Do muskies school?

[sparkie]

A local lake that I have been fishing for walleye has a growing population of muskies.  3 times in the last 2 weeks I have caught 2 muskies at the same time while trolling.  All 3 times I was reeling in one fish when the second fish hit the other pole when the lure was rising to the top.  Just wondering if this is normal for muskies to hang around together in such close quarters.

[jigerjim]

Many time's I've seen them in pair's in the river & creek's. I think for the most part there loner's. I cant ever remember seeing more than two at a time.

[TroutFishingBear]

Major predators usually are loners according to laws of ecology, and I assume this is so for musky as well because pike are very similar and do not school.

***just plain assumption

[Jigwiggler]

In lakes, once the water hits temp low to mid 70's muskies will move to deeper water in search of cooler conditions.  Musky also require alot of food, so fish will congragate into an area with abundant baitfish and likeable temps.  In river systems it is rare to see more than 2 fish together although I have hooked up with 5 in a day out of a small area before which was probably for the same reason the fish group described above.  In lakes of high population however, it is not uncommon to mark groups of 10 or more musky in deep water near pods of bait during mid and late summer.  So I don't think that it is schooling so much as it is numbers of fish inhabiting the same area because of favorable conditions.

[suskymusky]

I've seen Muskies in pairs around spawning time, but for the most part they are loners.Ditto for Northerns.

[jayg]

There is a lot of research done lately to prove that muskies do hang out in packs.  Especially in open water and larger areas.  Look at barracudas for an example.  You will see a lot of loners out there but when they are feeding have you ever seen the schools they are in?  It is amazing.  Now I am not saying that they are like walleyes or panfish for that matter but there is proof out there.  I too believed the old loner theory until it happened to me on more than one occasion.  I remember trolling last year in the weeds and lost a large fish.  On the next pass in the exact same place my father pulled up a 17 lb musky.  Two trolling passes later again in the exact place I pulled out a 25 lber.  2 fish with a possibility of a third all within 30 minutes.  After that, I had to revisit my way of thinking. This has happened to me on two occasions and the other one happened while casting.  They say the fish that  do hang out will be in the same weight class.  What are the weight classes? I do not know.  What I do know is that anyone leaving the area after just one fish is cutting themselves short.  I would like to know if anybody out there has had the same experiences as me.  Well until next time.

[NormS]

Yup I no longer believe the "Loner" theory either. Many times I have hooked fish within 20 minutes or less of eachother in the same area's. Ive had this happen all through the season in shallow weedbeds and flats and in open water. Dont believe however that Muskies "school" but do feel that small pods of fish may feed in the same favorable area's and conditions.
Norm

[TJ Bauer]

I try to muskie fish quite often I just dont seem to have the luck in the summer but I do have luck in the winter we have caught many muskies threw the ice but as for the Question Do Muskies School I am going to say yes I have wacthed them on the under water camera chaseing after a fish in i would not say a school maybe i should say they were almost hunting in a pack It was pretty cool to so five to ten of the fly by the cam