Musky Fishing near TC

[BrokenWing]

Hey my wife and I are heading up there in June and I would like to fish for some toothy cridders :lol: . So could someone give me some help? I know that I live near the better fishing lake for musky LSC, but we want to get away for a weekend.

Thanks
Rich

PM me if you would rather not post. :help:

[seabee8782]

lake skegemog has a good number of them, besides that not much

[Linda G.]

Skegemog is just the most advertised lake for muskies. There's also Intermediate, Clam Lake, and the entire upper chain of lakes in Antrim County, including Six Mile Lake. They're just the fish of a thousand casts, that's all.

I see the wakes early in the morning from right here at my desk once in a while, particularly in the spring and fall when the water is cooler and there's very little boat traffic, as they cruise the bay hunting.

[BrokenWing]

Skegemog is just the most advertised lake for muskies. There's also Intermediate, Clam Lake, and the entire upper chain of lakes in Antrim County, including Six Mile Lake. They're just the fish of a thousand casts, that's all.

I see the wakes early in the morning from right here at my desk once in a while, particularly in the spring and fall when the water is cooler and there's very little boat traffic, as they cruise the bay hunting.

I was also told Intermediate and Clam Lake on another website. Thanks

[UltimateOutdoorsman]

Long lake has some real monsters, but it's a lot of water to cover.

[UkiahDog]

Skeg connects to Elk and there's plenty of water to keep you occopied and far enough away from the high speed users. Skeg and Elk are by far the best in the area, and considering Skeg has the current state record it's tough to argue that it's not the best Musky lake in the state.

[headbanger421]

Skeg and Elk are by far the best in the area, and considering Skeg has the current state record it's tough to argue that it's not the best Musky lake in the state.[/quote]

I could be mistaken, but I thought the current state record came from Thornapple.

[Linda G.]

I never heard about a record from Skegemog, I was aware of records from other lakes, including Clam Lake in 1980 or so (the fish is in Butch's Tackle on the wall), but not Skegemog.

[UkiahDog]

http://www.landbigfish.com/staterecords/records.cfm?state=Michigan

Shows a different record for the muskellunge and the northern muskellunge, which are 2 different species. Document below is DNR doc stating there is a difference between the 2, that they can identify.

I thought Skeg/Elk was one of the last lakes with "muskellunge" in sizeable amounts, as the Northern Muskellunge is what has been stocked by DNR for many years, and is now more predominanat I beleive. I may be wrong on that, but it would be interesting to ask a DNR officer to find out the whole story.

Either way, they designate two state records for that fish. Well, 3 if you count the pike/ muskie cross "tiger muskie".

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/230723_191907_7.pdf

If anyone knows anything else it would be good to know. Sorry for taking over this post.... :fish::fish2:

[headbanger421]

I am by no means an expert but you are right about the two different species of muskie. The northern strain is what the state has been stocking and that is what you can find in Thornapple. The great lakes strain(our native strain) is what you'll find in lakes like Elk, Skeg, Burt, Mullett and Black. I was hoping Duke would've joined in by now to spread some of his knowledge on the subject.

[Duke]

Hey! wow, thanks for the invite to talk muskies, it would be my pleasure!!

There are several recognized STRAINS of muskies throughout their native range. In Michigan there are 2 strains. They are not separate species, but more like 'races'. Although their differences are extremely slight- even DNR biologists rely on DNA testing on fish where there is a question. For all intents and purposes, they are the same fish, the only real difference being where they were originally native to. In the Lower Peninsula, all the native muskies are Great Lakes Strain (GLS), and all the stocked muskies are the Northern Strain. There are about 20 lakes more-or-less actively stocked with muskies in the LP. GLS muskies originally inhabited virtually all the lakes and rivers connected to the Great Lakes that offered suitable, favorable habitat. Some of their favorite places were drowned river mouth lakes like Muskegon, White, Hamlin, Manistee. Habitat destruction, especially of spawning habitat has contributed to their scarcity today in those places. The lakes in the TC area that have muskies are all remnant populations of native GLS muskies that are now isolated above the Elk Rapids dam (and above the Intermediate dam). The exception is Long Lake where muskies are not native, and it received a one time stocking many years ago, and the descendents of those fish are reproducing in the lake.

