New Jersey Musky to have a catch and release season

[jyoung]

Catch-and-release season is planned for muskellunge
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
Gordon Campbell, vice president of Muskie's Inc. Chapter 22 in North Jersey, once came close to eating muskellunge. It was a pike Campbell tasted, a fish that -- for most intents and purposes -- equals the musky's edibility. Or lack thereof.

"I wouldn't eat one," said Campbell, referring to muskellunge. He explained the pike he tried long ago while fishing in Canada was far from enjoyable. The muskellunge shares that reputation. "They're just bony," Campbell said. "Not a gourmet fish at all. ... If you want something to eat, catch a flounder or something like that."

One angler, posting in an online forum, contended a good muskie recipe would entail mixing the fillets "with potatoes, carrots, onions, lemon, a few chunks of steak and some beef gravy."

 

The writer -- sounding suspiciously as if he were discussing black bear meat -- went on to suggest slow cooking the mixture in a crock pot for eight hours.

"Once cooked, pour contents in a serving dish, throw muskie fillets in the garbage and enjoy," said the jokester.

Others on the forum reworked the old shad-cooking one-liner, wherein the hungry fisherman discards the shad and munches the wood plank used to cook the fish.

Still, you never know when somebody will toss a big, bony muskie on a frying pan. So the state Fish and Game Council -- at the request of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife -- wants to place a catch-and-release season on muskellunge.

The council plans to bar anglers from keeping any muskies and tiger muskellunge caught in Echo Lake Reservoir, Mercer Lake, Mountain Lake and Monksville Reservoir between March 20 and May 20.

It's from those places that the state gathers big muskies each year to use as "broodstock" for its muskellunge-raising efforts at the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery. During the process, the biologists use tricaine methanesulfonate (MS222) to sedate the fish, thereby reducing injuries.

The substance stays in the fish for three weeks and, to prevent human consumption of the chemical, the hatchery keeps the muskies 21 days before returning them to the water. Under the proposed Fish Code change, the fish could be returned immediately after being stripped of eggs, since anglers wouldn't be allowed to keep them until after the non-consumption period passed.

This would be good for the muskies. The less time in the hatchery, the better

[bigredfishing]

I would like to see anyone say that boneless pike isnt delicious...i put it up there with walleye and yellow perch...muskies however, are just too valuable a fish to kill...it has nothing to do with whether they are good to eat or not, they grow slowly and are not prolific breeders.

[AD]

Pike is less than enjoyable?            I grew up eating pike and I love it,  it is one of my most favorite fish to eat.     You just have to know how to clean it, and cook it.      We scale them and fillet them and do the cuts from top to bottom if the fillet ever little bit going down the fillet and then cut through every 3 or 4 inches or so, toss in some batter of your choice and deep fry.     I love pike.   
    I think the person who tried one in Canada just didn't know how to prepare it (get the meat off the fish and cook it)
     C&R Muskies is okay, is this going to be for the whole season or just until they get the MS222 out of their system?      Most people you hear of C&R muskies anyways, but a few are kept for food.     
        Although I have heard that pickled musky is really good.

[TJ Bauer]

I agree 100% with this and if the muskie population is that bad where you are from then I agree that the DNR should step in and say that you can not keep them But as for all of the talk about muskie not tasteing well that is a bunch of crap. Yes I eat them because where I fish the muskie population is very good they are a very good eating fish very white and flakey meat. People like to say that they taste bad because they think if you keep them they will go away. Look how many thousands of other fish get taken a year if the DNR will let you keep them why not they are very good.     TJ Bauer

[MikeThePike]

TJ,

I agree that when prepared correctly musky meat is actually quite good but due to all the mercury and other contaminents in their systems, I will not eat one again.  (I still have 2 steaks in my freezer from the 1 I caught almost 2 years ago that I don't really want to eat due to all the mercury.)

The big problem with Monksville is since the state record came from there back in Feb. 1997, every guy who goes out and catches 1 for the first time thinks he has the next state record. I've talked to bait shop owners out that way that have guys bringing in 15lb fish that the anglers act cocky saying its the new state record (42+lbs) until the owner weighs it for them.

I know there are some huge fish in Echo, Monksville and Mountain but these fish see lots of pressure and more importantly, by a lot of anglers who don't know how to properly handle these fish.

Its a great idea that the NJDGW wants to put a C&R period into effect but it should be longer to protect the fish that are spawning in the reservoirs themselves as well.

[NormS]

I am all for a closed Muskie season here in N.J, there will always be anglers that harvest these magnificent fish for food or to just show thier friends what they caught. But a sad fact is only a percentage of the fish caught and released survive.
(Mortality can occur from hours to months later)
If we want a true trophy fishery all anglers targeting Muskies should know and use the proper landing, handling and release techniques which include using the right tackle, net/cradle, avoiding verticle holds, limiting time out of water, and possesing heavy long nose pliers and hook cutters for hook removal not to mention safety. There will never be a 100% survival rate even from the most experienced angler, but increasing angler awareness will increase survival rates creating a better fishery. Another fact is that most stocked waters that didnt have a natural Muskie population have at best a less than 2% succesful reproduction rate. Which make stocking efforts and catch and release all the more important. With regards to eating Pike I've had it twice, first time as a kid dad just filleted it then broiled, meat was sweet white and flaky but every other forkful was a mouthful of bones, yuk. Had it again beer batter deep fried by a pro up north who removed all the bones, was surprisingly good. So I have to agree with all on this boney almost inedible yes, but properly prepared right up there with Walleye and Perch. However I wouldnt eat Muskie for two reason's first it would be just plain taboo for me personally and secondly larger predators (Muskie being the largest) have the highest concentration of Mercury, Lead, Dioxin and PCB's in thier flesh.  All states have a minimum harvest size 36" being the smallest right on up to 48" think about it.
Good Fishing.
Norm.