Musky America Magazine November Edition

Single Hook Sucker Rigging: Is It A Kill Rig? By: John Dettloff © 2004 Musky fishing with single hook sucker rigs is becoming one of the most controversial issues to face musky anglers in decades. In fact, during the past year the subject was probably the most discussed and hotly debated of all on many Musky forums. Just the mention of the subject in a room filled with musky fisherman is likely to divide the room into two opposing groups. One side will quickly condemn the use of single book sucker rigs, considering them as being nothing more than 'kill rigs:' and the other will staunchly condone the method, asserting that it is not any more harmful to Muskies than any other method. The fact is, however, that neither group can cite definitive scientific or biological evidence to conclusively support their respective positions. This age-old debate can be expected to rage on until definitive evidence is discovered to support the question, one way or the other. Such evidence may soon emerge that will finally put this debate to rest. What seems to have fueled the debate even more during the past year was the first year's results of the Chippewa Flowage Musky Radio Telemetry Study. One of the study areas focused on the survivability of Muskies which are caught and released after being gut-hooked with a single hook sucker rig. Regardless of what you may have heard. The first year's findings of the sucker hook portion of this study have not yet been fully

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