I have two suggestions, neither of which will be popular: Musky stocking should be stopped for a period of 5 years and hatchery operations should be reorganized to produce forage for stocking in Musky bodies of water. Musky size limits should be reduced to 44 or 45 inches and Musky anglers should be encouraged to harvest at least 1 legal Musky a year. I can already hear the folks at Muskies, Inc. saying that calling for lower size limits and harvesting of Musky is a radical idea. To that I would respond that the Wisconsin Musky fisheries are facing an inevitable collapse because too many Musky are chasing too little food. Suspending Musky stocking coupled with size limit adjustments and limited harvesting represents no more of a radical suggestion than the concept of catch and release did back in 1969. The pendulum of Musky fishery health has swung to a perilous extreme and it needs to be returned to a more balanced approach. If Muskies, Inc. has a better idea to address the Wisconsin Musky fishery decline, I am sure we would all be interested. I would be pleased to provide a spokesperson for Muskies, Inc. space on my website for their suggestions. We Are All In This Together!!!
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