Northwest Fishing Reports

I received a message from WDFW this afternoon that the Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved the proposed 50-inch minimum size for tiger muskies. This rule will apply statewide, to all our muskie lakes, beginning with the 2008 season.

The goal of this rule change is to keep the numbers and sizes of tiger muskies in our stocked lakes as high as the lakes are capable of supporting, in order to provide a quality fishing experience for anglers pursuing this species.

In other areas of the country, catch-and-release has proved a key factor in maintaining quality muskie fisheries and/or helping depleted muskie fisheries to recover. The adoption of this rule is a very important step toward achieving a sustainable, long-term, high-quality tiger muskie fishery in Washington.

But to realize the full potential of our muskie lakes, we also need to support the state stocking program, make efforts to minimize angler mortality, and work to protect habitat and maintain healthy lakes.

This rule will allow anglers to keep record-class fish, which are near the end of their lifespan and probably won't be caught again anyway, and may increase the number of such fish by preventing harvest of fish in the 25 lb.-to-30 lb. class that, given a little more time, could grow to state-record size.

Don: Thank you for the update. This is very good news!
I know it is only part of the solution,
but it is so exciting to think of the potential for not only bigger tigers, but more of them.
I am ready!! WooHoo!!:cheers:

Don;
Congratulations! Your effort to promote this rule change is much appreciated. I'm so glad to see this rule accepted, as I'm sure many of our fellow musky nuts are. Nice work.

Don- Though I do not fish for the tigers here in Washington, I admire your dedication to the sport and your promotion towards preserving the population through angler handling, club activities, and involvement with the WDFW. I huge cheers to you and all that you do!!!

Chris

Don,
Thanks for the time that you spent on this rule change. I am certainly glad your wife "let you go" she deserves some recognition too. Thanks Mrs W. for allowing Don to go talk to the F&W Commision !!
Thanks for your dedication to the fishery. I appreciate what has been done very much. And this will now help maintain the fishery and help the fisherman/fisherwomen in the future.. Remember, 50 inches!! Todd

Good for you Don! With a fixed number of tigers available for the state I think this is a victory for both the resource and anglers of the state.

I have a question though, does anyone have a grasp on whether Tigers in the State of Washington have the genetics, and habitat (water quality, growing season, food source, etc.) that will allow them to reach 50 inches with regularity? I understand that a 50 inch fish is a trophy anywhere but has anyone caught a 50 inch fish in Washington? I personally wouldn't keep a 50+ inch fish anyway but I'm just curious.

Thank you.

Jed V.

The current Washington record is 51" and I caught a 51" out of Hauser Lake, in N. Idaho. Idaho recieved those tiger from WFDW when they had a surplus. I've seen many muskies in Curlew, Newman and Mayfield that are 48" and larger. So my opinion is that tiger's definately can reach 50" in most of the lakes they are stocked. I bet the next record comes out of Merwin.

Bill caught a 48" tiger out of Tapps 2 years ago so there should be some 50's by now.

Fantastic news Don. Congrats and thanx for all the time you put in.
A win - win for everyone.
I agree w/KUP. Looking forward to more and bigger muskies.

EXCELLENT !! Now Washington Tiger Muskies have a future!! Remember fishermen/women read your regulations. 50 INCHES!!
Thanks for your help Don !!

Hold your hands out.
No, a little more.
No, more yet.
There ya go.
Now THAT'S 50 inches!!!

Thats what she said!!!

A little bit of catch and release knowledge will go a long ways to help these fish reach trophy size. Big fish, or any for that matter, aren't meant to be held vertically because of how their organs are laid out, and holding a fish vertically will stress them and cause some organs to be moved around. Fish also aren't meant to be held with a boga grip or similar lip gripping tools, because it puts all the weight of the fish on the lower lip, which is holding up it's entire body. Just a little knowledge in case anyone didn't know, cause these Muskies are catch and release fish, and avoiding all of the above will help the survival ratio of released fish...

Good job getting this rule through the system. Are you sure it is 50"? The way I read it, it is 48".

#6. Tiger Muskie Rules

Proposal:

This proposal would set the minimum size for tiger muskie at 48” with a daily
limit of one fish.

