Anglers hope better stocking can revive Minnesota's muskie fishing - MPR News

Muskellunge — those giant, toothy fish some Minnesota anglers love to catch — are known for generating both awe and fear.

Eric Bakke of Princeton made headlines in 2022 when he caught a monster muskie on Mille Lacs Lake that measured nearly five feet long, setting a new catch-and-release state record.

Thrilling catches like Bakke's draw a lot of attention on social media, and tend to attract people to the sport of muskie fishing. But some anglers say those catches are getting more rare.

They say Minnesota's once-robust muskie fishery has declined in recent years, due to reduced stocking and increased pressure from anglers aided by the latest sonar technology. They want to see the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources improve its stocking efforts. 

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A muskie recovers after being stunned by an electric charge on Fish Lake near Detroit Lakes.

Dan Gunderson | MPR News 2016

"What they're currently doing on the lakes — in a lot of cases, just isn't good enough," said Aaron Meyer, co-chair of the Minnesota Muskie and Pike Alliance.

The DNR manages just over 100 Minnesota lakes for muskies, and stocks around 60 of those. The agency recently launched an effort to update its statewide muskie plan, which will guide its management efforts for the next 15 years.

Muskie stocking has been controversial, in part because of their large size and fears that they'll consume other game fish. But the DNR says recent studies show muskies don't have the negative impact they're often blamed for.

"There have been a lot of rumors and myths and quite honestly, misconceptions surrounding muskies," said Leslie George, the DNR's northeast region's fisheries manager.

Currently, the DNR isn't looking for new lakes to stock with muskies, George said. 

A muskie in Mille Lacs Lake.

Courtesy of Eric Bakke | 2022

"Our early conversations about this plan revision have largely centered around focusing on those muskie waters that we do have now," she said. "How can we improve those populations and our management efforts surrounding them?"

That could include improving hatcheries to ensure they can produce quality muskies, George said, and stocking lakes with bigger fish that have a better chance of survival. 

A decade ago, the DNR's plan to add muskies to several new lakes met with fierce resistance from some lake residents, who worried they would decimate other fish — or bite children's toes.

Muskie opponents pushed an unsuccessful effort in 2018 to halt the progression of stocking in Minnesota lakes, and to give counties more input in the decision.

Steve Frawley lives on Lake Margaret, part of the Gull chain near Brainerd. He was opposed when the DNR began stocking muskies in Gull Lake in 2016.

"The overwhelming response was people just didn't want it," he said. The biggest concern was how the big predator fish would affect the chain's current walleye population, Frawley said. 

Since the state's previous muskie plan was published in 2008, the DNR has learned a lot about the fish and their interaction with other species, George said.

Recent DNR studies found northern pike and bass consume more food than muskies in lakes where they're both present, and walleye are not a large component of muskies' diet.

"We want to continue that education and that research moving forward," she said.

There's also the economic impact of muskie fishing to consider, George said. A 2018 angler survey found about 11 percent of anglers spent at least one day a year pursuing muskies. A muskie lure can cost $25 or more. 

"So this is not an insignificant angler group," George said. "This is not an insignificant economic driver."

As part of the management plan update, the DNR wants to hear from anglers, lake property owners, tribal members and others interested in muskies, George said.

Heavy duty fishing poles with muskie lures rest on a guide boat on Pelican Lake.

Dan Koeck for MPR News | 2016

A public survey is available online through May 6. The DNR expects to have a draft plan completed this fall.

Bakke said he hopes the DNR focuses on maintaining existing muskie lakes and careful management, so they're available for future generations of anglers.

"Big fish create big smiles and great stories," he said. "That's why this fish is important. To think that that thing is out there, just the possibility of it."