N.Y. MUSKELLUNGE REGULATIONS

[Stinky Finger]

Just as a hypothetical exercise let's say you have the liberty to write in changes to the muskie regs in the New York fishing regulations.

What changes do you make?

I would make three.

1.) I would make the great lakes size limit for muskellunge and tiger muskellunge 54" from Ripley on the N.Y./Pa. line to St. Regis on the N.Y./Quebec line. All of it, Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River all inclusive and upstream to the first barrier impassible by fish, 54". Creel limit one fish per day.

Possibly even a 60" size limit for the Larry.

2.) All inland waters (everywhere muskies swim in N.Y. apart from the great lakes) 50" size limit for muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. Creel limit one fish per day.

3.) Statewide muskellunge and tiger muskellunge season third Saturday in June to December 15.

I thought about having no size limit, no creel limit and no closed season for northern pike in waters where pike and muskies coexist but this I feel would be abused and result in a lot of dead muskies. That's also why I advocate the same regulations for muskies and tiger muskies. Education can certainly help in getting the general angling public on board with accurate fish I.D. but we will never reach a point where regulations could be eased, i.e. having tiger season open while muskie season is closed on those waters where they coexist.

So what changes (if any) would you make?

[Ronix 51]

id agree with a larger creel limit...idk if id make any changes for tiger muskies though (given that they arent sharing waters with pure muskies) as much as I am a C and R fisherman tigers are "man made" and do grow fast so I dont think they would be regulated quite as much...theres a lot i would change about pike, id make a slot limit for starters....3 fish per day but ONLY if theyre between say 3-35 inches anything under or uver must be released

[Stinky Finger]

Actually tigers are sharing several waters with pure muskies in New York. Most of these tigers are naturally occurring (anywhere in the great lakes), Chautauqua lake, Cassadaga lakes and creek, Allegheny river and reservoir, several souther tier rivers; Chemung, Susquehana, Tioghnioga, Chenango and the Delaware river, Greenwood lake and also Champlain where there is no closed season on muskies.

I totally agree with the slot limit for northerns.

[Ronix 51]

ps my slot limit would be 30*-35...not 3 haha

[Ronix 51]

I cant really take any credit for the idea though im pretty sure I read it before posted by nitro

[mostlymuskies]

The northern pike slot limit is needed most durring Ice fishing time,because that is when they are pressured the most.Lake Erie already has a 54" sizelimit for purebred muskies, it should be total Catch & Release.The upper niagara river has 48"on the NY side,but only 44" on the Canadian side,they need to get the Canadian side up to 48" as well.Because so many fishermen use the northern pike earlier season to actualy target muskies on the niagara river and lake erie,the buffalo harbor area should not open for northern pike until the 3rd saturday in June,allowing the big girls to spawn without stress.

Capt. Larry

[NitroMusky]

I would respectfully disagree with the need to modify the tiger regs across the board. natual tiger populations occur with such infreqency in nature that targeting them in those unstocked waters would get you ticketed for targeting pures already...this was discussed last year here and chautauqua was cited as a prime example of this.

if the state wanted to go to the trouble, the regs protecting pure strain muskies could be emphasized and strengthed however by aligning the tiger regs to that of pures in the few waters where pure are known to exist (or conversely a statewide reg for tigers june-nov, with exceptions to align them with pike where tigers are stocked- and thus in great enough numbers to warrant targeting them)

[GAMBLER]

I would make the musky limit on Ontario / St. Lawrence 1 per season. Kind of like a deer tag system. Once your tag is full, your done for the season. If you revive fish and don't keep them, you can keep fishing. This would keep guys from keeping multiple musky in one season. The St Lawrence muskies are caught accidentally by pike and walleye fishermen. Most guys keep them for a wall hanger. A lot of fishermen do not have the respect for the fish/fishery that you guys have.

[Stinky Finger]

Good points, Gambler. I thought about the tags too but left it out.

We had for many years, from the forties into the nineties, a special muskie license that cost about $5 and came with five tags for the season. You could keep five muskies of legal length per year and the tags were not transferable, you couldn't use others people's tags or give yours away. If you had a fish you tagged the numbers on the tag had better match the numbers on your muskie license and be in your name.

Proceeds funded the hatchery at Chautauqua and muskie research projects. I think it should be brought back on a state wide level. Maybe with just one tag for a keeper.

Like before the proceeds could go to the baitfish fund and perhaps also into habitat improvement, such as where nursery areas are threatened by invasive aquatic plants taking over.

I still feel the tiger regs should be the same as purebred regs where they coexist in the same waters. Also, as Capt. Larry points out, people are claiming to be pike fishing in the spring when they're really targeting muskies. This has got to stop. Do we have to move the pike opener ahead to the third Saturday in June where pike and muskies share the same waters? That might be the only answer.

[mostlymuskies]

The NY DEC Musky Tag Progam on Chautauqua Lake was stopped because it cost more money in administration costs then the money brought in by fishermen purchasing the tags.Lots of luck talking them into any new tag program.We can't even talk them into basic changes to any fishing regulation,because of the costs to add,setup and print in the NY State Fishing Regulations Book.

Capt. Larry

[Ronix 51]

well I will be sitting for the civil service exam to be an econ officer in the upcoming months so you can guarantee if i get in the NYDEC ill be the fly in the ear for everyone about ny muskie haha

[Believer]

How I would regulate muskies and northern pike:

Muskies: Trophy Water (St. L., etc.), 48" limit. One fish per day.

Inland Water: 40" limit. One fish per day.

Open season, June 1 (?). Close season, December 1.

Northern Pike: Trophy Water, 30" limit. Two fish per day.

Inland Water, 25" limit. Two fish per day.

Open season, First Sat. in May; or May 1. Close season, December 1.

There would be a lot more pike around, if they weren't hammered through the ice.

A 54" limit is unreasonable. Only giants get that size. Most don't come close. Even the girls.

[Ronix 51]

^thats kind of the point...it makes the odds of catch and release more probable thats the idea behind iti believe...

40' is WAY too short for keeper muskies, I think im just one of many people who are going to highly disagree with you on that.

[zach]

For me- trophy waters- 54". All inland water-50". I support that.

[GAMBLER]

Getting rid of pike fishing on the ice would not be cool. I would be all for a 1 pike limit on the ice. That makes a lot more sense than closed season. Pike are easier to access during the winter months but, they are not as easy to catch. I have never had a day where I caught 15 pike on the ice on Conesus but have had 15 pike days in the fall from the boat.

[Ronix 51]

gambler is right, as much as I dont like seeing pike iced letting them sit tight during the winter months would IMO lead to the hammer handles taking over and thinning out the bigguns through lack of food supply.

[zach]

Fish out all the pike and put in pures!