Explanation:

Tiger muskies are sterile hybrids that don’t reproduce. They exist in low
density in the handful of lakes where stocking is maintained (currently, 7 lakes). Tiger
muskies are a popular sportfish even though they are not a popular food item, so it
makes sense to leave them in the water for another angler to catch.
Conserving the current population is especially necessary at this time because WDFW
does not have its own source of eggs, and the supply is insecure. For example, no
restocking of tiger muskies will occur in 2008, and further interruptions of annual
restockings are possible. Angler harvest without replacement stocking would quickly
wipe out this fishery. Other states that raised their minimum size on muskies have experienced a long-term
positive effect on the quality of their muskie fisheries in terms of both numbers and size
of fish. Raising

As I have said before, I don't see this rule having much of a positive impact on the resource, but I doesn't hurt either. Maybe now you can focus your efforts on issues that will have more of a positive impact, like stocking efforts and education.

Hi Dr. H.
you are right about the real work laying ahead: stocking program and education. Read further, on Don. W. notes in another thread about stocking. And the education part is what Muskies Inc, Chapter 57 is all about and we are eager to step up to that plate.
Some folks are just not going to know (some don't or won't read the new regs) and some need a little fine tuning on the "correct" release methods. But we are excited to have the success in the minimum length change (I will let Don. W. talk to the 48-50 inch difference).
Posting signs, teaching in a friendly manner, being good examples of taking care of the natural resources ....
I can do that!
LOL

The final rule reads:

"Modification: Based on public testimony, revise the minimum size to 50”.
Staff Recommendation: Adopt as modified.
Commission Action: Adopted as modified."

50" is excessive. Its not the educated fishermen that ruin our fisheries. Its the people that don't know any better. Twice last year at Newman I saw people with tigers. One guy and his wife were trout trolling and caught a nice 30-32 incher. They kept it saying its the biggest fish they had caught in freshwater. They thought it was some kind of pike. I told them what it was and that it was actually not a legal fish to keep do to the size. The woman got pissed and the guy looked baffled. I told them it was a nice fish and just be careful not to get caught with it. They were heading for the launch last I saw them.

The other ones I saw were kids, maybe 15-17 or so years old. Three of them in a beat up Jon boat with an electric motor on the back. They were around the submerged island and I was heading for that area looking for smallies. There was a huge commotion in the boat. One of them had a nice fish. Turned out to be a small tiger, looked about 24-26 inches. They were excited and whoopin and hollerin. I came over and congratulated them on their huge fish and mentioned it was to small to keep and that they had to be 36". They got pretty defiant and I felt like a tool for ruining their "trophy". They scooted on their way but kept their fish.

These are the people ruining the fishery. Not the ones that actually fish for the tigers and know the regulations. I think that a 50inch limit is excessive. Maybe a 42-44 inch limit at the most but a 36 inch limit was just fine considering the small numbers of tigers and the rarity they are caught. Silver lake in spokane county wont even have 50 inch fish for another year or 3. Newman is incredibly hard to locate them in even though its perfect habitat.

Raising the limit to 50 inches would have denied me my 42 inch wall hanger I get back from Gary Blew's taxidermy at the end of this month. Its the biggest fish Ive ever caught and not from lack of trying. Ive been trying to catch tigers in newman for 4 years about and ive only hooked a couple and landed one. You can tell me about replicas all you want. But a replica is a taxidermists embellished reproduction of a picture and an exaggerated story told by the fisherman. Its fake. Its nothing but foam and paint. Gary Blew skinned my fish in front of me and filleted it out, giving me the meat right there.

90% of my fishing is C&R however. I keep the occasional 6lb+ bass and most of the legal keepers if Im having a good day. I like the taste of the fish and it tastes that much better if I caught it myself.

congrates on your mount .i would be interested in seeing a picture of it. i myself agree with the 50" limit. there will be more bigger fish in the future with this size limit. nobody likes to be the bad guy when people are having a great day of fishing but there is now at least two fish that would never have reached 36" and now 50" more signs on these lakes about the muskie laws with the fine to be incured are needed along with a dial to the law inforcement when people willfully ignore the law. these same people will keep on keeping illegal fish because they were able to get away with it, i myself would like to put a muskie on the wall but it certainly will be that much harder with the undersized fish being kept.