muskiedreams

That's good. There are still quite a few walleye and perch fisherman out there that beleive muskies are killing all the walleye and perch. I actually met one a few weeks ago at the Field & Stream grand opener. I tried to convince him that it isn't true. I am not sure if I got through to him. I wonder if the main reason they hate muskies and pike is that sometimes one will bite off their lure.

ontherise, If you are serious about this statement, please read these two links with an open mind. I am sure I can find more items that support the findings here. I have read a lenghly report on the study that was done by the Minnesota DNR That study, I beleive involved about 20 lakes over a 10 year period. http://www.thenextbite.tv/sites/default/files/WhatDoMuskiesReallyEat.pdf http://www.lakevermilion.com/muskies/htmls/diets.html

You can't always do everything perfect. Every situation is different. It does help to understand, be prepared and strive for the best possible catch and release procedure. There will sometimes be situations where things won't go as smoothly as you would have liked. You have to learn from each C&R and think about what you can do the next time to make things go smoother. You just have to do the best you can for the safety of the fish, your fishing partner and yourself. Ivan, Your post came up while I was writing this. Thank you. It is a perfect example of what I am trying to say. Part of what we have to do is to learn from every situation and our mistakes and help others with what we have learned in a respectful manor without belittling them for thier mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and not every release goes as smoothly as we would like. Sometimes the fish causes dificulty or there is another unforseen circumstance. The most important thing is to stress the importance of doing the best we can for the sake of our valuable fisheries and to educate those who are new to musky fishing, do not understand or have misconceived understanding (such as walleye anglers who still beleive that muskies kill many walleye).

It always seems to be difficult to hold a tournamet there this time of the year. There is always many days of high winds in the fall. On top of that, when there are heavy SW winds, Lake Erie and the river turn to mud that can take two or three days to clear up. If this Saturday is too windy, we will probably have to postpone it another week. We are reluctant to hold it on Sunday, the 2nd, out of respect to the Niagara Musky Association which will be holding their annual Tim Witek Memorial Tournament that day.

New date will be this Sat. Nov. 1. Register at the Sheridan launch 6AM to 7:15AM.

We are postponing the tournament due to small craft advisory. Postponement date TBA.

Sory I forgot to give the date. I edited that into it.

This is an open catch and release tournament. Tournament boundaries are limited to the Upper Niagara River. Click Here for tournament rules. In addition to rules, those fishing in Canadian waters must adhere to Canadian boating and fishing regulations. Tournament hours are 7 AM til 3:30 PM. Registration will be at the Sheridan launch between 6 AM and 7:15 AM. Entry fee is $25/person. In the event of a small craft advisory, the tournament will be postponed. Notice will be given here if postponed. Prizes will be awarded at the Carol's Fishing Club (CFC) boathouse on Grand Island. I hear there will be chilli and fish fry.

The early season is for inland waters only. Muskies in those waters are primarilly maintained by stocking. Although there is some evidence of naturral reproduction in those waters, the spawning takes place earlier than in the great lakes since waters warm up earlier. This was the reasoning behind the season change.

Stinky Finger, I hope some of them read this discussion. Predation is a natural occurrence. I wouldn't be surprised if more walleyes are eaten by other walleyes or eagles or cormorants or bass. In that case, would they condone killing everything that kills walleye? Oh, they do kill walleye also, so does that make them hypocrites? They should accept the fact that there is natural predation and it can be beneficial by leaving the best survivors to strengthen the gene pool. They should be more concerned with preserving and enhancing their natural habitat, stocking programs and not overfishing them, especially in waters that support natural reproduction.

Very cool!! Glad to hear It is going to be ok. Well worth the effort.

Daniel, I highly recomend joining the Niagara Musky Association. Here is a link to the website http://niagaramuskyassociation.ning.com/. I live in Rochester but have been a member for many years. The club is cellibrating it's 20th year anniversity. Orriginally founded by a group of musky fisherman who wanterd to promote conservation and "catch and release". There are a lot of knowledgeable musky anglers who are always willing to help new anglers who are conservation minded. You have probably met some of them if you fish those waters. There is a monthly meeting at the Edridge Club in Tonawanda on the first Tueseday of every month at 7PM.