Lake Champlain Ice Fishing

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04-07-2007 | 06:19 AM

#11

Champlain Islander

Dominant Buck

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 23,840

Likes: 11

From: On an Island in Paradise

RE: Lake Champlain Ice Fishing

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ORIGINAL: Phil from Maine

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I have lived and fished here all my life and never even seen a musky much less caught one. They are here but not in great numbers. F&W is looking at establishing a fishery for them but I think they have a long way to go.

I find it hard to understand that if muskies are there, why they do not populate? Here in Northern Maine someone had let a few go and now they are getting out of control in a few places. They were wrongfully let lose in the upper St. John River and started working their way into lakes and streams in the area. This past year a state record was caught out of a lake up there. That creates a problem for some of our best cold water fisheries up in that area. Perhaps the pike may keep the numbers down up there in your area,I do not know.

One reason why they haven'tspread is the version that was stocked years ago was a hybrid tiger musky that coudn't reproduce if my memory serves me correctly.

04-07-2007 | 10:59 AM

#12

ajsoma

Thread Starter

Spike

Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 24

Likes: 0

From:

RE: Lake Champlain Ice Fishing

As you all may know...Champlain is a great fishery..BUT not that good! At this time in my opinion the lampreys are at their worst..every salmon and lake troutand many pike have scars on them. The fish just cannot get big here because of the lampreys. Somthing needs to be done but environmental committees won't let it happen because of the other species the lampricide will kill. Problems! The bass fishing is awesome though as far as numbers go and ther are a lot of real nice sized fish but again, they don't get to be the same size as they do in smaller ponds around the area. For what reason i don't know...maybe lampreys moving in on the warm water fish as well???

04-07-2007 | 11:34 AM

#13

Phil from Maine

Boone & Crockett

Joined: Feb 2006

Posts: 12,734

Likes: 5

From: Maine

RE: Lake Champlain Ice Fishing

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One reason why they haven'tspread is the version that was stocked years ago was a hybrid tiger musky that coudn't reproduce

That would explain it!, I was curious as to why when I had heard about them getting out of control up here.

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.every salmon and trout have scars on them. The fish just cannot get big here because of the lampreys. Somthing needs to be done but environmental committees won't let it happen because of the other species the lampricide will kill.

We have them in a lake up here and what they do to try and help control them is a big bait trap. That is used by the Dept. of Inland fisheries and Wildlife here. It goes from one side of the stream to the other and it helps cut down on the numbers reaching the lake. Some it appears no matter what will reach the lake but, as stated this does help to cut down those numbers that would of gotten in there.