More good news
Anglers form region’s second muskie club
Share this storyBuzz up!JEFFERY P. MAYOR; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: 03/05/09 12:05 am
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We will soon find out if there is enough room in Western Washington for two muskie fishing clubs.
More than a dozen people have left Chapter 57 of Muskies Inc. to form the new Cascade Musky Association. The new group will hold its first meeting Tuesday.
Todd Reis is one of the dozen or so people behind the new association’s creation. He is serving as the membership director. While they remain friends with chapter members, Reis said he and the others felt a change was necessary.
“We thought Chapter 57 was going in a direction a few of us didn’t want do go,” he said. “Politics, it all comes down to politics.”
Because the new association is not affiliated with a national organization, Reis said it will have total control of where the club’s money is spent.
“With no parent organization dictating how and what we do with our money, 100 percent of our money will be used right here in Washington to directly benefit this tiger muskie fishery,” Reis said. “All the membership fees and the money we raise will stay here, not go back to a national pool.”
Reis argues Chapter 57 also is hampered by some requirements from the national organization. A chapter member must participate in national meetings each spring and fall, which means paying for a plane flight and other expenses for two trips a year to the Midwest.
“That took a big bite out of the money we raised. We just didn’t see the benefit of that,” Reis said.
Jani Kuper, a board member with Chapter 57, said she wishes the new group luck. She said the 86 members of the chapter, which formed in May 2007, are moving forward. New events they have planned include a muskie fishing school in April and a fall tournament on Lake Tapps.
Chapter 57 is working with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain the muskie program. The group already has donated $1,000 to purchase a fish-rearing tank and is applying for a $10,000 grant to purchase another tank and fish food. “We are maintaining and moving forward,” Kuper said.
The bottom line is helping develop the tiger muskie fishery in Washington. Although muskies are stocked in just seven lakes across the state, these big aggressive fish are garnering more attention from anglers. A hybrid of a muskellunge and northern pike, tiger muskies can grow to more than 50 inches in length.
Whatever the reason for the split, the onus now is on the two groups to work together. Faced with significant budget cuts, the state’s fish and wildlife agency needs all the partners it can.
Chapter 57 has developed a track record of working with the state. Given some time, the expectations will be the same for the new association. Two groups working together, regardless of names and affiliations, will be better for the fishery.
Jeffrey P. Mayor; 253-597-8640
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure
Cascade Musky Association
When: 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant, 1114 River Road, Puyallup
Memberships: $25 for a single membership for people 18 and older and $35 for a couple/family membership includes any children younger than 18.
Information:
www.cascademuskyassociation.com
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