The Northern strain that is stocked by the DNR is native to the west end of the Upper Peninsula in many of the lakes near the Wisconsin border. The DNR is currently in the beginning stages of a GLS rearing and stocking program as part of a native species restoration effort that aims to stock muskies in many of the lakes and rivers where they once existed. Wisconsin already has a highly successful GLS muskie restoration in the Fox River and Green Bay- using Michigan GLS muskies as the broodstock.

Any questions, any time about muskies- just let me know!! I am kind of a muskie junkie

[Redjay]

Skeg connects to Elk and there's plenty of water to keep you occopied and far enough away from the high speed users. Skeg and Elk are by far the best in the area, and considering Skeg has the current state record it's tough to argue that it's not the best Musky lake in the state.

There's is some BIG pike in Skegemog also...pretty good all-around fishing lake if you know what you are doing;)

[UkiahDog]

I've caught some big smallies out of there as well. It sees a good amount of pressure. I see more fisherman there than anything else really, although I'm not there daily.

[Linda G.]

All the muskies in the lakes around here are the Great Lakes variety, as far as I know. Native fish. There was a move on by the DNR several years ago to stock more muskies, but the VHS thing put a stop to that, that, and resistance from other anglers.

[BrokenWing]

Thanks guys! Either way it seems that these are the chain of lakes that we should look into. Now for the big question....will my deep V 17ft Lund be able to use the DNR launches? The last time of was there I had a duck boat so it was easy but I think that I should be able to launch there, correct?

Rich

[Duke]

You shouldn't have any problem launching your boat in any of the mentioned lakes.

And Linda, I'm not sure what you mean by "There was a move on by the DNR several years ago to stock more muskies, but the VHS thing put a stop to that, that, and resistance from other anglers."

The DNR has been stocking muskies every single year since at least 1979. VHS stopped the production of muskies in 2007 at the DNR hatchery, but they still obtained clean fish from Iowa and were able to stock a limited number that year as well. The hatchery is back in production as of 2008 as VHS concerns have all but subsided, and more importantly the hatchery/fish can be disinfected with certainty. Resistance from other anglers has been extremely minimal, and the science is clearly not on their side anyway. There was an interest in stocking Long Lake again a few years back, to augment the existing population- but there was vocal opposition to that by lake owners. That may be the only situation you are referring to? They claimed there was already "too many muskies" in the lake and that they were hurting the walleye fishery. An absurd claim, but the DNR did perform a lake survey to ascertain the situation. The survey turned up zero muskies, but I still don't believe there is an interest any longer to stock Long Lake with muskies. There are plenty of other lakes where people are clamoring for them, there is no need to try to force them into a lake where they are not wanted.

[Linda G.]

In that, I was referring to Antrim County...and to my knowledge, the DNR hasn't stocked anything but salmon, sturgeon and steelhead in the last three years, although they may have some limited stocking of other species this year. The tribes and private agencies have done some stocking from private hatcheries.

[BrokenWing]

Are there any places to stay right on the water for any of these lakes?

Thanks
Rich

[Duke]

In that, I was referring to Antrim County...and to my knowledge, the DNR hasn't stocked anything but salmon, sturgeon and steelhead in the last three years, although they may have some limited stocking of other species this year. The tribes and private agencies have done some stocking from private hatcheries.

You are right if you are speaking of ONLY Antrim county. Other than trout and salmon, the only DNR plant was walleye in Intermediate, Bellaire & Six Mile in 2006. But that is actually the norm for Antrim, there is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of the frequency, or species stocked occurring there or anywhere in the state for the most part.

[headbanger421]

Are there any places to stay right on the water for any of these lakes?

Thanks
Rich


If you don't mind camping there is a state park right in TC. It's about a 10-15 min. drive to Elk/Skeg from there.

[BrokenWing]

We would like a small cabin, that would be great.

[headbanger421]

I'm sure they'll have plenty of rentals up there.

[Duke]

Cedars Resort up on Benway Lake in the upper chain has nice small cabins, many others around there too. You would have to trailer to get to Skegemog of course, but the Upper Chain has good fishing (and muskies) as well. The chain of lakes is pretty interesting and a little quieter!