Lake Simcoe Muskies stocking efforts

Hi Guys and Gals,

In these forums there have been people catching, sighting or possibly sighting muskie in simcoe and couchiching. For those who want to read into the efforts between Muskies Canada and the MNRF to restore the Muskies' population to what it was in the past, you can find information here:

https://muskiescanadadotca.wordpress.com/20...ration-project/

Basically, at various locations around the lake, Muskies have been stocked with the largest numbers of 4,000 in 2015, however the stocking efforts of fingerlings started in 2005. If you are interested, give it a quick read! With netting fish, there are always other fish caught and there is a quick list of other species these nets have caught and how many of each species as well.

Remember this is the latest report I could find in Muskies Canada (dated January 2016). More muskies were stocked in 2016 as well
Its a good read.

Thanks,

Dmorrs

Well, let me quote again:

QUOTE from "THE FISHERIES of LAKE SIMCOE", by HUGH MacCRIMMON, Professor of Zoology, University of Guelph and ELMARS SKOBE, Biologist, Lake Simcoe Fisheries Management Unit, published in 1970:

"The Maskinongé (or Muskellunge in English) - During the 19th century, maskinonge, Esox maskinongy, were abundant in certain parts of Lake Simcoe, particularly in Cook Bay and to a lesser degree near the weedy river mouths and bays on the east and north shores. There was a good maskinonge fishery in the area of the Atherley narrows and in Lake Couchiching to the north.

The first annual commercial fishing returns in 1868 listed 25,000 pounds of maskinonge taken from Lake Simcoe waters.

The maskinonge was abundant in Lake Simcoe around 1900 for local fisheres officers noted that maskinonge were most plentiful on the spawning beds and that poaching in the Holland Marsh was difficult to control.

The rather rapid dwindling of the maskinonge population in the Cook Bay area after 1930 coincided with the appearance of the pike. One competent local fisherman who watched the decline of the maskinonge and the sudden rise in the numbers of pike stated in reminiscence that "no matter how much spearing was done in the Holland Marsh, there was no noticeable decrease in the maskinonge until the pike became numerous."

Angling: The maskinonge has faded from the sport fishery of the lake although senior resident fishermen can recall the time when maskinonge were abundant and offered remarkably fine fishing. It is doubtful if any anglers now consider it worthwhile to fish for maskinonge in Lake Simcoe.

The total annual captures of an estimated dozen or less fish are made usually while trolling or casting for pike or other warm water species.

A closed season had been placed on the maskinonge as early as 1889. In 1900 a daily limit of four (4) maskinonge of 18 inches in length was imposed. The present limit is two maskinonge not less than 28 inches in total length.

The population of maskinonge in Lake Simcoe has continued to decline in spite of the protection given to it by fisheries regulations establishing extensive closed seasons and drastic restrictions on creel limits and legal lengths.

Present limits on the size and numbers of maskinonge which may be taken by angling are of little value particularly in view of the absence of a significant sport fishery.

Plantings of over 1/2 million maskinonge fry and fingerlings have been made in Lake Simcoe waters since 1936. There has been no indication that these plantings have been of value in maintaining the present low population level although it is certain that they have neither improved angling success nor increased noticeably the numbers of maskinonge. In spite of the exceedingly low population of maskinonge, there would appear to be sufficient parent fish to multiply their numbers by natural reproduction under suitable environment conditions. However, all available maskinonge fry and advanced fingerlings should be planted in the Holland Marsh area as long as there is any possibility that restocking may help sustain thie maskinonge fishery.

The decline of the maskinonge population during the past 40 years is coincident with three (3) remarkable changes in the fauna and habitat of the Cook Bay and Holland Marsh area where it formerly thrived.

First, there came the introduction of the carp which subsequently took complete possession of the weedy areas and destroyed much of the rooted aquatic vegetation which was the preferred habitat of the maskinonge.

Secondly, the tremendous increase in the numbers of pike has paralleled a corresponding decrease in the maskinonge population.

Thirdly, the original spawning areas of the maskinonge in the Holland Marsh have been restricted by the dyking and draining of marshland for agricultural purposes.

UNQUOTE

so, we know that they stocked muskie's back into the lake. whether or not they have succeeded is another thing.

i would think its safe to say that there must be some still lurking around in the lake.
the water wolf is a strong ,vicious fish.

I am not exactly sure what relevance quoting a document that is 47 years old does for us? I would like to see a current document that either supports or denies the claims made against the muskie fishery in the quoted 1970 document.

After reading the Muskies Canada info am I right in saying that muskie reintroduction has been ongoing since 2005 and there is zero evidence that there is even one muskie that made it to adulthood? Is the reason given that they are just that sly, and we fisherman know that to be true, that they haven't been caught or worse, they are not surviving?

I am all for reintroduction of native species but sometime it appears that our biologists fail to note that the environment since there was a flourishing natural population has change and perhaps can't sustain them any more?

This is the case with the Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario but we will take all the funds being spend on the stream rehabilitation and the such that is benefiting the native and non-native species alike.

The netting report was interesting, 0 pickerel in 2014 216 in 2015 or is there an error as I hear pickerel are scarce in lake simcoe. Any idea were this netting takes place in the lake?

There were no pickerel in the netting report?

Pickeral



Walleye




Your name is Sean, we would never call you Tanya.

So you might be able to get the odd Muskie in simcoe, cool fact. On the basis of catching one out of season seams odd because 99.99% of anglers out there are targeting pike but may come across a muskie!

Since I have never landed a true muskie (landed a suspect tiger) I might try throwing a larger stick bait in the summer around weed beds!

I stand corrected walleye, raised calling them pickerel know they are different. Will try to correct myself lol. I'm just a victim of childhood brainwashing.

I dunno about you guys, but I sure hope the muskies can get a good foothold in simcoe and maybe become a muskie fishery in the future. Id love to see it. maybe wouldn't have to travel too far to fish for big muskies (right now when targeting big muskies, I gotta drive 3 hours minimum. makes for some long days leaving the house at 2am to get on the water for sunrise and fishing right to sunset and getting home no earlier than 12-1am)

I was just playing with you Sean, a very common slip of the tongue. I was raised calling them pickerel as well, then I moved to NB in my teenaged years and we had a lot of actual pickerel, that is when I realized how wrong I was.

We all knew what you meant, just having fun!

The netting was done in Gloucester Pool.