How Many Casts???... How Many Anglers?? Craig Sandell © 2006 The old characterization of the Muskie as the fish of 10,000 casts persists even though we have modern equipment meant to better these odds. The stated goal of the Wisconsin DNR for a healthy fishery is to: "Maintain populations that provide a catch rate of 1 fish per 8 muskellunge angling trips, and insure that 35% of those caught will be at least 32 inches." This goal is further amplified by the DNR assertion that the "typical" Muskie angler expends approximately 135 hours to catch 1 legal Muskie. In order to put the 135 hour number in perspective, you must characterize it in the form of an "angler day". An angler day is the amount of time the Muskie angler actually spends actively casting for Muskie. It cannot include the travel time from spot to spot or the time it takes to set up a drift or a motorized approach. [ It should be noted that we are discussing fishing on class "A" Muskie lakes and, therefore, motorized trolling is not a consideration. ] A typical Muskie fanatic will rise before sunrise, prepare his boat, and get out on the water to catch the morning bite. Obviously, the size of the body of water and structure of a body of water will
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