Now I know why bass numbers have declined.

[Bird]

Biologists have shocked up an increasing amount of large Musky from our local river " Shenandoah ".

 

The article said this fish was 40 lbs from just a couple weeks ago and several other large Musky surfaced.

 

I've noticed bass numbers have declined from the Shenandoah, makes sense. 

 

[Michigander]

Beautiful fish.

[Shimano_1]

Yes it is beautiful but I hate em in bass waters. One of my local lakes is a big musky lake and try as they might the bass fishing is and always has been trash

[jimmyjoe]

   I would be cautious linking Musky and negative influences on bass. One of my local lakes had huge numbers of medium-to-small size bass. Musky were introduced, and 6-8 years later, numbers have drastically decreased (which is good) but size has dramatically INcreased (which is also good.)

   The lake now has a reputation as a desirable bass lake. Go figure.                     jj

[the reel ess]

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 

[TnRiver46]

Musky shouldn’t hurt your bass population, it doesn’t here anyway. The most smallmouth infested places I’ve ever been are excellent muskie places. These are rivers where you can catch 50+ smallmouth in a day with ease, very remote. We also have a small reservoir that is loaded with muskie, a result of a successful re introduction effort. This particular reservoir  kicks out abnormally huge largemouth, one of which our late forum Oregon native’s son captured during a tournament that was 10-11 lbs. I cant recall ever hearing of a largemouth that big from any reservoirs near me, normally those only come from further south at chickamauga or maybe watts bar 

[ironbjorn]

3 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

Yes it is beautiful but I hate em in bass waters. One of my local lakes is a big musky lake and try as they might the bass fishing is and always has been trash

I used to live by a big musky lake too and the bass fishing was also trash, and like your lake, no matter what they did, they couldn't improve it.

[TnRiver46]

Oh shoot. I should also add that @A-Jay, a forum member you guys might have heard of, fishes in musky waters. I think he’s caught a bass or two. Along with @Way north bass guy

[Bankbeater]

Does that river have a problem with carp?

[MN Fisher]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Oh shoot. I should also add that @A-Jay, a forum member you guys might have heard of, fishes in musky waters. I think he’s caught a bass or two. Along with @Way north bass guy

Add to that, one lake here in MN not only produces trophy size muskies - including two near-record muskies this past year alone - , it's also considered a top-class smallie lake.

 

Mille Lacs.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Add to that, one lake here in MN not only produces trophy size muskies - including two near-record muskies this past year alone - , it's also considered a top-class smallie lake.

 

Mille Lacs.

I wouldn’t mind fishing there one day! St Claire is a similar muskie/smallie factory over in MI 

[Deephaven]

My 7lb smallie came from a great Musky lake.  Big skis are super fun to catch as well.

[MN Fisher]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I wouldn’t mind fishing there one day! St Claire is a similar muskie/smallie factory over in MI 

Minnetonka is another. It produces muskies of decent size - including a 54" monster just a couple years ago...and B.A.S.S. ranks it as one of the best bass lakes of the decade for the Central Region...

 

If you're having bass issues - look to something other than muskies causing it, cause time and time again it's been proven that muskies do NOT adversely affect a bass fishery.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Minnetonka is another. It produces muskies of decent size - including a 54" monster just a couple years ago...and B.A.S.S. ranks it as one of the best bass lakes of the decade for the Central Region...

 

If you're having bass issues - look to something other than mukies causing it, cause time and time again it's been proven that muskies do NOT adversely affect a bass fishery.

I have bass fishing problems all the time, it always centers around the bass not wanting to bite. Typically because everyone is bombarding them with sonar and ned rigs 24/7 (in non muskie waters)

[MIbassyaker]

My understanding is that in waterbodies where musky and bass are both native, as long as development, pollution, invasives and such haven't rapidly and drastically changed the conditions, they co-exist healthily and typically both populations do very well. 

 

I can't think of any musky waters around me that aren't also very good for bass.

[A-Jay]

33 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Oh shoot. I should also add that @A-Jay, a forum member you guys might have heard of, fishes in musky waters. I think he’s caught a bass or two. Along with @Way north bass guy

 From the same lake - but it's a pretty big lake . . .

 

A-Jay

30 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

My 7lb smallie came from a great Musky lake.  Big skis are super fun to catch as well.

Mine too.

A-Jay

[slonezp]

Musky aren't affecting the bass population. They didn't get that big on bass alone. I'm guessing their bellies are full of shad

[jimmyjoe]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I have bass fishing problems, ....... it always centers around the bass not wanting to bite.

