Otisco Muskie

[Charley Tuna]

Icejohn is correct. There was absolutely no biological reason not to keep this legal fish.  Congratulations on a great catch and being a good and ethical angler!  

Also, thanks for getting your kids involved in fishing and I hope your season continues to be productive!

[BassMrs.ster]

Icejohn is correct. There was absolutely no biological reason not to keep this legal fish.  Congratulations on a great catch and being a good and ethical angler!  
Also, thanks for getting your kids involved in fishing and I hope your season continues to be productive!

Thank you! Pass on the knowledge!


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[icejohn]

Cool...that's what I normally fish for (pa fish) but fish Oneida for walleye occasionally. Have never fished otisco on soft water only iced fished it. Are the walleye hard to find on otisco? and do you jigor troll?....I may try it one day.

John

[BassMrs.ster]

Cool...that's what I normally fish for (pa fish) but fish Oneida for walleye occasionally. Have never fished otisco on soft water only iced fished it. Are the walleye hard to find on otisco? and do you jigor troll?....I may try it one day.
John

We troll for the walleye. Although we have caught them jigging.


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[icejohn]

Thanks for the info....tight lines and enjoy the rest of the season.

John

[craigk]

Wow everyone took it easy on her..... Next time think about letting it go so someone else can catch their first tiger and be as excited as you were, and catch a few more pan fish to eat 

[BassMrs.ster]

Wow everyone took it easy on her..... Next time think about letting it go so someone else can catch their first tiger and be as excited as you were, and catch a few more pan fish to eat 

Get a life mr negative


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[justtracytrolling]

2 things...don't post anything on any topic if you don't want potential criticism and secondly who picks what fish are socially acceptable for consumption? That being said anyone fishing on my boat is putting them back and may not even get a pic out of water... Congrats on the fish!  

[icejohn]

Not much sense in fishing...on your boat....I catch a lot of fish....I put back a lot of fish too....usually the bigger ones from bluegills to northern pike but if anyone on my boat wants to keep their catch....its up to THEM....whether for a mount or to eat....my 2 cents.

[old man]

Nice fish Bass.Mrs.ter. I invite you to join Muskies inc. I’m in chapter 69 but 70 is more your area. I’ll pay for your first year’s membership. If yes text me at 315 879 8787 to arrange payment. I can pay pal,apple pay,or mail a check. Tight lines.


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[MuskysAnonymous]

BassMrs.ster, great catch and great job holding your own against some of the bullies and their insane comments on your thread. You’ll never rationalize with them so you did a great job not engaging. Not all musky fishermen are Nazi’s about what you do with your fish. Especially a factory generated sterile fish which is stocked in the 10s of thousands every year. Kudos to you and nice job. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by MuskysAnonymous

[devoknevo]

 Congrats on a nice fish and for teaching your kids about the outdoors BassMrs.ster.

When my son caught the state record Sheepshead a few years ago there were a few haters trying to ruin the most exciting time in his life. Its probably the same loosers that think all the stocked, sterile Tigers belong to only them.

Keep eating.

dEv-0

[Charley Tuna]

Good points devoknevo and MuskysAnonymou!!   The politically correctness and moral superiority of some people is frankly getting very tiresome as well as boring.   Professional fisheries biologists determine size and quantity limits based on long term health of the fishery.   Also catch and release mortality is higher than what most of those people realize. A study by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’s Marquette Research Station reported in 2017 showed mortality of angler-released fish averaged 43 percent when the surface water temperature exceeded about 50 degrees.  Some of the catch and release "purists" often kill more than the legal limit whether they realize it or not. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by Charley Tuna
missing word

[craigk]

Good points devoknevo and MuskysAnonymou!!   The politically correctness and moral superiority of some people is frankly getting very tiresome as well as boring.   Professional fisheries biologists determine size and quantity limits based on long term health of the fishery.   Also catch and release mortality is higher than what most of those people realize. A study by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’s Marquette Research Station reported in 2017 showed mortality of angler-released fish averaged 43 percent when the surface water temperature exceeded about 50 degrees.  Some of the catch and release "purists" often kill more than the legal limit whether they realize it or not. 

Good point I guess I will keep all legal fish I catch because they might die. Thanks!


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[greenhornet73]

Not for nothing but carp are a great catch and release fish. They get huge and fight like their lives depend on it.  Added bonus is that most people throw them back so your precious target fish is always a plentiful resource.  I could look up the local carp fishing anglers group if you’d like me to send the link.  

[muskiedreams]

Is this twitter?

[craigk]

Not for nothing but carp are a great catch and release fish. They get huge and fight like their lives depend on it.  Added bonus is that most people throw them back so your precious target fish is always a plentiful resource.  I could look up the local carp fishing anglers group if you’d like me to send the link.  

No thanks I will stick with Musky


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[whaler1]

Keep fishing MrsBass! Hope to see more posts and fish pics.


