Lake Chippewa Flowage Vacation

This spring of 1998 marked the beginning of the most comprehensive Big Chip Musky Study study ever conducted on any body of water in North America. The three year Big Chip Musky Study will focus on the musky fishery of the Chippewa Flowage. The Chippewa Flowage is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier musky waters. As most musky fanatics know, the Chippewa Flowage holds the current world record for musky at 63.5 inches long and 69 pounds, 11 ounces.

For the first time, all of the major agencies with resource management responsibilities in northwest Wisconsin have joined forces in a cooperative agreement to conduct the comprehensive three-year study. The nine agencies and organizations that are involved in the research project are: the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe; the Lac Courte Oreilles Community Development Corporation; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Lac Courte Oreilles Conservation Department; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Lac Courte Oreilles Fish Hatchery; Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission; Department of Interior – Bureau of Indian Affairs; University of Wisconsin – Extension; and, University of Wisconsin – Superior. In addition, two Chapters of Muskies, Inc., have also donated to the study. They are the local Hayward Chapter and the South of the Border Chapter, from Illinois. Study coordinator Allen and guides John Dettloff, Ty Sennett, and Larry Ramsell are participating in the catch and release portion of the study. They are catching, radio-tagging, then releasing muskies for the study, to determine locational preferences, spawning habitat preferences, as well as mortality and exploitation rates on muskies that are caught and released. The goal is to catch and radio-tag 40 muskies each year for the next three years, for a total of 120 for the study. None of the fishermen associated with the study track the muskies. All radio-telemetry tracking is done by LCO Conservation employees.

The three-year Big Chip Musky Study began in April of 1998 and coincided with musky spawning activities. The objective of the study is to restore and preserve the historic musky fishery within the Chippewa Flowage through habitat preservation, resource user education, and cross organizational cooperation in accordance with the Chippewa Flowage Management Plan.

The Chippewa Flowage Musky Study originally involved four areas of study, but expanded to seven areas after the study began and additional questions started to arise. The seven areas are: year round radio telemetry/tracking of Chippewa Flowage muskies; analysis of data from the 1979-1986 Chippewa Flowage musky tagging program that involved 1,634 muskies; age and growth analysis; reimplementation of a monel tagging program; muskie tissue analysis; northern pike/musky relationships; determination of probability of multi-species population of musky within the Flowage; and, if determined feasible, a stocking program for the Chippewa Flowage limited to genetically superior muskies. A corresponding area of education regarding the study and its findings is scheduled to begin in the spring of 1999.

The study is coordinated by the LCO Community Development Corporation (LCO CDC) and its executive director Scott Allen. Allen, an accomplished musky expert with 151 legal muskies and one line class world record to his credit from the Chippewa Flowage, since 1995, conceived the study based upon the findings of fisheries biologist Dr. Bernard LeBeau. Larry Ramsell, a premier musky guide, as well as a musky historian and author, first wrote about LeBeau’s revolutionary findings in Musky Hunter magazine, which piqued the interest of Allen. LeBeau theorized, based upon his study of Canadian muskies, that two species of muskies exist. He calls one a riverine musky and the other a lacustrine musky. It is LeBeau’s theory that the riverine musky is the genetically superior musky. LeBeau’s findings indicate that riverine muskies do not conflict with northern pike for spawning habitat and therefore are not susceptible to northern pike predation. In fact, LeBeau believes that all of the world record muskies have been riverine muskies. Many believe that the native species of muskies within the Chippewa Flowage/River system are riverine muskies. Therefore, any potential stocking of muskies not native to the Flowage may be unwise. Allen stated “If LeBeau’s theory holds true, then it is important that we stock the proper muskies within the Flowage.”

According to Allen, “our primary focus will be to conduct the telemetry study with the goal of identifying musky spawning and nursery sites to determine if we have two distinct species of muskies in the Chippewa Flowage. If we determine that we do indeed have two distinct species then we will isolate the genetically superior species and raise them at the Lac Courte Oreilles Hatchery for stocking in the Flowage. In conjunction with this, we will take steps to eliminate the practice of taking muskies from various lakes and stocking them in the Flowage.” Allen added, “Even if we determine that LeBeau’s hypothesis doesn’t apply to the Chippewa Flowage, we will have identified important musky spawning and nursery sites. This will enable us to develop a plan to preserve those sites from such things as development and watercraft erosion.”

Big Muskies Tagged

During the 1998 fishing season, a total of 45 muskies were fitted with radio-tracking devices for the study. In addition, the monel tagging program was also implemented. A 48-inch musky, caught by Ramsell, is the largest of the radio-tagged muskies, and a 501Ú2-inch, caught by Allen, is the largest of the monel-tagged muskies.

The study is also looking into the effects of single hook sucker fishing on muskies. Of the 45 radio-tagged muskies, 10 muskies have been caught on such rigs. This will be the first time that catch and release musky fishing in general, and specifically, sucker-caught muskies has been scientifically analyzed for mortality and exploitation.

At the close of the 1998 fishing season, the study had a 93% survival rate on the muskies that have been fitted with a radio-tag. It is expected that the survival rate will decline over the winter due to a variety of natural and unnatural factors.

Study Findings – To Date

Some of the interesting findings of the study thus far are: Big Chip muskies are travelers. The most any individual musky has traveled has been nearly eight miles – overnight! In addition, catch and release seems to be conditioning muskies. For example, muskies that have been caught and released exhibit an aversion to trolling motors and gas powered motors and attempt to move away when approached, conversely, muskies caught in the studies’ spawning nets and radio-tagged do not exhibit the same fear of motors. Muskies that have been caught, radio-tagged and released immediately vacate the area that they were caught in and relocate to another non-similar area. Another interesting finding is that Big Chip muskies establish a home base. They spend three to five days at a time in a specific area, then they travel as much as two miles away and stay there a couple of days. Then they come back to their “home base.” Seldom do they visit the same spot twice on their forays.

Additional Information

Each musky within the study has a tag attached to its dorsal fin. The monel-tagged muskies have a shiny metal tag attached. The radio-tagged muskies have a black tag attached to the dorsal fin with a connecting wire antenna. If you think you have caught one of the study muskies then be sure to record all of the numbers that appear on the tags and report the data to Scott Allen at the LCO CDC at 634-1034. It would be appreciated if catch and release were practiced on the muskies of the study.

To receive further information as it is published, contact Scott Allen.