Here we are a few days after Christmas, new years eve as I write this waiting for the year to change…and it's raining like hell out…no snow, but a bunch of rain. It seems like many years ago, so far ago, I can barely remember snow for rifle season, but now it seems we get a little snow in December and the rest comes in jan-feb. With the winters getting less cold as these new years pass, i was curious what effects anyone thinks it may have on our favorite fish. The lakes, and spawning habits, seasonal movements, and all that encompass this new fishing era we are going into.
Yes, it seems the weather is becoming "weirder" these days, less consistant and unstable. They say we are having an El- Nino winter this year so who knows what lies ahead.
with that said, This past November was the coldest on record since 1880 – The winter of 04'-05' in SE MI. ranked the 7th snowiest in 125 years (63.7").- In December of 2005 in SE MI (metro area) it snowed 2" Dec 4th, 6" Dec 9th and 6" on Dec. 15th. But it did not hang around to long because of fluctuating temp's.
I also remember only getting on the ice a couple times last year and thus far this year no ice.
This is part of a letter I recieved from Dr. John Casselman last year.
" Temperature changes in the Great Lakes Basin are becoming more optimal for muskellunge, which have an optimum a couple degrees higher than walleye. I think there's some evidence that walleye populations in the past few years are not as strong. I haven't looked at this carefully, but I hear more concern about walleye populations"
With not much ice or no ice through winter thus far on some lakes that hold muskie would this help growth rates, like a longer feeding season. I know they feed through winter, but with warmer temps would they be less sluggish and feed more adding more weight? like how they have it in the southern muskie waters, a longer "growing season".. So with the warm winter, will this apply to our little muskie lakes?
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