 

    That explains all the bad luck I've ever had in 57 years of bass fishing! ???    jj

 

 

2 minutes ago, slonezp said:

They didn't get that big on bass alone. I'm guessing their bellies are full of shad

 

   I think you're right. And I think that's the #1 reason the DNR stock them down here. AFAIK, it works quite well.                       jj

[MN Fisher]

Just now, slonezp said:

Musky aren't affecting the bass population. They didn't get that big on bass alone. I'm guessing their bellies are full of shad

Around here - they like white suckers, tullibee, bullhead, crappie, bluegills and yellow perch. Bass were found in some of the stomachs of sampled muskies, but the percentage compared to the other species was quite low. They also found a small sample of pike, muskrats and in one case...a gull.

[ajschn06]

5 hours ago, Bird said:

Biologists have shocked up an increasing amount of large Musky from our local river " Shenandoah ".

 

The article said this fish was 40 lbs from just a couple weeks ago and several other large Musky surfaced.

 

I've noticed bass numbers have declined from the Shenandoah, makes sense. 

 

I’d be okay never seeing another bass again if it meant I could fish for musky on a regular basis 

[Way north bass guy]

It’s also the trend for people to blame pike on harming bass lakes as well. Around here, pretty much every lake has both pike and bass, and many of them have muskie as well. And I can tell you, they all have lots of bass, as well as some good ones too. I don’t think they’d make much of a dent in the bass population, unless perhaps it was a very small lake or pond that they’ve been introduced into. I remember an article I once read ( perhaps it was an In-Fisherman article), that did a study on muskie diets in multiple lakes in their main northern U.S. and Canadian range. In most water bodies, the main forage by a huge margin, was brown bullhead catfish. 

[slonezp]

4 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Around here - they like white suckers, tullibee, bullhead, crappie, bluegills and yellow perch. Bass were found in some of the stomachs of sampled muskies, but the percentage compared to the other species was quite low. They also found a small sample of pike, muskrats and in one case...a gull.

We've got a 50" minimum for harvesting musky. My home water, while not known for huge bass, holds a good population. Gizzard shad are plentiful in the 10-12" range. A perfect tasty morsel for a 50" musky. 

3 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

It’s also the trend for people to blame pike on harming bass lakes as well. Around here, pretty much every lake has both pike and bass, and many of them have muskie as well. And I can tell you, they all have lots of bass, as well as some good ones too. I don’t think they’d make much of a dent in the bass population, unless perhaps it was a very small lake or pond that they’ve been introduced into. I remember an article I once read ( perhaps it was an In-Fisherman article), that did a study on muskie diets in multiple lakes in their main northern U.S. and Canadian range. In most water bodies, the main forage by a huge margin, was brown bullhead catfish. 

The sad thing is there are walleye meat fishermen who will kill pike and musky because they think the large toothy critters affect the population.

[ironbjorn]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Oh shoot. I should also add that @A-Jay, a forum member you guys might have heard of, fishes in musky waters. I think he’s caught a bass or two. Along with @Way north bass guy

The lake I'm talking about is genuinely bad for bass and it's a big musky lake. Many articles have been written on it. Nobody will hold a bass tournament on it. It's in a constant state of "improving" but just doesn't. However if you want to have a chance to catch your PB musky, it's perfect.

[jimmyjoe]

   I don't believe musky have ever been known for being picky eaters.

 

 

   jj

[gim]

29 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Around here - they like white suckers, tullibee, bullhead, crappie, bluegills and yellow perch. Bass were found in some of the stomachs of sampled muskies, but the percentage compared to the other species was quite low.

He’s right. For those of you that think muskies are having a sizable dent in bass or walleye populations, try again. That is nothing but uneducational, uninformed opinion. Stomach content studies in traditional muskie range have shown they do in fact eat some of those species like bass or walleye. However, the majority of them preferred soft rayed fish such as suckers and tulibee. Other fish they also preyed on when in abundance were perch, and smaller pike. I’m not saying they won’t eat bass. They’re carnivorous and opportunistic so they will when given a chance.

 

Most muskie populations aren’t dense enough to have a significant impact on any other fish because there simply isn’t enough of them, as they are apex predators.

 

Many of the larger water bodies here with muskies also have a higher percentage of larger pike because muskies help control pike by eating smaller ones. Lakes that are devoid of large pike and have no muskies are often over run with small pike. That is a problem here.