"We have a healthy muskie fishery," Welke said. "The pressure has increased, and the Madison Chain has become a muskie destination. Many Illinois anglers will come up and fish in the summer since they don't have anything like this. The local Madison anglers hit Monona and Wingra early in the season and then again in the fall when the muskies are more active and easier to catch."

The muskie population is maintained by the annual stocking of 10- to 12-inch fingerlings. In order to improve the fishery, the DNR is experimenting with the simultaneous stocking of 700 Leech Lake-strain muskies from Minnesota and 700 Wisconsin-strain muskies to compare their survival and growth rates. Each muskie will have a PIT tag implanted into its body. When the fish is caught, a scanner will determine the particular muskie's identification number, and statistics will be compiled on its growth. Every time the fish is scanned, it can be compared with other marked fish in the study. Time will tell if the DNR switches to stocking the Leech Lake strain or sticks with the tried-and-true Wisconsin muskies.

"We've got it pretty good when you can go downtown in Madison and catch a muskie," Welke said. "I don't have to go to northern Wisconsin or Canada if I want to catch a trophy-class fish."

Contact D&S Bait and Tackle at (608) 241-4225 for more fishing information, or try the DNR at (608) 273-5946. For trip-planning information, contact the Greater Madison Convention & Visitor's Bureau at 1-800-373-6376.

GREEN BAY
Lake Michigan's hotspot for big muskies is Green Bay.

"Several 40-pound-class fish have been caught," said Kevin Kapuscinski, the DNR's Green Bay muskie expert. "We have been conducting a Great Lakes muskellunge reintroduction program on Green Bay since 1989, which was the first year of stocking. The goal of the program is to establish a self-sustaining population of this once-native predator. So far, our efforts have produced fair numbers of muskies in southern Green Bay, its larger tributaries and the Sturgeon Bay area."

Anglers enjoy success after the opener, but even more success later on in the fall.

"This is a growing muskie fishery primarily because of the trophy potential," Kapuscinski said. "The largest muskellunge captured in our survey efforts was over 51 inches and weighed 47 pounds. The current minimum-length limit for Green Bay muskies is 50 inches, and the season is the same for the Northern Zone, which runs from the fourth Saturday in May to Nov. 30."

According to Kapuscinski, anglers are most likely to find muskies near the stocking locations around the mouths of the Peshtigo, Menominee and Fox rivers, along with the Sturgeon Bay area. Some anglers troll the breaklines and offshore structure, while others cast the weedbeds and smaller structures. Trolling and casting depths should correspond to baitfish locations, and lures should mimic the local forage of suckers and gizzard shad. Use lures to "match the hatch."