It’s Muskellunge Season: Say What?

Photo by Pat Thorne. Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved

Thanks to our friends at the DEC, we recently learned Muskellunge are the largest members of the pike family, Esocidae, which also includes northern pike, chain pickerel, redfin pickerel and grass pickerel—all native to New York State. Last month Pat Thorne captured the might fish being caught right here in Schroon.

From the DEC:

“When muskellunge and northern pike interbreed, they produce a sterile hybrid cross called a tiger muskellunge. Tiger muskellunge are sometimes produced naturally in waters where both species reside, but they are also reared in hatcheries and stocked as a popular sportfish. Statewide fishing regulations for muskellunge changed in 2015. The new regulations provide for an open season from the last Saturday in May to November 30, a 40-inch minimum size limit, and a daily possession limit of 1. These regulations raised the size limit and opened the season earlier than the previous regulations. They are intended to bring regulatory consistency to all inland muskie waters, provide more spring fishing opportunities after the spawning period, and require that more muskies are returned to their respective fisheries, which will allow them to grow to more desirable sizes and give them additional years to spawn".

Read more, right here, right now.