# Muskie on the lower Huron



## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

I have noticed a lot more muskie action on the Lower Huron over the last few years. Places where catching a muskie was a rare event five years ago now hold a decent number of fish. They pass the ladder on a regular basis.

Has anyone else noticed this? I'm thinking the Lower Huron is becoming a decent fishery for river muskie.


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Yeah I noticed. Just two weeks ago I found 5 spawning in the same hole. My problem is with Muskie eating at least their weight daily is that they are killing our steelhead. I don't know if we would ever find out if the steelhead could sustain themselves in the river unless the Muskie move out. They keep eating our young steelies.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

I've thought about that too.

It's kind of like a thread in these forums last year about what to do with creek chubs that compete with trout. Only this time, its a gamefish. Obviously it would be so wrong in so many ways to try and clean out the muskie. They are there naturally and the steelies are planted.

On the other hand, if we were to put more steelies in the river, there would be more food for the muskie. We would be feeding the "problem". 

Either way, I'm looking forward to nailing some more toothy critters this summer. I'm glad to have them in the river.


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## dragonfly (Apr 30, 2002)

Ypsifly,
I don't think there are enough muskie in the huron to hurt the steelhead population. Remember there are a lot of other predatory fish in the huron such as walleye, pike, large and smallmouth bass as well as us humans. Also as the water temp warm up on the huron, this does not help the natural reproduction of steelhead eggs or the steelhead plants. Now that they have stocked the river with steelhead plants one thing we can do is release any steelhead plants we catch. this might help give them a fighting chance.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Muskie eating their weight daily? No Way. Depending on water temperature, it takes a Muskie three to eight days to digest a decent (5#) sized Carp or Sucker. Maybe a greedy one might even have three in its gullet at a time, in various stages of being digested, having ingested them over a period of a week or so. Besides, Muskie prefer fatty soft rayed fish such as Sucker and Carp as the mainstay of their diet.


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## mickey (Sep 25, 2000)

Huron is pretty warm for natural reproduction anyway, isn't it?


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

It is warm for smolting but we are finding some natural reproduction. It is believed to come from some of the feeder creeks. Also, salmon return year after year and they haven't planted any since the 70's.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

To be honest, I'm not that concerned about steelies being eaten. I do know that a significant number of the fish that are planted are just a few inches long. That seems small enough for just about anything to eat them.

I'm just glad to have a decent place to catch muskie close to home.

If anyone is interested, I've been getting them on chrome Hot 'N Tots(old style), and all white rooster tails.


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

I don't mind the muskie being there either. They are fun to catch. It's just that there seem to be so many in a such a small area of river. The Huron isn't Lake St Clair which can handle so many fish. And it seems there are more and more muskie in the Huron.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Not familiar with that part of the Huron, but it's time for the spawn, are there significant areas of slackwater nearby?


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Yes, primarily through the lower huron metroparks. There is a creek in lower huron where 2 weeks ago I saw 5 in a hole. Looked like they were preparing to spawn. They also sit under the Belleville dam in the deep water. I'm sure there are other spots but I haven't located them.

Quite a few are caught in Flat Rock especially when other fish are coming up to spawn (shad, walleyes, steelies). There is also the back waters of Flat Rock park that I am told hold muskie all year. This is anothing spawning area for warm water fish and supposed to hold good numbers of crappie.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

With a name like ESOX, you might want to become more familliar with this part of the river. I've seen them spawning in cuts in the river banks.

Come to think of it, I have seen huge numbers of shad and other baitfish in these areas. Sometimes huge schools. This is my theory: Until the ladder went into use, baitfish populations in this area were able to flourish due to a lack of large numbers of predators. Now, muskie can come into this area and gorge themselves.

Gotta love that ladder!


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## dragonfly (Apr 30, 2002)

There has always been muskies in the huron even berfore the fish ladder went up. A numbers of years ago ford and belleville lakes were stocked with tiger muskie and muskies. You would see them at ford and edison(belleville) dams and through lower huron metro park. If I am remembering this right they were put in to control the other species of fish.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

I understand that. What I'm saying is that the ladder allowed more fish to come up the river to Belleville. 

Any fish planted in Ford and Belleville lakes would be unable to move downstream and pass the dams. Those two dams are the underflow type.

I have seen the occasional muskie caught below Belleville in years past, but like I said above, it was an isolated case.

Oh and, welcome to the site!


