Hey guys,
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission just heard a proposal from TWRA to raise the minimum length limit to 50" on the entire Caney Fork watershed, from Center Hill upstream. I think this is just a fantastic idea, and think it could have a dramatic effect on adult muskie density in many popular reaches of these rivers.
This change had previously (as recently as 2010 or 2011) been opposed by some within TWRA's Fisheries Division. Their length-frequency data for the Collins seemed to indicate that there was no abrupt change in numbers at the 36" limit like you might expect with overharvest, and their assumption was that the fishery was entirely hatchery-supported.
There are several things that have changed since then, first and foremost being the increase in both publicity and popularity. A LOT more people are using these rivers -- I spend a fair bit of time on these rivers and have anecdotally observed a substantial increase in the number of out-of-state licence plates at boat ramps in the system over the past three years. Mortality (both intentional harvest and unintentional mortality) may thus be considerably higher than during the period of data used to support the previous TWRA argument for retaining the 36" limit.
No estimate of total economic expenditure by visiting anglers in Van Buren, Warren, and White counties is currently available, but it is certainly not insignificant. This is a gold mine for local businesses, but only if it's managed well. An informal query of anglers encountered in the system suggests that very few visiting anglers are retaining fish. The small but growing Tennessee muskie fishing community also does not promote harvest of muskies.
The discovery that stocked muskies in the system have very high mortality rates, as well as evidence of natural reproduction and recruitment in parts of the Caney Fork system (Warren 2012) also suggest managing for maximum survival of those fish that are most likely to be successfully reproducing -- those older, 36"+ fish.
In short, a lot of factors point towards a 50" limit being in the best interest of our muskie fishery. I'd urge you to support this proposal. I can't wait to see the size of the fish that this system will pump out under this restriction!
I would urge all of you muskie nuts to write an email or letter to TWRA in support of this measure -- you can send an email to TWRA.Comment@tn.gov with “2014 Fish Comments” on the subject line, or send via snail mail to the TWRA, Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204.
The deadline for comments on this is 10 October 2013; the proposal will be voted on during the TFWC meeting on the 17th-18th of October.
