Pymatuning Lake Muskies

By Jeff Knapp

The 13,000 plus acres of public fishing water known as Pymatuning Lake has a rich history as muskie country. During the 1970's, its productivity was well documented and anglers came from afar to sample its outstanding muskie fishing.
Then, the lake fell on hard times muskie-wise, with its population suffering a dramatic bout with red spot disease. The epidemic devastated the muskie fishery and, understandably, angler interest fell.
During the 1990's, Pymatuning's muskie fishery began recovering. Today, the lake supports a healthy muskie population comprised of several year classes. While it may not be the best bet (yet) for a 50-inch fish, ones in the upper 40's are taken each season.
As an area of border water, the management of Pymatuning Lake involves both the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The Fish and Boat Commission stocks about 7,000 muskie fingerlings into the lake annually. During the period of 1997 through 2002, the Ohio DOW supplemented the Pennsylvania stocking with advanced fingerlings. Ohio helped stock the lake again in 2004 with 1,085 fingerlings. Pennsylvania's fingerlings averaged six inches while Ohio's fish averaged 7.9 inches.
The Ohio DOW works in concert with the "Huskie Muskie" program, a non-profit group formed to support many aspects of muskie fishing in a state. One component of the program involves anglers sending scale samples of caught (and in most cases. released) fish to the DOW. This provides an excellent means of documenting muskie growth rates as well as angler successes. Through late November of last year, 87 muskies had been entered from Pymatuning. Fifteen of these fish exceeded 42 inches in length. The Fish and Boat Commission sampled the lake during the spring of 2004. Fifty-three muskies ranging in size from 25 to 46 inches were collected. Twenty-four of the fish were over 36 inches and 3 were over 40 inches. Club catch and release tournaments held on the lake the past couple of years have yielded impressive results. If the dreaded red spot disease does not return, the muskie picture on Pymatuning is a bright one, indeed.
Pymatuning Lake is a shallow, fertile, windswept reservoir. Though much of its woody cover has deteriorated due to its age, the lake still supports a fair level of cover. Submergent weeds (milfoil and curly pondweed) grow out to a depth of four to six feet, depending on water clarity of the year. Stump fields are present, particularly in the northern portion of the lake. Weed humps in the southern end of the lake are popular spots with casters.
Trolling is an efficient method for covering water on Pymatuning. Good catches are made trolling the shallows, concentrating on the zones just off the outside weed edge. The lake is loaded with open water baitfish, both alewife and gizzard shad, so some time should be spent trolling open water zones for suspended fish. In addition to the pelagic forage, plenty of yellow perch, crappie, white bass and young carp add to the menu. Wiley and Leo lures are popular on the lake.
Much of the credit for the improvement in muskie fishing, both in terms of size and numbers, is due the evolution of muskie anglers from catch and kill to catch and release. Most serious muskie anglers strive to successfully release the fish they catch, and are constantly seeking ways to improve in this aspect of the game.
As waters warm from spring to summer, muskies are particularly vulnerable to succumbing from the stress related with being caught. Successful releases are dependent on minimizing each of the many stresses involved.
The duration of the fight should be kept as short as possible. This is no time to play a fish to exhaustion. Proper muskie tackle is heavy enough to keep battle time to a minimum.
Though "hero" pictures depicting the angler and fish are a part of most anglers' routines, as water temperatures approach the 80-degree mark, you should consider a water release, where the fish is not removed from the lake. If you have a partner you can still shoot release shots. If you decide to bring a fish into the boat for a quick photo or two, have the camera ready. Time out of the water should be kept to the 10-second range. Horizontal holds are considered much easier on the fish than vertical holds, particularly on larger fish.
Large landing nets specifically designed for catch and release fishing serve as an in-the-water livewell where the hooks can be removed or cut without taking the fish from the water. Keep the fish's head in the water as much as possible. The mesh of these nets resist tangling and is easier on the fins and slime coating of the fish. Beckman, Frabill and Stowmaster all make such nets.
All muskie anglers should carry with them the tools to safely and efficiently remove the hooks from a muskie. This includes long nose pliers, mini bolter cutters and jaw spreaders. Because of the location of the air bladder, tired muskies tend to go belly-up. The release process includes holding a fish upright, by the tail, until it regains the strength to swim off on its own.
Boat launches dot the perimeter of Pymatuning Lake. The better launches for larger boats are found at Linesville, Manning, Snodgrass and Jamestown. These are located in at least semi-protected waters. Fishing Hot Spots produces a map of the lake. Tackle shops are located in Espyville and Jamestown. Boats are limited to 10 horsepower. There is no closed season on muskies on Pymatuning.
Visit the website www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/pymatuning.aspx for more information on the lake and surrounding state park. The lake is located in western Crawford County, and is accessible from Interstate 79 via exits for Rte. 358, Rte. 285 or Rte. 322.