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## scoot (Jul 4, 2001)

How many rivers have steelies? and how many have muskies? Im sure the muskies hardly hurt the pop of steelies. Muskies are awesome and theres not too many places to hook one. id be happy if i were you guys


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

This river is different from other rivers that have Steelies in that the other rivers have natural reproduction where the Huron has little to no natural reproduction. So a large population of muskes can do damage to planted steelhead before they can make it out to lake huron and return to spawn later. If it weren't for the muskie's we would have better returns on the steelhead. No one said I wasn't happy to have the muskies, but if they were put there to control other fish populations, what controls there's?


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## silverbullet (Dec 13, 2001)

Thats BS. The muskies do not appreciably effect the number of returning steelies to the Huron. If you're praying for natural repro. of steelies to help the population of them on the Huron you're dreaming. Additionally, steelies are fast at any age, much faster than a sucker or a shad and when the steelies smolt the muskies are long gone. Now, if you're talking about planted fish released in the spring..........remember that the muskies are there to spawn too and are not going to chase small steelies very far. Also, muskies were not PUT any where near there. They are a native fish to the system and always have been....steelies are not. I love both and fish 100+ days a year for the two combined but .........facts is facts.


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

And the fact is that the muskie are eating the planted fish. I've watched them sitting there are after the DNR plants them. That is fact. Additionally, the problem is that the Muskie aren't just spawning and leaving, they are there year round.


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## amon (May 8, 2002)

You can catch steelies all over the world, and good muskie waters are rare. A big muskie is hell of a blast to land!


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## scoot (Jul 4, 2001)

amen amon


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## fishinthed (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm doing some scouting for this next season's fishing, and came across this old thread (though after posting noticed it's not the right forum for the question, but I'll run with it anyway -- not intending to stir up a musky vs. steelhead debate -- I appreciate both fish). 

Is there still decent musky action in the Lower Huron? 

If so, what kind of sizes and numbers, and where and how are best to fish for the muskies these days? 

I know there are several Metroparks along the Lower Huron. I've been looking for good places near Detroit in which to catch muskies without a boat during the entire open season, not just spring and fall.

Any info would be much appreciated.


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## frawgman (Mar 20, 2007)

the more diversity in the Huron the better,it makes for a stronger ecosystem.if the musky is the apex predator, higher numbers of them would seem to indicate a healthy situation and i'd love to have the chance to tangle with them.i'm sure they would take a steelie smolt given the opportunity,but i doubt that they would have a major impact on the steel population.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

> i'm sure they would take a steelie smolt given the opportunity,but i doubt that they would have a major impact on the steel population.


I am sure there is virtually NO natural reproduction of steelhead in the Huron. Much, much, much too warm in the summer for smolts to survive their mandatory first year in the river. Muskie have always been in the river, it's natures plan.


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## fishinthed (Nov 7, 2007)

So, I take it the muskies are still thriving and growing big & fat on all those suckers, carp. etc. that are in there? 

***********

In any case, it certainly appears to me that the main effects muskies & pike have on fish populations are to keep populations of relatively slow coarse fish & pan fish (which otherwise tend to get overpopulated and stunted) in check. 

Cases in point, the Detroit River & Lake St. Clair, in which the walleyes, bass, perch, rock bass, etc. are doing just fine along with the good populations of muskies & pike. Hell, I got into a school of 9-10" rock bass one night this fall in the DR -- people catch 12"+ perch regularly -- you wouldn't see that kind of size if the fish were overpopulated. And everyone knows how the walleyes & bass are doing.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

ESOX said:


> I am sure there is virtually NO natural reproduction of steelhead in the Huron. Much, much, much too warm in the summer for smolts to survive their mandatory first year in the river. Muskie have always been in the river, it's natures plan.


Hate to be the one to tell ya this but your wrong.There is a natural reproduction in the huron.Smolts are caught yr round even last summer when river was low and warm.There are places they like to hang out that are nice and cool yr round.Mich


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Very, very few reproduction occurs on the Huron. The biologists learned that it is less than 10% and that's why they don't plant it like they used too and don't count the fish at the ladder any longer. They believed it to be a waste of time.

Most of the skippers and smolt caught on the Huron are lost fish who couldn't find there way to the deep water in the far eastern basin of Erie.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

gunrod said:


> Very, very few reproduction occurs on the Huron. The biologists learned that it is less than 10% and that's why they don't plant it like they used too and don't count the fish at the ladder any longer. They believed it to be a waste of time.
> 
> Most of the skippers and smolt caught on the Huron are lost fish who couldn't find there way to the deep water in the far eastern basin of Erie.


