mostlymuskies

Frogger, Your missing the point all together, only so many Northern pike ever make it above 40"! If all the bigger northern pike all get killed for Tournament Entry you end up with hammer handles. Conesus Lake is getting to the hammer handle stage now, if you do not believe me go to the Inlet in late March and look at the northern pike and you will see mostly small ones compared to some that we use to see from 45 to 48"! These same big northern pike thin down the numbers of smaller ones and keep the whole northern pike population in check.Without the bigger northern pike you end up with s large number of smaller hammer handles all competing for the same forage.

The NYDEC does raise Northern Pike, Tiger Muskie & Muskie.They actually have one of the best Purebred Muskie Stocking Programs in the world.The problem with Northern Pike, Tiger Muskies & Muskies is they take many years to get to maturity, 20 to 30 years.One out of a thousand stocked actually makes it to 40" and that is in a water where catch & release practices are the norm.So when tournaments are allowed to kill these fish and it is the biggest fish that upper year class is being whiped out and will take many years for more fish to get to that size.Now put into that prospective Northern Pike they do not stock them on a regular basis so when you take the big ones all out of a fishery and allow 5 fish creel limit some waters will never recover.The bigger Northern Pike also control the overall population of small Northern Pike,so when the bigger ones are removed you end up with large numbers of smaller fish and they can be stunted in growth and you end up with an abundance of hammer handles!This is why a slot limit size of 25" to 35" being caught will assure there are small class fish & big class fish remaining to have a good fishery.

We are not talking about changing Northern Pike to Catch & Release for the General Fishing Regulations, Only for Fishing Tournament Permits mandatory issued by the NYSDEC when over 20 fishermen are fishing in a Tournament.There is the possibility of making this change to specific waters only as well, I will get a meeting setup with the NYDEC Warm Water Division in Albany and see what direction we need to go!While there this would be a good time to discuss raising the size limit to 30" (or slot limit of 25 to 35" anything lower or higher must go back)and lowering the creel limit to (2) Two per day for some waters of NY state.Do not under estimate use Esox fishermen, we have been able to get the NYDEC to see our way on changes; Great Lakes Muskie 54" size limit and Tiger Muskie Season set back to 3rd Saturday in June to match Muskie Season the 3rd Saturday in June.Inland we have gotten the size limit raised to 40" for Muskie and the starting date changed to the Last Saturday in May from the 3rd Saturday in June.Anything is possible when you go through the right avenues for change! It also helps with the muskie clubs having a great working relationship with the NYDEC!

Finders Keepers, I can understand that you have already committed to the Tournament the way you have it setup this year and it would be costly and difficult to change it for this year! So the only action that I will take is to encourage those that I can not to sign up if they feel the way I do about the kill rule for Northern Pike.But myself and many others want to see a change to catch & release of Northern Pike for 2016 Tournament.In the meantime I'm going to push for a Resolution to make any Permit issued by the NYSDEC for a Fishing Tournament for Muskie, Tiger Muskie & Northern Pike be for Catch & Release Only, I will do this through the Federations of Sportsmen's Club's to the NY Conservation Council asking for a Regulation Change to the NYSDEC Fishing Regulations / Fishing Tournament Permits!

Sometimes I can get carried away when it comes to protecting our fisheries, but I will continue tell it as I see it! I will not fish this Tournament because of the catch & kill northern pike category and will recommend others not to support it as well until it changes to Catch & Release! I have no problem telling clients they can't keep a muskie over 50"+ on my charters, that is what I believe in! Capt Larry D Jones E.C.F.A.B. Member E.C.F.S.C. Director E.l.E.C.B.A. Pres. NY Muskies 69 Regional Rep.

Chas0218, Walleyes are stocked and take a short number of years to get to maturity on Lake Ontario.Northern Pike be it inland, rivers or Great Lakes are not stocked on any regular basis and take many years and many year classes to get a few Northern Pike over 45" and up!We're talking about two different types of fish here, one replenishes itself very good and is also stocked, the other is trying to survive but is getting thinned down to hammer handles only in a lot of fisheries because of most of the bigger fish not being released, kill tournaments will only make it worse.Walleyes I put back the larger ones for spawning and keep the 2 to 4 lbers to eat, if northern pike fishermen that eat them did the same eat the smaller ones that taste better and released the bigger ones we would have trophy fisheries and good returning year classes to cull from in the future, keeping a world class fishery!

