I spoke with DNRFisheries Biologist Mark Tonello today and he said there's one group of summer residents who have reported catching good numbers of undersized muskies on Upper Hamlin. They also reported plenty of undersized pike. All of their fish were caught between Victory Park (stocking location) and Indian Pete Bayou, a few miles west on the upper lake. They reported their best success was on bass-sized spinnerbaits and Smithwick Rattlin' Rogues fished jerkbait style. They reported working the weedlines along the north and south shorelines. Incidentally, this is where a lot of people troll walleyes in the early spring and that is a seriously close-lipped bunch.
I plan to continue the conversation with Mark tomorrow but one thing to keep in mind for Hamlin is that while stocking started in 2006, there was a 100-year-flood in 2008. More fish were put in the lake in 2008 but the lake was still a mess when the fish went in in September. Visibility was poor so it's very conceivable that the fish went upstream into the marsh and the Sable River or downstream into Lake Michigan.
I believe Hamlin got fish in both 2005 and 2006. I've often wondered how many muskies might have went over the dam there and what may have happened to them when the lake flooded. I want that lake to be good soo bad but I fear with the spearing and insane winter pressure that the fish may never get the age on them to get big.
I agree the spearing is an issue. Tonello tried to get that going and someone called the Darkhouse Association on him before it even got to the committees necessary. There is a strong spearing tradition on Hamlin that I'm not sure you'd ever defeat.
That's why I argued for lower-lake stocking. There's an old man named Wayne Saxton who showed me right where they stocked the tigers and where he caught 50 of them over the years. I keep watching Musky Hunter's science articles for one about stocking-site fidelity and how strong it is. I think if you put them in upper, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. I think if you put them in lower, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. There's very little spearing on lower.
"tundrawalker00" said:
I keep watching Musky Hunter's science articles for one about stocking-site fidelity and how strong it is. I think if you put them in upper, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. I think if you put them in lower, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. There's very little spearing on lower.
They're wanderers and like to have some elbow room so based on that I would expect them to be throughout the lake.
"Will Schultz" said:
[quote="tundrawalker00"]I keep watching Musky Hunter's science articles for one about stocking-site fidelity and how strong it is. I think if you put them in upper, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. I think if you put them in lower, they'll stay mostly there, barring a flood. There's very little spearing on lower.
They're wanderers and like to have some elbow room so based on that I would expect them to be throughout the lake.
yeah, what he said. Granted there are enough of the critters around to have to spread out… as the size of both the fish and the population increases, they will definitely spread through the lower lake. All of the fish I have seen in there have been by the narrows relating to deeper water…
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