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Muskie Fishing

Man holding a large muskie

Overview

Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy; hereafter referred to as Muskies) are native to Canada and the United States including the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi River and Ohio River drainages. Muskies were native to Indiana’s tributary rivers connected to the Ohio River, but habitat changes nearly eliminated all natural populations. Efforts to re-establish muskies began in 1974. Today, 10 muskie populations in Indiana are maintained by stocking hatchery-raised fish.

Muskies are some of the largest fish in Indiana, and anglers usually release the muskies they catch, prizing them more for their trophy size and challenge to catch rather than their edibility. Although growth of older male muskies is slow, and few ever reach 44 inches, females typically reach 36 inches at age 7 and 44 inches at age 12. Under the right conditions, female muskies can grow longer than 50 inches, weigh more than 40 pounds, and live more than 20 years. The Indiana state record was caught in 2002 at James Lake (Kosciusko County) and weighed 42 pounds, 8 ounces.

Indiana Muskie Stockings

WaterbodyCountyAcresN/AcreNumber of Fish Stocked3Regulations
Barbee Lakes Chain Kosciusko 850 4 3400 Standard
Bass Sullivan 222 3 666 Standard
Brookville Franklin/Union 5260 1 5260 Standard
Bruce Pulaski 245 2 490 Standard
Duck Sullivan 59 5 295 Standard
Loon Pit Warrick 184 4 736 Standard
Plover/Sandpiper Bartholomew 84 4 336 Standard
Skinner Noble 125 4 500 Standard
Tippecanoe Chain Kosciusko 1133 1 1133 Standard
Webster 1 Kosciusko 774 4 3096 44-inch
DFW Subtotal-8,936-15912-
Loon 2 Noble/Whitley 222   400 Standard
Upper Long 2 Noble 86   200 Standard
Statewide Total-9,244 16512
1 Includes 1,548 age-0 Fall fingerlings and 1,548 age-1 Spring fingerlings.
2 Permitted public stockings.
3 Number of fish can change based on number of available fish in a given year.

Regulations

SpeciesDaily Bag LimitMinimum Size
Muskellunge and Tiger Muskellunge 1 singly 36 inches 1
1 44-inch minimum size at Backwater, Kiser and Webster lakes (Kosciusko County)

Map of muskie lakes

Surveys of the best lakes for Muskie fishing

  1. Bruce Lake (PDF)
  2. Tippecanoe chain (PDF)
  3. Skinner Lake (PDF)
  4. Webster Lake (PDF)
  5. Everett Lake (PDF)
  6. Loon Lake (PDF)
  7. Upper Long Lake (PDF)
  8. Barbee Lakes chain (PDF)
  9. Sandpiper/Plover Pits (PDF)
  10. Brookville Lake (PDF)
  11. Bass (PDF) and Duck (PDF) lakes
  12. Loon (PDF) pit

Muskie Angler Reporting Survey

This survey has been designed as a way for anglers to report muskie fishing trip details to the Indiana DNR. Fisheries biologists use this information to monitor fisheries and guide future management decisions.

Muskie Angler Reporting Survey

Muskie Fishing Trip Summary Results

Muskie Research

Indiana DNR fisheries biologists have been PIT (Passive Integrated Transponders) tagging muskies dating back as far as 2005 in Webster Lake. Find out more information about the Muskie tagging project.

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