Marketplace Today Blog

Musky anglers may find a trophy fish in their stockings this holiday season.

They have another month — until the end of December — to fish for the famed fighters in Wisconsin waters south of U.S. 10.

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.

Olson notes that 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.”

The southern zone musky season closes Dec. 31. 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.