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[Ivan]

I congratulated the angler on her catch and said she didnt do anything outside of regulations. I still feel, however, that there are other fish species that make more sense to keep for eating. I also get the sense that some of you are just instigating and looking for arguments by suggesting that these fish should be kept and eaten. Anybody saying you should keep and eat legal muskies they catch just doesn’t understand. Even though tigers are sterile and don’t reproduce, the reason to release them is so they grow larger and someone else can catch them again when they are bigger. This includes children. Think of your kids catching a fish that big. Tigers grow fast but a 36-38 fish is pretty young. If released, it has the potential to live 10 years or more and reach lengths of 48 to 50”. These aren’t salmon that reach maturity in 4 years and die anyway.

 

Here is a good, short, all encompassing, educational video on muskie management from biologists in the PFBC. It’s PA and primarily about pure muskies but the same things hold true for NY and/or tigers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[greenhornet73]

I think it’s time to put this thread to rest.  I didn’t see any posts that encourage anyone to keep a tiger but congratulated her on the fish and didn’t condemn her for keeping it as an incidental catch that was a surprise.  I can appreciate everyone’s passion for muscellunge and even drove  to Canada for a guided trip myself and was blessed with a 46” that I released.  I don’t feel tigers are  anywhere near a prize fish as a purebred but considering their lack of table fare I will personally always release them but if someone happens to keep one to eat I am not heart broken.  I am a tributary steelhead fisherman and see threads all year long of anglers keeping nice fish on the lake and don’t say a word. As anglers we need to respect each other’s choices and not judge because our personal choices may be different than others.  Can’t we all just get along😀

[justtracytrolling]

On 8/7/2020 at 5:12 PM, icejohn said:

Not much sense in fishing...on your boat....I catch a lot of fish....I put back a lot of fish too....usually the bigger ones from bluegills to northern pike but if anyone on my boat wants to keep their catch....its up to THEM....whether for a mount or to eat....my 2 cents.

When you take a guided trip it's up to you to pick the the best guide for your goals, and before you jump to conclusions and say something like their isn't much sense in fishing on my boat you really ought to do some research.  Personally, I'll support everyone's right fish legally for their own purposes, but from a conservation perspective I just can't let customers keep or release dead tigers on my boat.  My boat, my business, my choice!  There really is no right or wrong here...it's a personal choice.

[devoknevo]

Her fishing license, ...her choice.

End of story.

[muskiedreams]

It is within anybody's right to keep a legal fish. Posting it on the internet is the main concern here. It can become a promotion, for everyone not familiar with the reasons for catch and release, to keep their legal size muskies. That could be bad for the future of many musky populations especially in NYS. That is why the reasons for catch and release must be mentioned here. It is not an attack on you BassMrs.ster for keeping the fish.  It is just a concern that this thread can turn into a promotion for keeping all muskies which is something that most musky anglers understand would be bad for the sustainability of most musky fisheries.

 

The main point that has to be made here is that muskies can easily become an endangered species, at least in NY. Due greatly to the internet, more people are fishing for muskies. Musky communities simply cannot be sustained without catch and release and/or massive stocking programs.

 

Based on all the conservation reasons already mentioned here, most musky anglers understand the need to, and practice, catch and release for muskies in particular. They cannot be compared to any other fresh water fish,aside from sturgeon, when discussing keep or release. There are not many waters, at least in New York, that hold muskies. Muskies in NY waters of the Great Lakes, which are currently sustained only by natural reproduction, are already in decline for a variety of reasons. Catch and release is the main reason we have the opportunity to catch large muskies in those waters and all waters in NY.

 

As for tigers, aside from a few very small central and northern NY lakes and a few small tributaries, Otisco is the only other lake that Tiger Muskies have done well in. If most anglers practice catch and release there, there is a great potential for mid and upper forties tigers to become fairly common in the future.

 

Since there are more and more anglers in NY fishing for muskies, and so few waters that hold them, it is important to do all we can to protect the muskies that we do have and at the same time, work to show the DEC that there is a growing interest in musky fishing so that they will consider expanding management and stocking of muskies and tiger muskies in other waters in the state. A lot of what the DEC does in fisheries management is based on angler utilization and the commerce it generates. That is one of the important reasons for angler participation in the angler diary studies. This is also one of the most important reasons for the existence of Muskies Inc. Chapters 69 and 70 and all other chapters throughout the musky range as well as Muskies Canada. This helps the DEC to justify expansion of the stocking program to the legislation in Albany (there always has to be a money component for action in Albany). So hopefully, we will eventually have more musky fishing opportunities in NY.

 

More and more people are taking up fishing and that generates commerce. But there are limited numbers of fish. Healthy communities of fish and diversity of species are very important for the health of a body of water. The same is true for plant and other life in and around the water. All of us who use it have a certain amount of responsibility to do our part to help insure the health of our waters and the life within them for the future of mankind and the earth. If we want to enjoy those resources and take from them we also must give back.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by muskiedreams

[panfisher]

Not about the subject fish and everyone's various feelings and thoughts about it. Hey devoknevo! I remember that record sheepie deal. We surmised about starting a Sheepshead Club or something of that nature. About 2014 or so, correct? But I thought it was YOU that caught it. Your son? I'll have to archive search those postings.

[bettieanne]

Congrats on the beautiful fish!!!! Happy birthday as well! Seems like we can’t make our own choice, possibly it’s their fish? Kinda like deer hunting nowadays... [emoji20]


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