Muskellunge Fishing Tips

Muskellunge Fishing Tips

General Information:
Muskellunge, typically referred to as “muskie”, are stocked in 10 reservoirs in Ohio, nine of these are stocked
by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and one (Pymatuning Lake) is stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
 Ohio stocks approximately 20,000 8-12 inch muskie each fall in the nine program reservoirs to maintain these
fisheries. Muskie are native to Ohio and naturally reproduce in a limited number of streams and rivers in Ohio.

State Record:
55.13 pounds, 50 1/4 inches, Piedmont Lake
Joe D. Lykins
April 12, 1972

Fish Ohio Length:
36 inches

TIPS

Number one tip: have an experienced muskie fisherman take you fishing, or attend a local muskie club meeting and
shorten your learning curve.
Visit the muskie information section of this website for detailed information on Ohio’s muskie program and 9
program lakes.
Mid-May until mid-July is the best period to be on any of Ohio’s muskie lakes.
Be sure to try casting bucktails and jerkbaits around any available weed-beds the last two weeks of May before the
gizzard shad finish spawning and move out into the open lake.
Quality needlenose pliers and mini-boltcutters are a must-have in a muskie boat. Big hooks and muskie teeth can
both cause an angler nasty injuries. The bolt cutters can be used to free a muskie from a landing net when hooks
tangle.