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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: Why no muskies?
 
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marsonite
02/27/2008 08:14PM
 
Interesting question that I don't know the answer to. What's really weird is that about the only lake in the area that has a native pop of muskies that I know of is Shoepack on the Kabetogama Peninsula. They have been successfully introduced to a number of lakes, so it doesn't seem competition is an issue.
 
TomT
02/27/2008 07:26PM
 
You got them in lakes outside of the BW and Quetico but I never heard of anyone catching any inside the parks. What causes this? Just imagine if you hooked into something like this....


 
fishnfreak
02/27/2008 08:55PM
 
there are muskies in Cresent lake just off the Sawbill trail and also Kinogami!!
 
Pirate
02/28/2008 10:58AM
 
A couple of years back a guy caught a Muskie out of Shagawa. Seems that some time in the past (70's or 80's?) the MNDNR was rearing Muskies at the now defunct rearing ponds on Burntside River. After a heavy rain, the ponds overflowed into the river.

If they're in Shagawa, I would imagine they're in Fall, Newton, Basswood, etc... although in extremely limited numbers.
 
Obergut
02/28/2008 11:08AM
 
My guess is that they simply were never stocked either accidentally or on purpose.

I could picture my mother in-law swimming with that thing. That picture almost looks like it wasn't photo-shopped.
 
mr.barley
02/27/2008 09:59PM
 
I once heard East Pike has Muskies in it.

 
dober
02/28/2008 11:44AM
 
I've cought muskies on east and west pike. Nothing over about 20".
 
TomT
02/28/2008 06:30PM
 
It would be fun to have one lake deep in the interior of Quetico that is stocked with muskies. Maybe PooBah. It's difficult to get to but oh what fun that would be, catching big muskies in the Q.
 
ILikePike
02/28/2008 06:26PM
 
yea my dad's friend caught a few muskies on east pike lake(shouldnt it be east muskie?)
 
zelmsdawg
04/22/2008 01:41PM
 
I go up to East Pike every year because I'm a musky nut and love the bw and there are in there, just not a lot of them. The dnr stocked them back in 77 before stopping because they weren't a native fish so only a few have survived
 
arctic
03/19/2008 07:18PM
 
Muskies are not native to any of the BWCAW lakes. Their original distribution in Minnesota were the lakes and rivers of the upper Mississippi River watershed. East Pike Lake once had muskies due to an introduction, but these have since almost disappeared.
 
Jeriatric
03/20/2008 05:18PM
 
I remember reading something about pike/muskie competition. In many waters, muskie and pike attempt to occupy the same niche. In those cases, pike have an edge in competition because they hatch out earlier than the muskies and the younger species becomes food for the older one. Pike eventually occupy those waters to the exculsion of muskies.
In some waters, pike and muskies co-exist. That is because they have found separate niches within the same lake.
 
wkdoit
03/21/2008 10:46AM
 
i'm pretty sure i had a musky on in east pike-hardest fighting fish i ever hooked-muskies fight differently than pike-more savagely-i didn't get a good look at him though-he broke me off-i had stayed at a lodge on west fowl years before & the helper/guide told me there were "kahunas" in east pike-i believe him-plus i think the report on lakefinder mention them being stocked at one time-this area is sweet-i love to go there on sept trips
 
HowardSprague
03/21/2008 08:47AM
 
I believe that some were also stocked in Farm Lake at one time.
 
snakecharmer
03/21/2008 12:42PM
 
Muskies are INSANE!
 
SiouxFan
03/19/2008 08:22PM
 
I have also heard of muskie in east pike.
 
kanoes
02/27/2008 08:11PM
 
more sterile lakes? well established pike populations? just two guesses.