Southern zone musky season runs through Dec. 31.
MADISON ?Musky anglers may find a trophy fish in their stockings this holiday season.
Musky
The southern zone musky season is open through Dec. 31, giving anglers another month to land a trophy like this 50-plus incher Jeff Hanson caught in the Madison chain of lakes.
Craig Eversoll Photo
They have another month ? until the end of December -- to fish for the famed fighters in Wisconsin waters south of U.S. Highway 10.
?We?re happy to provide the anglers of Wisconsin with a holiday bonus: an opportunity to fish at a time of the year when many trophy fish are caught,? says Mike Staggs, Wisconsin?s fisheries director.
The longer season for the southern zone waters was approved by anglers during the 2008 spring rule hearings, and was initiated and guided through the process by the Capital City Chapter of Muskies Inc. and Scot Stewart, Department of Natural Resources fisheries supervisor for south central Wisconsin.
Several factors came together to make the longer season a reality, Stewart says. For starters, there is little or no reproduction in southern waters ? the fish are raised at DNR hatcheries and stocked -- so there is no impact on spawning fish of a longer season.
In addition, protective regulations and a catch and release ethic that means that 98 percent of all musky caught are released, also convinced Stewart and the Cap City Chapter of Muskies Inc. that there wouldn?t be any harm and that a longer season was worth the effort to get a season extension through the rules process.
Jim Olson, president of Cap City Muskies, also noted that another reason for the season extension was the fact that southern lakes are freezing over later in the year, allowing boats on the lakes later. ?The State Climatology Office has records dating to 1850. The median date for Monona to freeze over is December 15 and for Wingra is November 29. However, in the last 10 years the median date for Monona to freeze over has been December 28 and five times in the last 10 years Monona has not frozen over until January,? he said.
His research also indicates that above normal weather is predicted for December 2009, so we will probably have open water on Monona for much, if not all, of December.?
Olson notes that the late fall has traditionally been a good time to fish ?so it will be interesting to see if that trend extends through December. In northern Wisconsin, typically the largest fish are caught later in the fall, so if you translate that to southern Wisconsin, it might mean some good fishing late in the year.?
?There were two muskies, that we know of, that were caught and released by club members that exceeded 50 inches ? and that is the mark that everyone shoots for.?
Olson plans to be out in his boat, taking advantage of the new opportunity and hoping the Madison lakes give up a lunker.
Stewart expects he?ll have plenty of company.
?I went over to the Olin boat ramp (on Madison?s Lake Monona) Sunday and it was pretty full. I know the trucks and they are all musky anglers. They are definitely out fishing right now, and unless the weather gets too nasty, I expect that to continue.?
The southern zone musky season closes Dec. 31. While there is a 45 inch minimum length limit for fish caught and kept from the Madison lakes, the southern zone regulations call for a 34 inch minimum size length and a daily bag of one. For regulations specific to the water you plan to fish, check the 2009-2010 Guide to Hook and Line Regulations.
Find lists of musky waters in Wisconsin, and more information on muskellunge and musky fishing on the Wisconsin Musky page of the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Scot Stewart (608) 273-5967; Tim Simonson (608) 266-5222
