Muskies through the ice

[prayforice]

Last year I was ice fishing with live bluegills about a 2 feet under the hole. I found that hungry muskies would come up from the brush pile for a little snack. I had one big problem. I couldn't get the musky hooked once it ate the bluegill. Do i let it run for a while? what hook do I use? any information would be helpfull

[tbirdbassr]

I'd go with a #4 or #2 treble just remember any bait over 8" may need a quick set rig!!!

[pikemaster789]

You let them run with it for a while, but becareful not to let it go to long becaus you dont want him to swallow it and possibly face significant injury. I have trouble finding musky in the winter, and im just curious how you know they are musky apposed to pike

[tbirdbassr]

We don't have very many lakes in IL with pike most of our lakes have been stocked with muskies if they have any teeth at all.

[pikemaster789]

We don't have very many lakes in IL with pike most of our lakes have been stocked with muskies if they have any teeth at all.

gotchya

[jimfish]

We don't have very many lakes in IL with pike most of our lakes have been stocked with muskies if they have any teeth at all.

I would disagree with you, even though Northerns may not be stocked as much there seem to be many more lakes with Northerns and the lakes with stocked muskies normally have been stocked before with northern.
Unless you are planning on eating the fish I hope you are fishing with a rod & reel in hand(with a quick strike rig). If using a tipup with a gil or sucker it is to easy to let them get gut hooked, even though they swim away they will normally die a couple of days later. Thats why we see them floating on Tuesdays in open water season.

[RLWagner]

Cut the spiny fins off the Bluegill, slash both sides of the tail and hook it through the dorsal area with a treble hook. Let the dude run then stop, when he runs again set the hook. Do this if you plan on eating the Muskie, else whys you should set the hook immediately to prevent him from swallowing the hook. You will get less hook-up, but will also leave less fish injured or dying.
By the way, Muskie is a top of the line tasting fish!

[tbirdbassr]

the closet place I have to me with notherns is Sauk traill and that wasn't stocked with northern since the early 90's no one has caught one outta there for years as far as I know but if you went there to target northerns I'll gaurantee You can come up with a musky or two maybe even a state record It's In there the state shocked her up there a couple years back!!

[jimfish]

Shouldn't be long now til the chain starts to freeze. You never know what you'll get there, I've never caught a muskie there through the ice, but several 35" northerns on small minnows, actully saw them hit, nothin like looking through the hole and seeing all back.

[jimmygunns]

There is no need to keep muskies anymore!  That's just old ways dying hard!  I still see the "Uninformed" (I'm putting that as PC as possible!) pulling muskies into the boat, still in the net flopping around, taking pictures for 3-4 mins after they catch them, ect...  No need for that.  There are pleanty of other great tasting fish that don't have as small of numbers on a body of water to keep.  Come on people, it's 2007, not 1937!!!

[nybigeyes]

There is no need to keep muskies anymore!  That's just old ways dying hard!  I still see the "Uninformed" (I'm putting that as PC as possible!) pulling muskies into the boat, still in the net flopping around, taking pictures for 3-4 mins after they catch them, ect...  No need for that.  There are pleanty of other great tasting fish that don't have as small of numbers on a body of water to keep.  Come on people, it's 2007, not 1937!!!

Who died and left you in charge??
-30°

[RLWagner]

There is no need to keep muskies anymore!  That's just old ways dying hard!  I still see the "Uninformed" (I'm putting that as PC as possible!) pulling muskies into the boat, still in the net flopping around, taking pictures for 3-4 mins after they catch them, ect...  No need for that.  There are pleanty of other great tasting fish that don't have as small of numbers on a body of water to keep.  Come on people, it's 2007, not 1937!!!

HELLLOOOOO?

Get A Life!

[tbirdbassr]

Who died and left you in charge??
-30°

LOL exactly hate muskies if they're not big enough to keep I hope they are gut hooked Why you should use 7 3/4" baits the powers at be think we need every 50 acre lake stocked with them the destroy populations of every other species in these small waters  Besides that I don't key for them and they prolly get $100 worth of my lures during a year!!

[jimfish]

LOL exactly hate muskies if they're not big enough to keep I hope they are gut hooked Why you should use 7 3/4" baits the powers at be think we need every 50 acre lake stocked with them the destroy populations of every other species in these small waters  Besides that I don't key for them and they prolly get $100 worth of my lures during a year!!

I'd like to hear of ONE 50 acre lake that was stocked with Muskie and also would like to know which lake you think Muskies are responsible for "Destroying populations of other fish". If you are losing that many lure you should check your drag and learn how to use it. I've caught plenty of 36 inch northerns on 4 lb test. If it wasn't for the Muskie groups there would a lot less fishable waters in Illinois.
jimmyguns you must learn not to argue with unintelligent.

[John_BZ]

I'd like to hear of ONE 50 acre lake that was stocked with Muskie and also would like to know which lake you think Muskies are responsible for "Destroying populations of other fish". If you are losing that many lure you should check your drag and learn how to use it. I've caught plenty of 36 inch northerns on 4 lb test. If it wasn't for the Muskie groups there would a lot less fishable waters in Illinois.
jimmyguns you must learn not to argue with unintelligent.

This is true. its like arguing with a fence post. no matter how correct you are and what you say to it, its still always gonna be a fence post. still, its a shame that there are still people who think that way about musky. 

[ZachSchuler]

I love how panfishermen complain they can't catch fish because of muskie....i still can catch them. You need to learn to fish differently. The muskies may chase them to different locations, but they can't eat them all. Maybe YOU are the one eating all the panfish. I don't think a muskie will take 20 in 1 day....

[jimfish]

How true. I definitly haven't seen a Muskie leave wax worm containers and hook wrappers on the ice, but I have seen the icefisherman do it while he walks away with a 5 gallon bucket of panfish each smaller than the size of my hand.

[ice boy19]

I'd like to hear of ONE 50 acre lake that was stocked with Muskie and also would like to know which lake you think Muskies are responsible for "Destroying populations of other fish". If you are losing that many lure you should check your drag and learn how to use it. I've caught plenty of 36 inch northerns on 4 lb test. If it wasn't for the Muskie groups there would a lot less fishable waters in Illinois.
jimmyguns you must learn not to argue with unintelligent.

rockland lake in ny!! muskies did not destroy the waters though!! they improved it. there was an abundance almost a nusicance of white perch. and there was no food for all them to eat so they stocked it with tiger muskies. and now there is muskies and white perch and the white perch #'S are down but you are still able to catch them and they are bigger!!!

[jimfish]

rockland lake in ny!! muskies did not destroy the waters though!! they improved it. there was an abundance almost a nusicance of white perch. and there was no food for all them to eat so they stocked it with tiger muskies. and now there is muskies and white perch and the white perch #'S are down but you are still able to catch them and they are bigger!!!

Just a side note, if they stocked it with Tiger muskie, in time they will all die off. Tigers cannot reproduce.

[ZachSchuler]

Just a side note, if they stocked it with Tiger muskie, in time they will all die off. Tigers cannot reproduce.

Same with pure muskies in Illinois...cannot reproduce. It all comes from stocking.

[ice boy19]

yes i no they will die off. put for the past 10 years the dec has done a good job stocking it every year and there is big muskies