ottawa region.monster musky....posibility.?

[Trophymuskie]

Joco it's just that muskies grow a lot slower once they surpass 50 inches. So this means for a fish to get to 60 inches it would have to avoid getting caught for many years. In other words if the same fish was caught every 2 years it would be 55-56-57-58-59-60 so to get from 56 to 60 it would avoid lures for 8 years.

And yes I've recaptured many fish over 50 and they grow 1/2 inch per year. One 50 got to 52 about 4.5 years later.

I do not believe this statement at all- catching a fish has no bearing on how big they grow, genetics do. Not all muskies can grow to 50 or 55 inches just like some people are short and others tall. Hell I have not been caught in years and have not grown an inch.

Genetics. How would catching a fish slow its growth in terms of length? I can understand it losing weight with stress from a bad release but it should not stay at a certain length then magicaly grow in 3 years if its been smart enough to avoid all beleivers and spinnerbaits

I never said C&R had any bearing on growt just that a fish would have to avoid lures for 8 year if we never see it from 55 to 60.

As well growt rates are pegged a 1/2 inch per yaer after they reach 50. Naturally there can always be exceptions to the rules. I also mentioned that 99% of females reach 50 in the Ottawa which means that every female you realease has potential to reach the magical 50 inch mark.

As for the 62+ inch fish mentioned for 8 years it was psoted on 2 sites with a different lenght, who knows what the truth is.

As well unlike human muskies grow until they die, there may be a small period of time before they die where the fish might get skinny but it should not lose lenght. They alos keep reproducing untill death.

Time to go after that 60 incher.

[wolfe]

Hell I have not been caught in years and have not grown an inch.

Funniest thing I've read in a while. Glad I wasn't sipping coffee at that moment.

I've got a veterinarian friend who is also a muskie addict -- and quite a successful one too -- who supports part of what Trophymuskie is trying to say. Muskies grow very quickly early on, and this subsequently will slow down but continue as they age.

Whether they do so 'til they're knockin' at death's door, I don't know. It certainly makes sense that genetics / forage would be major factors in their capacity to meet a tremendous length and girth, but also how well they manage to elude sportsman looking for "the one".

W.

[lungelarry]

Love the old days(90,s), big fatties. High 50's lbs.

[almontefisher]

Love the old days(90,s), big fatties. High 50's lbs.

That is nice but looks like you are fishing at Niagara Falls...You falling off the edge

[FishingIsHealing]

I've boated thousands of fish from the Ottawa

I beleive you Trophymuskie ,, I mean after all 24/7and I have caught thousands and thousands of Bass this year alone

I've caught 1000's of bass too!!!!! They were just the size of minnows! hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Kevin will have a tough time catching up to me! I catch real monster, yup....

Everyday I went fishing I would catch 30-40 of those .5 lb bass! I'm a bass master!



Hey Kevin can you teach me how to catch the big hogs like you do?????? I still can't manage to reel in a bass over 1.5lbs lmao

[Out4trout]

I realize that the St.Lawrence has a reputation for some of the larger muskies, but I am certain the big O has the potential to hold some true monsters, especially up around the Temiskaming headwaters.

Not a scientific comment, but the dams must have screwed things up, both for the St.Lawrence, the Ottawa, and especially the Trent, all of which still hold muskies and sturgeon.

I can only imagine what fishing these rivers must have been like prior to the dams and pollution and invading species!!

[troutnmuskiehunter]

I don't doubt for a minute that there are a few "MONSTERS" out there lurking around for prey in the various rivers of Eastern Ontario....That's what keeps some of us Muskie enthusiasts going and going and going and going....... ....

It's not only Muskie...I'm sure all anglers have a quest for that once in a lifetime TROPHY!!!

[marc Thorpe]

Out4trout,actually not much has changed.
My dad is 85 and was 1 of 5 families to live west of island of MTL, when stone and brick roads were the travel route and Ice Blocks From the St Lawrence were hauled out and used as fridges during the summer
Fishing has not changed much as far as quality,quantities have changed especially is the base forage,minnows and perch populations are low compared to yesteryear. The size of the overall fish has increased or stabilized itself over the years.Much of what we are fishing now is flooded marsh or farm lands. If anything some habitat has been created and just like year s past,water levels and habitat adaptation determined good years from bad years
we emphasize on preservation and conservation of game species but in all reality our emphasis should be on forage base
The best tool of conservation and preservation is allowing the forage base to establish itself to population levels we once had,game fish population will then flourish much better also
This is the one main problem I have observed in both the Big O and Big Flo,the abundance of appropriate forage is low (Perch and shiners)

To fully understand maximum growth you must equate all factors being present and occurring over time to allow a fish to grow to maximum potential,unfortunately mother nature varies from year to year,that being understood,the chances for maximum growth are in the hands of mother nature.She knows how to protect herself
Invasive species do have an impact in the initial years but I suspect that most species adapt and may utilize some invading species to their advantage
The prime concerning invasive species are those that attain the very basic of the forage base,the plankton eating species

Muskies growth rates are rapid in early years and stabilize between 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 per year depending on the years during a fishes life cycle,some years are stressed years which could affect growth rates.Good years may lead to stronger growth. Muskies like all other living beings on the planet have various maximum growth potentials.So not all individuals are created or grow equal.Some have the capabilities of exceeding 55 inches but most don't and will max out below mid 50 range,some may never attain 50 inches .Growth rates are affected by many variables,diversity in habitat,abundance of forage being the primary source and size and livable and usable environment ,seasonal water level and weathers,angling pressure
In other words muskies do stop growing and some point,generally from fish I have observed that cease this growing seem to be on the lean side come the fall months when most of the other individuals are gaining weight.
I suspect this leanness is due to lack of egg growth and lack of fat retention,I also suspect they dont winter over well

so that being said,the one thing I suspect that hampers maximum growth for the populations is the abundance of forage which is at a low density at this current time followed by season consistent water temp drops.

[Bass Addict]

Who out there has the proper equipment to weigh a 60lb Muskie without
injuring the fish ............





Not too many of us ............

[joco]

the best way is in a craddel.but you dont to weight it.

take all the measure..lenght/guirt take it twice ..and some good pict..do that as fast as you can and let it go to get to 65 pound...

i would not weight it myself...unles you have a full cradeel and a parkner that can hold everything up just above the wATER FOR A VERY FAST WEIGHTING.

HAVE TO TAKE THE WEIGHT OFF THE CRADDEL BEFORE AND DEDUCT..

joco

[Relic]

[quote="marc Thorpe"]we emphasize on preservation and conservation of game species but in all reality our emphasis should be on forage base[quote]

Interesting, I have actually always thought that myself. The more food that there is to go around, the more gamefish there will be and the bigger their average and maximum sizes will be.

I guess that just makes to much sense for the people that control our fisheries.

Instead of stocking efforts of gamefish, and many new regulations on keep limits, slots ect.. Keep those regs but start stocking lots of food. Probably costs much less to rear forage and is much easier to do, and you would think the benefits to the entire system would be good if not great.

[Jimmy_1]

But that would make too much sense!
Seeing as these are gov't programs and all!

[Lunker Larry]

Funny. The trouble with stocking programs is the worry about how many fry survive. Wouldn't it be easier to raise a few million baitfish for the purpose of getting eaten, without worry of size or survival rate on release and let the sport fish fatten up on them? Kinda puts a whole different perspective on things. I wonder if it has ever been considered by the MNR or any biologists. We can't just keep dumping in top of the food chain predators without a food source or they either starve or start eating each other. Food for thought!