there MUST be some GIANTS out there!
Moderator: Cyberlunge
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- Posts: 18
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- Location: michigan
there MUST be some GIANTS out there!
Has anybody had any luck chasing any DNR tiger plants in SE Michigan lakes? Last year in Whitmore Lake I had a MOBY Tiger follow to the boat, that was 50 if it was an inch! A BEHEMOTH! Many lakes had sizable plants of Tigers in the 80's and 90's, and those that are left must state record class fish. This summer I'm going to chase'm down, and am looking for places to start. 1 follow in whitmore... nothing in Woodland Lake. Help would be appreciated.
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- Will Schultz
- Posts: 7665
- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:06 pm
- Location: GR, MI
Re: there MUST be some GIANTS out there!
Stocked tigers generally don't live to be older than 10-12 years. Finding one, even from the last year they were stocked, would be like winning the lottery. The ones that live the longest seem to be the males which would mean that even if you could find one it would probably be very thin and barely over 40 inches. Personally, I haven't seen one in the last four years in roughly 1000 hours on the water.
Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.
- kid coulson
- Posts: 1976
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 11:20 pm
- Location: grandville MI
Some lakes around SW MI got their last plant of tigers in Oct of 91 as the program was ended.I still hold hope for that rarest of rare beast to be found,but nothing so far.Im sure they are all dead by now.I heard Thornapple had a few thrown in from the hatchery show pond,but dont know if thats true or not.Tigers can happen naturally but the odds are about slim and none from what Ive read.
Good luck on your quest!! -kid
Good luck on your quest!! -kid
You may want to try a trip with Steve Kunnath on Lake St. Clair and check out this tiger.
http://lakestclairmusky.com/lake_st_cla ... musky.html
http://lakestclairmusky.com/lake_st_cla ... musky.html
"I wish ignorance was painful".
- Will Schultz
- Posts: 7665
- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:06 pm
- Location: GR, MI
That is true but most were removed if captured during spring netting.kid coulson wrote:I heard Thornapple had a few thrown in from the hatchery show pond,but dont know if thats true or not. -kid
elk_n_esox_baby - The best bet for a tiger is in the UP, N. Wisconsin and a few metro lakes in Minnesota.
Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.
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- Location: michigan
Giant Tigers
I agree that most are likely gone, but remember that tigers CAN live to near 30 years with some luck, and the proper conditions. Many thousands were planted. A couple years ago a diver who was looking for the body of a Jet Skier in Whitmore Lake, and said he was scared poopless by some of the fish he saw in the depths. Massive muskies, and in considerable numbers. Supposedly Tigers, like pike when they get old, seek cooler temperatures of the deep waters, and are rarely harrassed by fisherman down there (I don't think people even fish for muskies in those lakes anymore at all). I know I saw 1 for sure, and it was as big as any pike or muskie I have ever seen. Would a sonar with FISH ID be able to identify those fish as esox, if they're down there?
Lets save this planet!
- Will Schultz
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- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:06 pm
- Location: GR, MI
Good question… They just didn’t want to confuse them with pure strain during the egg take. Sterile doesn’t mean they won’t produce eggs and sperm. The novelty sure was fun for a year. So was trying to figure out the mystery of tigers just appearing out of the blue.Scrappy wrote:Why would they remove them Will if they are sterile and can't reproduce?
Pure muskies can live to 30 years but I’m not so sure a tiger has ever been aged beyond the teens, anywhere. The conditions to grow big tigers just aren’t available in southern Michigan. The growing season is too long, which is great for growing a fishery quickly but it also burns out fast. The other problem is we’re talking stocked tigers, they have a much shorter lifespan than a natural fish. Tigers over 48" were rare during the heyday of that program here in Michigan. There were lots of 44-47" fish caught and reported but they seemed to be at the end of their life at that size.elk_n_esox_baby wrote:I agree that most are likely gone, but remember that tigers CAN live to near 30 years with some luck, and the proper conditions.
One of our members lives on Whitmore and will probably chime in here, I know he and his crew spend some time out there chasing big esox.
A camera could ID fish but not sonar. Fish ID on sonar does nothing more than tell you if the echo off the fish/object was strong or weak.elk_n_esox_baby wrote: Would a sonar with FISH ID be able to identify those fish as esox, if they're down there?
Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.
Good luck in your quest! That is truly a trophy hunt of long odds and a great degree of difficulty, but never say never or that something is impossible with nature. Just to give that Bigfoot-esque sliver of a possibility, even beyond the elderly planted fish, there is also a very small percentage of tigers that actually are fertile and can reproduce as well...
We would LOVE to see that tiger when you get her, they are just an awesome fish. You're right that they exhibit temperature preferences in between that of their parents, so a large fish would not be venturing near the warm surface very often in the summer. Other than that you really wouldn't need any specialized tactics beyond muskies or big pike, just the good fortune of getting a bait in front of it!
We would LOVE to see that tiger when you get her, they are just an awesome fish. You're right that they exhibit temperature preferences in between that of their parents, so a large fish would not be venturing near the warm surface very often in the summer. Other than that you really wouldn't need any specialized tactics beyond muskies or big pike, just the good fortune of getting a bait in front of it!
Tigers
I used to fish Whitmore alot in the 70's. I actually rented a place on the lake for a few years and fished for both Musky and Pike. I know that there are some very big pike in there. I know of a guy that used to fish it almost every day for many years and caught a few tigers that were in the 50" class. I would think that the odds would be extremly low that there are still tigers in there but certainly possible. A few reproducing with Pike is also a possibility.
Re: Tigers
I'm pretty sure hybrids reproducing with Northerns is not a possibility.TimD wrote:I used to fish Whitmore alot in the 70's. I actually rented a place on the lake for a few years and fished for both Musky and Pike. I know that there are some very big pike in there. I know of a guy that used to fish it almost every day for many years and caught a few tigers that were in the 50" class. I would think that the odds would be extremly low that there are still tigers in there but certainly possible. A few reproducing with Pike is also a possibility.
- Will Schultz
- Posts: 7665
- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:06 pm
- Location: GR, MI
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- Posts: 18
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:36 pm
- Location: michigan
giant tigers
Glad to be here! I like big racks (both kinds), big trucks, and big toothy fish. This is my find of forum!
Lets save this planet!