 Seems to me that 10% would be about right in the wild.I dont know the numbers of % that live but i would guess that is close.Wonder what % make it on other rivers ?Mich


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I know the single cold spot that harbors some holdover planted Steelhead, in the Huron, in the hot part of Summer. How many fish do you suppose that spot can hold? Enough to support a run that is fishable? Probably not. And those fish *were* planted. If the overall river gets much over 68* in Summer, there won't be any viable natural reproduction; and the river does get well over that temp for a good part of Summer. But there is this one spot...............................................


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## dobes (Feb 16, 2007)

I agree that there is natural reproduction on the huron . Ive caught to many ( unclipped ) steelies over the years to tell me that they are reproducing . I know they stopped clipping them a few years ago , but in the last ten years I have caught more and more ( unclipped ) fish which proves to me there is natural reproduction . And I too have caught smolts in the warmer months . I also beleive a 10% reproduction rate is not to bad of a percentage when you think of the thousands of smolt trying to survive . Maybe I'm wrong , but years of catchin them is all the proof I need .


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

dobes said:


> I agree that there is natural reproduction on the huron . Ive caught to many ( unclipped ) steelies over the years to tell me that they are reproducing . I know they stopped clipping them a few years ago , but in the last ten years I have caught more and more ( unclipped ) fish which proves to me there is natural reproduction . And I too have caught smolts in the warmer months . I also beleive a 10% reproduction rate is not to bad of a percentage when you think of the thousands of smolt trying to survive . Maybe I'm wrong , but years of catchin them is all the proof I need .


 
I agree. A few years back I was carp fishin' with a friend with corn in the middle of July and we landed over 10 steelies under the size of 10" that hit our corn. I am sure there is more natural reporduction than most think. Not what you would see in northern and western rivers, but I am sure its more than we think. Steelies are tough, and smolts can adapted better than some think when it comes to survival.


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Remember that New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania plant steelhead in Erie as well. Many of our fish mingle with their fish in the summer months in the Western Basin. Many of their fish end up in the Huron while our fish end up in the Rocky, Chagrin, Elk Creek, etc........ I don't think all those states clip their fish.

If you want a real answer you can contact the area biologist. I'm sure he will tell you but the fact that the DNR did not replace the net at the fish ladder tells me that they aren't concerned with the count because of the low numbers of fish returning.

The Huron has not had a plant of salmon since the 70's but we still see a few each fall. They are strays that should have migrated else where but ended up here. I'm sure the same happens with the steelhead.

When it really comes down to it no one should care about how many and should just be happy we have some and don't have to travel 5 hours to find fish. Enjoy each one you catch here because it may be the only one you catch for some time.


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## bassbuster5675 (Nov 21, 2007)

*that's funny i wouldn't call maybe 10 salmon that are reported caught a year out of the huron a return more than likely fish that swam up the wrong river on their way from lake erie. Most that salmon i see caught in the huron would be babys on most other rivers. And as far as muskie eating steelhead the pike are a bigger threat cause they have a far more voracious appetite then muskie. And i have seen a decrease actually in muskie populations cause i fish the park for smallies and it used to be nothing to catch couple of muskie a day for me now i am lucky if i see one in the area of the park i fish.*


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

bassbuster5675 said:


> *that's funny i wouldn't call maybe 10 salmon that are reported caught a year out of the huron a return more than likely fish that swam up the wrong river on their way from lake erie. Most that salmon i see caught in the huron would be babys on most other rivers. And as far as muskie eating steelhead the pike are a bigger threat cause they have a far more voracious appetite then muskie. And i have seen a decrease actually in muskie populations cause i fish the park for smallies and it used to be nothing to catch couple of muskie a day for me now i am lucky if i see one in the area of the park i fish.*


Believe it or not, one fall I actually limited out with 3 kings one trip from the Huron, but that was over 8 years ago. All came out of the same in hole in about 6 hours of fishing. Also bagged 5 walleye that night.


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## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

I know for sure that the DNR no longer clips all the steelhead that are planted in the Huron and they may not even clip any at all. Can someone verify this fact.

In other words there is little and I mean very little natural reproduction on the Huron if any.

Also, keep in mind that those small steelies that you catch in the summer and the holdovers. They are suppose to stay in there through the summer.


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