Muskie diaries were distributed to resorts and guides on Lake of the Woods before the season opened in 1988, 1995, 1996 and 1999. Resort managers were encouraged to have their guests who were muskie anglers to complete a diary after each fishing trip. The percentage of diaries which have been completed and returned has increased indicating a greater acceptance of the program. Data were returned from 8 resorts in 1988, 16 resorts in 1995-96 and 20 resorts in 1999. The number of muskies recorded caught increased from 273 in 1988 to 442 in 1995-96 and 932 in 1999. Angler origin has remained relatively constant. Over 95% of participating anglers are non-residents from the United States with the remainder from Ontario. The number of guided trips has also increased from 17.2% in 1988 to 18.6% in 1995-96 and 22.2% iin 1999. Catch-per-unit-of-effort, expressed as the number of fish caught per angler hour, averaged 0.043 in 1999 compared to 0.038 in 1995-96. Both values are lower than the CUE of 0.057 from the 1988 diary survey. A comparison of length at capture throughout the diary program has indicated that an increasing percentage of smaller muskies are being caught. Muskies in the angler diary program averaged 1,013 mm long in 1988, 970 in 1995-96 and 969 in 1999. Although greater numbers of large fish have yet to be caught, it would appear that increased numbers of fish are being recruited into the fishery.
Catch and Release Muskie Fishing – Let Them Go – Let Them Grow