Massive Muskies -- A Remarkable Fishery At A Remarkable Moment In Time

Indeed, many of the largest fish taken on Mille Lacs in recent years have been mature Wisconsin-strain muskies. “From the fish we see in our survey nets, the Wisconsin fish carry more weight for their length than the Leech Lake fish seem to,” Jones says. “As those fish peak, there’s the potential for some very big fish in the system.”

Though year-class sizes and first-generation advantages in development are obviously at the heart of the flourishing fishery on Mille Lacs, how anglers have reacted to a fishery with large numbers of trophy-caliber fish also is significant. The maturation of the Mille Lacs muskie fishery occurred during an evolutionary period in the sport that probably played a signi-ficant role in the lake’s ability to sustain a quality fishery despite intense pressure—the emphasis placed on releasing trophy muskies.

Catch-and-release has become the prevailing ethic among today’s muskie anglers. When Lac Seul and Wabigoon—off-the-beaten-path waters in northwestern Ontario—were discovered by anglers in the late 1980s, trophy hunters decimated low-density populations of trophy fish in a few years.

Lac Seul became a catch-and-release fishery. Increased length limits nearly came too late on Wabigoon, although the population is slowly rebounding. These two lakes become cautionary tales about the danger of over-exploitation of trophy fisheries for anglers and fishery managers alike.

On Mille Lacs, though some harvest occurs, the vast majority of muskies of all sizes are released. Had the catch-and-keep mentality of the 1980s and before persisted, the story of Mille Lacs might be far different. The summer and fall of 2006 brought reports of multiple releases of muskies in the mid-50-inch range. Reports of kept fish of the same size are relatively scarce.

How Big and For How Long?

When and at what size these fish may ultimately peak is hard to say. Research by Casselman, Crossman, and Robinson studying Ontario muskies placed the potential maximum age of female muskies in some waters at 24 years. Should Mille Lacs muskies reach such ages, today’s top year-classes, now 15 and 16 years old—and already approaching 50 pounds in some cases—may have another half-decade of growth ahead of them.

How big are the fish our guide has seen? “Well, I’ve had measured fish in my boat to 53 inches,” he says. “And I had one roll out of my hands before we could measure her that may have been more—though not 55 inches. So I’ve handled some big fish. Honestly, you get used to seeing 50-inchers. But there are fish out there that just make me sit down and think about things for a while. I can’t say how big they are. They’re just awfully, awfully big. I’m saying the biggest fish out there have yet to be caught. I don’t think you’ll find many guys who spend a lot of time on the lake who would argue that. I’m not the only one who’s seen truly giant fish.”

We must also note, however, that the number of big fish in Mille Lacs has probably peaked and may now be in decline. When you look at adult fish—fish over 5 years of age, according to Jones—the fishery peaked in about 1998, when those initial stocking year-classes were in their prime. “Mortality in fish populations is inevitable,” Jones says, “whether it’s due to angler harvest or natural causes. Right now, we’re at the top of the bubble. We expect to see numbers overall decline in the next 5 years as those huge year-classes begin to leave the system.”

The DNR is in the process of assessing the level of natural reproduction occurring in Mille Lacs, and will base future stocking on the fishery’s ability to sustain itself. One thing is certain—the future fishery won’t contain the numbers of big fish it does now. “We can’t maintain the lake at the level the population is at now, in all likelihood,” Jones says. “We want Mille Lacs to be a premier muskie fishery, and we can do that. But population numbers like we see now aren’t a realistic longterm objective.”

Environmental factors will also play a role in the longterm prospects for these fish. “Climate change may have a profound effect on the fishery,” Jones offers. “It’s likely that in 50 years, there won’t be ciscoes in Mille Lacs.”

Cisco populations may be in decline already. The summer of 2006 saw large cisco die-offs due to high water temperatures. “What affect will that have?” Jones asks. “We don’t know. But the fish will have to change their forage base. Can they do that and maintain the sizes we see today? I suspect not.”

For the time being, Mille Lacs is the place to be for a shot at a truly giant muskie, perhaps even a world record. Uncertainty about the future aside, and inevitable changes in the fish populations notwithstanding, Mille Lacs is today a remarkable fishery at a remarkable moment in time—something for which there is no precedent, no example but the thing itself.

*Rob Kimm is the editor of Esox Angler magazine, an exceptional muskie angler, and a frequent contributor to In-Fisherman.