Tigerhunter

Chapter 70 will be hosting their tiger and pike tournament at Onondaga Lake this Saturday, 9/10/22. Pre-registration is required via our website (link below). We hope to see you there! Onondaga Lake Tiger & Pike Tournament – CNY Muskies

Hey Justin - that sounds good, I’ll touch base with you once we get going. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

You’re planning on fishing this season anyways, why not join us and try to win some prizes?

Amazing fish! Makes me question myself as to why I travel hours to chase pures when there are mammoth tigers so close to home!

Thank you, Justin. We as a club will definitely be limiting the time we tag the fish to the more favorable handling conditions (spring & fall). We are finalizing the signage design which will be hung adjacent to the other signs we put up that illustrates safe handling. As far as limiting recaptures during warm water periods is concerned, the DEC would have the final say on that as they are reported directly to the DEC and they control the terms of the study. We may be able to put some verbiage on our signs to emphasize summer handling.

Central New York Muskies Inc. Chapter 70 has been working with the NYSDEC and recently obtained a license for a tagging study on Otisco Lake. The objective of this project is to obtain biological and angler catch data to provide an insight on habitat use, characteristics of the Otisco Lake tiger musky fishery, and the efficiency of stocking. The study will also be used to determine the effectiveness of using anglers to tag and collect tiger musky data via angling on a medium sized inland lake. This study will obtain current information on the status of the fishery, including angler catch, recapture rates and locations; size structure; and growth. This will inform the DEC on the quality and characteristics of the fishery, which may influence future management direction. Catch and recapture location information will be used to document distribution of tiger muskellunge in, or possibly out of Otisco Lake, which will provide insights on habitat use. This information may be used for future assessments of habitat quality in other waterbodies. This project will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of using cooperators to obtain enough tagging data to effectively assess tiger muskellunge fisheries. Four members of our Chapter received hands-on training from the DEC on safe and proper fish handling procedures along with how to administer the tags and collect scale samples for the DEC. These members will submit collected data on a regular basis to the DEC for analysis. Chapter 70 will also be posting signage around the lake to inform anglers of the study and how to report a tagged fish if one is caught. On October 19th, some members were able to get out on Otisco and tag a few fish. Congratulations to Travis Young, who was accompanied by Jeff Kaltenbach and Chad Johnson, who managed to catch and tag the first tiger musky for this study. Andrew Hulbert, accompanied by Jeff Dean Sr. caught and tagged the second fish. Mike Ellis caught the third fish which I tagged. If an angler catches one of these tagged tiger muskies, they should record the length of the fish, the area it was caught, the tag identification number (ex. JR 01302), and report it to the Region 7 NYSDEC at ‪(607) 753-3095‬. We look forward to working with the NYSDEC and anglers to collect as much data as possible with this study. We hope to see many recaptures over the course of the next few seasons and learn as much as we can about these great fish.

Yesterday, Chapter 70’s 2019 Gil Hamm grant project, through Muskies Inc. National came to light. In collaboration with the NYSDEC, Chapter 70 used the grant funds to build a pen to hold 1,200 tiger muskie fingerlings to release in Lake Moraine located in central New York. The premise of this experimental stocking method was to hold the fingerlings in the pen for the day and release them under the cover of darkness. Typically, the tigers seem to be very agitated and vulnerable to predation immediately after stocking. This method gave them a chance to become acclimated to the water while being protected from predators. Upon release from our pen, we observed the fingerlings behavior, which seemed much calmer than after they were stocked from the hatchery truck. Overall, the project was successful and will likely continue for the next couple of years to see if there are any noticeable changes in the survival rate of the tiger muskies in Lake Moraine. A special thanks to the NYSDEC for working with our club to come up with this project and to Ch. 70 member, Bruce Fuller, for making the long journey to be a part of this special project. Also, thank you to Brayden Bechtel for assisting with the transport of the pen and being part of the stocking. And last but not least, a big thank you to Muskies Inc. for believing in our chapter and awarding us the Gil Hamm grant for this project.

I missed a good one resulting in me being skunked for the day.... seems to be par for the course this season for me! Travis Young and his partner Chad Johnson crushed it though! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Once again, the beginning of the Chapter 70 Onondaga & Three Rivers event began with a little light rain and some wind. As soon as the skies cleared the fish started to eat with Travis Young and Chad Johnson sticking a beautiful 34” tiger to get some points on the board. Shortly after that Bryan Farmer and Taby Rohm also got a 32" pike. Mike Ellis who was fishing with Cliff Obrist and Mike’s nephew, Tyler Davis, stuck a 34" tiger. With many others getting follows and strikes but just not getting any to the boat Travis and Chad put a 31" pike in the bag. Doug Coney then found his first Onondaga tiger and she was a beauty measuring just over 37" on the board. As we neared the end Bryan and Taby tricked Taby's very first ever CNY tiger and it was also a gorgeous 37" fish. Chad and Travis sealed the deal for first place by adding a 35” tiger to their total. Many anglers encountered numerous other species including the Hoffman brothers with a monster walleye and a 26” pike. Others landed huge drum, bullhead, largemouth, and smallmouth with a gar sighting in the river as well. Congrats to Travis and Chad on capturing 1st place, Bryan and Taby for 2nd place, and Doug and Dan on 3rd place and big fish. Also a big thank you to Travis Young for grilling up all the food at the end! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

We hope to see everyone out tomorrow! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Thanks for making us aware of this, it looks like they will be going out of Long Branch so that shouldn’t interfere with us. Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Come out and join Chapter 70 for our last tournament of the season! We will be at Onondaga Lake September 14th fishing for tiger muskie and northern pike. We have also included the three rivers since our spring event there was moved due to high waters. Everyone must register and launch at the Onondaga Lake Marina. Please refer to the map for the boundaries and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We hope to see you out there!

Great fish Aspiring_Pollack! It often takes people many years to get a fish that size; it took a couple of my buddies a few seasons to even get their first fish - congrats! It’s unfortunate that the fish didn’t make it when you tried to release it but that’s part of the game. I had one once that I couldn’t make go even with all the proper tools on board and using them in the theoretically “correct” way. I’m glad you were able to share it with the boy- he will always remember the fish you caught that was almost as big as him! Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

This past week the NYSDEC stocked Kayuta Lake in Oneida County with tiger muskies for the first time in many years. Chapter 70 member, Jeff Dean Sr. has been working for a year and a half with the local lake association to resume the stocking that was haulted about a decade ago. Kayuta Lake has produced some really nice tigers in the past and has put out a few nice ones over the past couple of years, likely some of the last tigers from the previous stockings. Kayuta Lake should be on its way to becoming a fine tiger fishery once again as these fingerlings mature. Thank you to Jeff Dean Sr., Aaron LaBella, the Kayuta Lake Association, and the NYSDEC for making this happen!

We have updated our rules slightly; make sure to check them out before this weekend! http://cnymuskies.org/index.php/tournaments/ Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app