Most Ohio muskie are caught from April through October when the
water temperature
is 55 to 75 degrees. The
best lakes
to fish for muskie are Leesville,
clear fork reservoir
, Salt Fork, West Branch, Alum Creek, Piedmont, Caesar Creek, Cowan, Milton and Pymatuning.
Can you catch muskie in Ohio?
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The muskellunge, or muskie, is a
popular game fish
that can grow to immense sizes in Ohio’s
inland lakes
, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
What lakes in Ohio have muskie?
The division stocks muskie in nine inland bodies of water in Ohio: Leesville, Salt Fork, Alum Creek, Caesar Creek and Piedmont lakes; Clear Fork, West Branch and C.J. Brown reservoirs and Lake Milton More than 20,000 are placed in these lakes at one per acre, usually in October.
What month is best for muskie fishing?
Some of the highest catch rates for muskies are during the summer months when the water is warm and the fish are most active. Fall fishing can also be very productive at times, and many of the largest muskies are caught during the fall.
How old is a 50 inch muskie?
Growth and ultimate size can vary among bodies of water, depending on factors such as lake productivity, forage and genetics. Depending on the body of water, muskellunge in Minnesota could take 13 to 21 years to reach 50 inches.
Does Lake Erie have musky?
Known as the “fish of 10,000 casts,” the muskie is a rare sight in Lake Erie A very territorial and predatory fish, the muskie populations generally keep to the area of Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.
Are there muskie in the Ohio River?
Ohio muskies are commonly found in the southern and eastern portions of Ohio but have been found throughout major streams and lakes , for example Ohio Brush Creek, Muskingum River, Salt Creek and Wolf Creek. A hybrid, the tiger muskellunge, is a sterile cross between the Great Lakes muskellunge and the northern pike.
How do you catch a muskie?
The most popular technique for catching muskellunge is casting large artificial lures that are typically five to 10 inches long, or longer This is typically done while standing in a boat that is motoring slowly or drifting along preferred habitat. This technique allows anglers to cover a lot of water in short time.
Can you catch Northern Pike in Ohio?
There are also small populations in many of Ohio’s larger river systems. Some good streams to fish for pike include the Cuyahoga River, upper Scioto River, St. Joseph River, Tiffin River, Portage River, and Killbuck Creek.
Are there Muskies in the Muskingum River?
Little Muskingum River The mid-reaches are home to the Ohio muskellunge – a handful of Ohio Muskies are caught and released each year.
Where are Muskies found?
Muskellunge are found in oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes and large rivers from northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and northern Minnesota through the Great Lakes region, Chautauqua Lake in western New York, north into Canada, throughout most of the St Lawrence River drainage, and northward throughout the upper.
What kind of fish are in Clear Fork Reservoir?
Fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, white bass, yellow perch and saugeye at Clear Fork Reservoir in Ohio. With plenty of area designated for fishing from the bank, Clear Fork Reservoir is a great place to take the family for a fishing trip or an extended vacation.
What is the best bait for muskie?
Bucktails – Bucktails are arguably the most popular bait used by musky anglers. Bucktails produce vibrations in the water that are easily felt by a musky’s lateral line. Bucktails can be retrieved at any speed, depending on the conditions. The most popular bucktails are double 9 blades and double 10 blades.
Are muskie good eating?
People who love eating muskies will tell you that muskie tastes quite similar to bass. Others believe it tastes more like pike. Either way, muskie is more of a bland fish with not as much flavor as other fish species, like salmon or tuna Much of the taste of the fish depends on how you cook it.
Are muskies hard to catch?
Because of this, they’re prized game fish throughout their range. Muskie are also famously hard to hook , hence the nickname “fish of a thousand casts.” They’re difficult to trick and impossible to predict. Even so, there are a few go-to tactics for both species.
What kind of fish are in Leesville Lake Ohio?
Fish species that are found in Leesville Lake include muskellunge, saugeye, largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, black and white crappie, channel catfish, brown bullhead, Northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, and carp.
Can you swim in Piedmont Lake Ohio?
Approximately ten miles long and offering over 2,000 acres of surface water, Piedmont Lake is a popular destination for camping, boating, swimming, and game fishing.
What time of day are musky most active?
Like many predatory fish, muskie are most active at dawn and dusk , and these times typically provide the most action, especially on warm, sunny days. Cool, overcast days are usually best for muskie fishing.
Where is the best muskie fishing?
The three best big-water producers of giant muskies are Green Bay, Lake St. Clair, and the Ottawa River/St. Lawrence River systems Anglers have a legitimate shot at a 50- to 56-inch muskie nearly any day of the season there and it’s possible a record fish swims in at least two of these fisheries.
Can you catch muskie from shore?
While you can use most baits from the shore or from a boat, some baits will serve you better for bank-busting muskies than others.
What is the largest muskie ever caught?
For muskies, the world records for length and weight are held by two different fish. The maximum documented length is 72.04 inches (183 cm) , and the heaviest documented weight is 70.10 pounds (31.8 kg), according to FishBase.
How fast should you troll for muskie?
The optimal trolling speed for muskies is around 3 to 4 mph usually. Now there will always be examples and times where they want it real slow, and really fast; but this is the norm. Considering this trip it was in the 55-65 degree range, we trolled around the 3 mph range and that worked out well.
What is the biggest Lake Erie fish?
Lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes can reach lengths of 10-plus feet and approach 300 pounds. The largest fish taken from Lake Erie was caught by in 1929 and weighed 216 pounds. Young sturgeon like the ones just released are protected from predators by sharp, bony plates called scutes.
Is burbot Lake Erie?
In Ohio, burbots are found primarily in Lake Erie (Rice, D. & Zimmerman, B., 2019). Populations of this species are difficult to study due to their choice in habitat. Burbot need cooler water temperatures in order to survive and reproduce.
Are there muskies in Indiana?
Today, 10 muskie populations in Indiana are maintained by stocking hatchery-raised fish. Muskies are some of the largest fish in Indiana, and anglers usually release the muskies they catch, prizing them more for their trophy size and challenge to catch rather than their edibility.
How many casts does it take to catch a muskie?
Muskellunge, also known as muskie or the fish of 10,000 casts is the largest pike in North America. They are notoriously difficult to catch, but often reach over 20 pounds and occasionally grow longer than 50 inches. Muskies are opportunistic feeders.
Where is the best fishing in Ohio?
- Greenfield Lake. Greenfield Lake is home to a handsome 14+ acres of fishable water
- Clear Creek Nature Preserve
- Longhaven Retreat
- Buckeye Lake
- Cenci Park
- Rush Creek Lake
- Rock Mill Lake Wildlife Area
- Jackson Lake Park.
Are there Bowfin in Ohio?
They are often mistaken for the exotic northern snakehead. They are native to Ohio and can be released. The bowfin also goes by other names: dogfish, mudfish, grindel, and choupique.
Are there pike in Lake Erie?
In Lake Erie, the northern pike occupies , on the grand fish scale of things, a not-so-special place.
Citations
https://www.facebook.com/OhioMuskie
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskellunge
https://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=13