Conesus use to be a fishery where one could catch multiple Northern Pike over 45" during open water season! Not anymore because of the liberal ice fishing limits allowed on those Northern Pike your lucky if you can now catch one overv40" in a season of fishing!

The other species of fish are stocked, Northern Pike are not stocked on a normal basis in NY State and the years for a Northern Pike to get to 48 to 50 inches could be as long as 30 years.Just like when you take all the big bucks out of one area you loose that gene pool of continued big bucks, same goes for Northern Pike, plus the bigger Northern Pike are the best spawnders to continue year classes.Why not just not have a category for Northern Pike this year until you can setup Catch & Release for next year?

You leave me no choice but to take this issue to the NY State Conservation Council through Resolution!Asking that all Tournaments for Muskie, Tiger Muskie & Northern Pike in NY State to be Catch & Release Only and a NYSDEC Permit must be issued like the NYSDEC Tournament Permit required for individual lakes, rivers and state lands now!Again everyone has the right to keep any legal fish they catch,hopefully for consumption, but to just kill Trophy fish for a prize when those fish are not stocked on a put & take basis is just wrong!I will also check with the NYSDEC to see if they can issue a NYSDEC Tournament Permit for all waters in NY State or if you need a Permit for each Water the Tournament will take place, any Tournament with 20 or more participates for prizes requires Permits.Also if you payout any prize over $600 you must file a NY State Tax Return showing this!Could be easier for you to just do Catch & Release for the Northern Pike catagory!

Trophy size back into the waterNorthern Pike will bring more tourism dollars to NY State then a tournament that cuts down the numbers of Trophy size Northern Pike! People travel on vacation to where they can catch not only the most of the species they target but also the largest of that species! If we do not take good conservation steps to protect the fisheries we have, they will not be here in the future.Even one Pro Walleye Circuit has gone to Catch & Release with on board measurement & weighing,Then quickly back into the water to swim away.Do not take me wrong I'm all for persons keeping fish to eat to supplement ones food source, but to just kill a fish for a prize when that fish could have been released to keep your fishery strong, that is where I draw a line!

Muskies Inc. runs a Catch & Release Tournament for the entire season for Muskies done with measurements in inches with a witness signing off on Tournament Release Form.So there is no reason why the Northern Pike part of this Tournament can't be a Catch & Release category as well!

If the tournament is giving back to the NY State Stocking Program for what fish? Most likely not for northern pike stocking to replenish fish that were killed.That also means mostly bigger northern pike will be killed, the best spawnders of the species.The NY State Northern Pike regulations during Ice fishing are the reason now why the average size has declined in almost every water where there once were giants as it is, kill tournaments just help in that decline.

Only 55 fishermen so far and they can't find a way to do catch & release for pike! I will side with you Oldman and avoid this tournament!

Well the river & lake are brown, so I guess it is time to clean everything out of the boat and stretch wrap it for the 2 1/2 month lay up until March when it is time for Cave Run,KY!

What did everyone get this Christmas? I really made out very well, wife gave me Florida Keys Fishing Trip for late March for two weeks.My brother gave me airline tickets to Seattle for September and 4 weeks of Salmon fishing.Plus I leave for Guyana South America for 6 weeks the middle of January.I have the best wife in the world!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Mostly Muskies Charters!

We have 3 guys going to Rewa River on Feb 1st and 2 guys going Feb 14th to 28th, still room to add others. www.guyanafishing.com

Today I was to have gone trout fishing on the Upper Niagara River, did not make it clients were sick in motel room this morning.I will try to get out Friday after Christmas to run Stabil through the motors and catch some steelhead.Then I will have the boat shrink wrapped and stored until mid March!

Yes, the hooks I showed here were probably Lakers or Big Walleye, but other hooks I did not take a picture of were very thick hooks just like muskies mark.So much gizzard Shad kinda hard to fool any fish into an artificial lure!

One last try for muskies at Presque Isle Bay out front of Erie, Pa.Bay water temp was 34.2 degrees and almost void of anything that swims.Out past the Coast Guard Base along the bouy line out into Lake Erie the water temp was 37.3 degrees and Gizzard Dad And Big Hooks top to bottom.Only thing that was happening was snagging the Shad, none of the Big Hooks were active, no hits! But it was worth the try anyway.One last trip out with the boat fishing for Trout from Peace Bridge to the International Railroad Bridge in the 40 degree weather on Tuesday. Then I will have to think about stretch wrapping the boat and get ready for Guyana South America Fishing!