Although there is much to be said for loon magic and the incredible food at northwoods supper clubs and bars -- plus all the mounted fish you get to see -- muskie fishing in southern Wisconsin is as good as you'll find anywhere, and it's closer to home for most of us.

The following is a look at some top downstate waters where you have an excellent chance to get your therapy from the Esox king this season.

TWIN VALLEY LAKE
Department of Natural Resources biologist Gene Van Dyck said this 150-acre Iowa County lake in Gov. Dodge State Park could have the best population of adult 30- to 40-inch muskies in Wisconsin at 1.5 per surface acre. A recent change in stocking philosophy, which includes introduction of large numbers of bullheads and suckers, and cutting stocking rates to one per surface acre is resulting in some very fat fish.

At just 150 acres, you can effectively fish this scenic little lake in just a couple of hours, with fair expectations of hooking up. Therein lies the problem, according to Van Dyck. In recent fisheries surveys, the DNR found one dead and two dying muskies, including two just short of the 40-inch minimum-size limit and one a 44-incher. All were victims of "quick-strike" rigs.

"Every muskie angler you talk to said they don't kill muskies," Van Dyck said. "But once fish reach 40 inches, they seem to disappear. It is interesting the amount of damage just one unethical angler can do to a limited, expensive and valuable fishery. We are only out there surveying this lake two nights in the fall. Is this just one person bent on killing every legal muskie intentionally who gut-hooks and releases shorter fish to die? The point is, to have a good muskie fishery, you need not only appropriate regulations, but honest, ethical anglers as well."

Twin Valley is one of the smallest muskie lakes in Wisconsin. Can the scenario at this delicate fishery be extrapolated on larger bodies of water? The catch-and-release mantra is part of the overall persona of muskie anglers. We all go out at least talking good intentions about preserving the muskie fishery. Is it time to step up and demand that live bait for muskies be outlawed to protect the fishery from a few unscrupulous anglers?

COLUMBIA & SAUK COUNTY WATERS
Tiny Silver Lake in the city of Portage is essentially a "pet lake" of the Portage Muskie Club, according to DNR biologist Tim Larson. Silver is only half the size of Twin Valley, but fair numbers of fish in excess of 40 inches thrive here. Why?

Just east of Portage is 400-acre Swan Lake, which local anglers guard with a vengeance. Swan can be effectively probed in a couple of hours, and it contains good numbers of quality fish for its size. All you need is a couple of bucktails, a Jake, a black/orange SurfRoller -- and four cans of Fix-A-Flat.

Sauk County's Lake Redstone is a beautiful fishery. At 600 acres, you can effectively cover all the bases in a good day on the water. You can see a fish coming from far away in these clear waters, which is unusual for a southwestern Wisconsin muskie lake. Smaller bass-sized lures tend to generate better response here than baits with railroad-tie dimensions.

WAUKESHA COUNTY WATERS
Waukesha County is the epicenter of muskie fishing activity in the southern part of our state, with DNR biologist Sue Beyler putting Okauchee, Pewaukee and Oconomowoc lakes at the top of the list, and in that order.

There are plenty of places for muskies to hide in Okauchee's 1,200 acres, with heavy cruisers taking up residence on the lake's humps, steep breaklines, transition zones and weed edges once serious summer arrives.