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Post by strippitman on Feb 19, 2014 8:30:20 GMT -5
Went out to my home lake after work to see if I could put a few eyes on the ice. As I was walking out I passed an old friend that I hadn't fished with in a few years. He had just got done drilling a few holes with his gas auger and he told me to drop my ducer in the hole to check the depth. I told him it was 28' and there were fish at 20'. He told me I better get my rapala down to 'em and catch 'em. We ended up fishing together until dark. I lost 3 fish but managed to put 2 dandy crappies on the ice. He lost 2 fish, but he did end up catching 2 short walleye and 1 keeper 16". All his fish were caught on jigging rapalas and mine were caught on a chartreuse colored Northland Tackle Puppet Minnow.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Feb 19, 2014 10:14:37 GMT -5
That's a fine crappie.
Are there musky in that lake?
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Post by strippitman on Feb 19, 2014 14:58:53 GMT -5
Nope,but there used to be. The DNR quit stocking it in the late 80's and the last time I heard of one getting caught was in the late 90's. A few years after they quit stocking it with Tiger Musky the DNR began stocking it with walleye. The walleye stocking program has been pretty successful on that lake.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Feb 19, 2014 15:53:21 GMT -5
A friend of a friend caught one there last year when he was walleye fishing, so there must be a few still swimming around in there.
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Post by Greenedog on Feb 19, 2014 19:37:24 GMT -5
Sweet! Nice crappie, and I'd start hanging out with that fellar with the gas auger all the time.
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Post by strippitman on Feb 20, 2014 8:34:43 GMT -5
A friend of a friend caught one there last year when he was walleye fishing, so there must be a few still swimming around in there. I would need pictures for proof of that. If he did catch it, it would've had to have been a giant because the musky that were stocked in there were infertile. No offspring have been reproduced. Which means that musky would've been 20+ years old! The last musky that I heard of coming out of there was about a 45"er in about year 2000. I wish there were still musky in there but I don't mind the trade-off for walleye
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Post by goosepondmonster on Feb 20, 2014 8:41:15 GMT -5
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Post by strippitman on Feb 20, 2014 8:46:08 GMT -5
Went back there again last night and the fishing was sloooow. I met my long time fishing buddy out there (he has a gas auger too ) and I also took both my kids along. Of course the kids wanted to hog the electronics so I fished blind most of the night but even when I did have the electronics the fish didn't seem interested. My buddy did manage to put a keeper 'eye on the ice while the rest of us left smelling like skunk.
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Post by Greenedog on Feb 20, 2014 20:05:12 GMT -5
A keeper Indiana 'eye would definitely have made my day....even if I had to watch someone else catch it!
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Post by strippitman on Feb 21, 2014 8:38:54 GMT -5
I don't think the sign in the background is the one at LOTW but I'm gonna double check first. If that was caught there then that is the first I've heard of a musky getting caught there in years. I'm actually hoping it did come out of there but I'm very skeptical at this point.
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Post by Greenedog on Feb 21, 2014 12:39:03 GMT -5
I don't think the sign in the background is the one at LOTW but I'm gonna double check first. If that was caught there then that is the first I've heard of a musky getting caught there in years. I'm actually hoping it did come out of there but I'm very skeptical at this point. The sign in the background looks like it says " something Burns Memorial" and I noticed on google earth street view that the LOTW launch is called "Burns Landing." Sounds legit to me!
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Post by strippitman on Feb 21, 2014 15:28:40 GMT -5
I don't think the sign in the background is the one at LOTW but I'm gonna double check first. If that was caught there then that is the first I've heard of a musky getting caught there in years. I'm actually hoping it did come out of there but I'm very skeptical at this point. The sign in the background looks like it says " something Burns Memorial" and I noticed on google earth street view that the LOTW launch is called "Burns Landing." Sounds legit to me! I've fished there my whole life and never knew it was called Burns Landing. Interesting! You can learn something everyday if you're willing to.
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Post by strippitman on Feb 21, 2014 17:14:41 GMT -5
Well, I'll be dipped in shi!, that is definitely the sign at LOTW! I'm completely dumbfounded! I called a couple of my buddies and told them about it and they thought I was full of crap until I told them I have a picture with proof. I gotta send my apologies out to Eli since I basically was telling him he was full of crap...Sorry Eli! I'm good friends with a guy who lives at LOTW and fishes it probably 4-5 times per week and see what his reaction is. It's the same guy I fished with on the night I caught the crappies to start this thread with. You wouldn't believe how many times we have all debated whether or not muskies still existed in that lake. It has been over 10 years since we heard of any being caught and/or seen so we had basically figured they no longer existed in there. Now we are wondering if there are any more or if that was the last one. Great stuff Eli! Thanks for coming up with that pic!
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Post by Greenedog on Feb 21, 2014 18:00:16 GMT -5
I remember reading a story a couple years ago about a small musky being caught in an Indiana lake that hadn't been stocked for years and it was confirmed by the DNR, although I don't think it was LOTW. Maybe they've reproduced there too!
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Post by goosepondmonster on Feb 22, 2014 7:54:34 GMT -5
I think the only way to make up for this travesty is taking Greenedog and myself out for a walleye excursion on LOTW.
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