left pelvic) clipped fish was collected in Channel Lake from a 2001 mark recapture project in Channel Lake).

Fish were generally collected in lakes they were originally marked and occasionally in adjacent lakes. Marked fish have been reported as far south as Yorkville and at the Wisconsin line but none further north.

Male muskie rarely exceed 40” but females grow through and continue to larger sizes. Our longest fish in 2008 measured 48.5”, our heaviest 29.2 pounds. Historically our longest is 49.5” and our heaviest 36.4 pounds. Bigger fish are south but fish are more abundant in the north.

We had one obviously spotted fish (Leech Lake strain), it was caught in Pistakee and measured 45.7” and weighed 23.8 pounds.

We have yet to collect any of the 200 Leech lake strain fish donated by SOB Chapter we PIT tagged on 12/21/2005. We specifically set in Channel and Catherine this year in an effort to sample those fish. Some male fish from that stocking should be entering maturity this year and should have been vulnerable to our gear. We will make another attempt to collect these fish next year.

HEIDECKE LAKE

REGION 3

EVERGREEN LAKE

We set 10 frame nets on March 24th. Due to 30mph winds and 3 ft waves, we did not run the nets on the 25th. Luckily we did not have any morts when we ran the nets on the 26th. We collected 74 muskie from the 10 nets. The best net had 20 muskie and the next best was 17. We had 2 zero nets. Due to thunderstorms scheduled for the next day, I did not reset the nets. The largest muskie collected was a little over 33 pounds. We had 12 PIT tagged muskie recaptured. Our running average for catch rate is 2 muskie per net night. Even with accounting for not running the nets one night, this year was almost double that rate. We hit the muskie just right but missed the saugeye. We did collect one saugeye over the state record, so that was good to see.

REGION 4

OTTER LAKE

During our late March 2008 MUE evaluation we captured 23 MUE measuring from 26" to 41.5", and weighing up to 25.9 lbs. 8 gillnets were set over a 3 day period. These nets were set, and walked every 2 hours. The 8 nets were set for a total of 34 hours. No Mue mortality was noted.

Of the 23 MUE found, only 2 (8.7%) were recaptured fish. 9 (39%) MUE were males, while 14 (61%) females. Below are the data for both recaptured MUE:

1) Initially tagged in March 2007 this female MUE measured 39", and weighed 17.1 lbs. When recaptured in March 2008, she measured 41.5", and tipped the scale at 17.8 lbs. She recorded an annual growth of 2.5", and .7 lbs.

2) The other recap was a female, as well. In March 2005 we tagged her at 34", and weighing 10.5 lbs. When recaptured in March 2008, she measured 40.3", and weighed 18.3 lbs. This data shows a mean annual increase of 2.1" in length, and 2.6 lbs. in weight.

REGION 5

KINKAID LAKE

RECORD YEAR - The following trap netting records were set this year on Kinkaid Lake.

1. Catch per unit effort (more fish per net than ever before) 3.2 fish per net per night.

2. One day total of 75 fish. Previous high was 59 in 2002.

3. Most fish in one net = 23. Previous high was 20 in 2003.

As a result of the success in trap netting this year, I plan on scaling back the effort to one week in the future.

BIG FISH

1. Largest was a female measuring 46.8". Because of consistently windy conditions I was only able to weigh fish one day. The largest fish that day was a 44.8 inch female that weighed 25.6 pounds.

2. Largest male fish was 40.5 inches

SPILLWAY BARRIER

For the first time since the October 1998 installation, there was confirmed escapement of muskie over the Kinkaid Lake spillway barrier. Heavy rains resulted in at least 6 inches to a foot of water exiting the Lake over the spillway barrier. Nineteen muskie and 5 walleye were rescued and returned to the Lake.

PIT TAGGED FISH - Young of Year

In 2004 and 2005, researchers from SIU implanted PIT tags in some muskie at Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery before the fish were stocked into Kinkaid Lake. IDNR collected 12 of these fish this year during sampling. Nine were collected during trap netting and three were rescued from the spillway basin.