Rivers Vs. Lakes for Muskie From: Len Hartman © 2000 - All Rights Reserved In my tagging Muskie on the St. Lawrence River, it became a known fact that these river Muskie traveled up stream. Some from 5 miles to 85 miles up river into Lake Ontario along the north shore. While I only had one tag to this area, Lake Ontario, I cannot prove this was a pattern. A few more Muskie tags from that area would have proven what I suspect. Tagged Muskie re-caught from 20 to 45 miles up river from there release point proved that the river Muskie did run in a pattern. Enough tags were returned to show they stayed close to regular moving schools of fish. Had all the tags that were re-caught been returned, we would have had a better picture. Since these were my tags, not New York State or the Province of Ontario, they lacked authority and were thrown away. I know because stories fishermen catching one of my tagged Muskie and the tags were thrown overboard we, on occasion, heard. I mention this to point out that when a Muskie is caught in an area along the river an new Muskie will move into that area. One area produced 21 Muskie over 40 pounds and up to my 67 pound 15 oz. Record Muskie. This was the greatest Muskie hole I ever found. No one except Bets and myself know where it is and if ever there was potential world record producing Muskie water, this is it. On lakes Muskie, the traveling pattern is more in a repeat pattern of travel. Like making the rounds. Food and cover are the deciding travel factors in lake Muskie. In river Muskie, it is a compulsion to seek new waters. Any hole along the river will have more than its share of new traveling Muskie.
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