Currently, under
Maryland
fishing regulations the state has established the muskellunge (muskie) catch
and size limit to one per-day with a minimum 36 inch size limit.
This regulation allows anglers the unique opportunity to keep their trophy catch. However, many muskie anglers practice voluntary catch and release.
Voluntarily releasing muskie improves their chances to reach trophy sizes and is important in maintaining a productive and attractive fishery for anglers. Based on this practice, trophy muskie can be released alive and offer an exciting catch for the next angler.
How to Successfully Release Muskie:
While direct harvest of this species rarely occurs, it is imperative to reduce mortality of released fish. Tagging studies in Maryland suggest that nearly half of the muskie caught and released are eventually recaptured. This alone is a testament to the effectiveness of catch and release efforts currently in place.
The most important precautions anglers can take are to avoid targeting muskie under stressful conditions and to use the appropriate tools and handling techniques described below.
*Additional details
regarding angling during stressful conditions can be found in the Life History/Biology section.
Angling for muskie requires specialized tools and handling
techniques in order to maximize survival following the catch.
Recommended Tools:
- Large landing net(preferably with a hook resistant mesh)
- Long needle nosed pliers (greater than 12 inch)
- Jaw spreaders
- Scissors
- Hook cutters (small and stout pair of bolt cutters)
Landing Your Trophy Muskie:
Once a muskie is hooked the fun begins! Successfully hooking a fish and getting it to the bank or boat is a challenge in itself but only half of the battle.
- The first recommended approach is to guide the fish, head first, into the large landing net that keeps the fish in the water; the net serves as an in-the-water livewell.
- Once the fish enters the net it should remain there until the hooks are removed.
Minimizing the time a fish spends out of the water is a very important part of this process; it is strongly recommended that the muskie remain in the net the entire time. The only reason to remove the fish from the net would be to get a quick measurement and photograph.
Next, the sharp hooks need to be removed from the bony mouth full of teeth.
- Gain positive control of the fish and use long needle nosed pliers to remove the hooks using a quick and forceful motion.
- Be prepared for the fish to react as you try to gain control and remove the hooks.
- Make certain to keep hands away from both the mouth and hooks until the fish calms down.
- Once the lure is removed from the mouth you should take time to remove it completely from the netting material so risk of injury to both angler and fish is minimized.
- Jaw spreaders can be used to aid in opening the fish’s mouth wider to see and remove hooks.
These are especially useful in hooks that are deeply impaled or unusually difficult to remove from the fish’s mouth. More often than not a muskie will roll in the net and tangle themselves in the line and leader.
- Scissors can be used to cut the line and/or leader to alleviate tangles and additional chaos in the hook removal process.
- Occasionally there are times where hooks cannot be removed quickly using the abovementioned process without risking injury to the fish. Either the hook is lodged in a bony portion of the jaw or they are too deep for successful extraction.
- It is strongly recommended that bolt cutters be used to cut hooks as close as possible and removing the pieces if possible. Replacement hooks and split ring pliers on hand allow hooks to be replaced quickly and economically. Replacing a hook or two opposed to sacrificing the fish provides a chance for the fish to be caught again.
- Once the hooks are successfully removed or cut the fish can be lifted from the net/water for a quick measurement and photograph prior to the release. It is very important to support the weight of the fish with both hands in order to minimize risk of injury. (shown in the picture on the left below)
- Using the “gill plate grab" or “Leech Lake Lip Lock,” while avoiding contact with the gills themselves, is critical in head control. The other hand should be used to support the weight of the fish on it’s under side. (shown in the picture on the left below)
RECOMMENDED
- Holding the muskie with two hands supporting
both the head and the weight of the fish is the correct way to hold this
species.
NOT RECOMMENDED
- A vertical hold by the gill
plate creates a large amount of stress that is placed on
the jaw structure and could potentially
cause dislocation or unnecessary harm to the mouth parts.
- Using mechanical
devices to hold the fish by its mouth because the fish will
typically try to roll while attached thus damaging the jaw bone.
