Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019 - 35

Hatchery personnel extracting eggs from a female Muskellunge.

Milt being extracted from a male Muskellunge.

Jared Sayers, PFBC Hatchery Manager at Linesville State
Fish Hatchery, Crawford County, details the current process
of spawning and raising purebred Muskellunge.
"In April, when water temperature climbs towards 50
degrees F, we set trap nets to collect adult Muskellunge. For
each ripe female taken to the hatchery, we take along two
males. When we have 6 to 12 females in the tanks, we do a
spawn," said Sayers.
Artificial spawning of Muskellunge involves extracting
eggs from the female and milt from the male, which are then
carefully mixed together in a quart jar.
"Fertilized eggs are transferred to large incubator jars for
14 days at 53 degrees F at which point eggs hatch. Fry are
held in special tanks until the yoke sack is absorbed, in about
10 days," said Sayers.
"The following week is critical as we begin training fry to
eat dry food. We start off with a mixture of live brine shrimp
and dry food. After six days, we move fry from hatching
tanks into deeper round tanks with a slight current. The
fry are on a strict, dry food diet for 45 days to complete the
conversion process," said Sayers.
Conversion to a dry food diet is necessary due to the
high cost of live minnows. Typically, about 80 percent of the
fry survive the conversion, at which time fish are moved to
larger tanks to grow. In early July, these Muskellunge are 4- to
5-inches long and must be moved outside to larger raceways.

Approaching 10-inches long by fall, fish are graded with
larger fingerlings being held over the winter to fill stocking
requests of Area Fisheries Managers. Surplus fish are
immediately stocked in waters that need a little extra boost.
During the winter, fingerlings do not put on much
weight. However, as the water temperatures in the raceways
approach the mid-60s in the spring, hatchery personnel
begin a feeding routine to rapidly increase growth of the
Muskellunge yearlings. The fish feed aggressively in the
warming spring water and easily eat twice as many pounds
of dry food per day as before winter. Hatchery staff also
begin supplementing the Muskellunge's feeding with live
minnows to boost growth.
"By feeding the Muskellunge an increased rate of
dry food per day and supplementing minnows, the fish
reach 12- to 14-inches in a healthy and aggressive state
for stocking in June," said Sayers. Sayers praises area
Muskellunge clubs that donate money to help defray the
added cost of minnows.
"At one time, Muskellunge were referred to as the 'fish of
10,000 casts'. However, with our latest approach to raising and
stocking Muskellunge, we are looking to provide more anglers
with a Muskellunge encounter. Whether it is having a huge
Muskellunge follow a bait, battling a Muskellunge or eventually
landing one of these fish, we want people to get excited about
Muskellunge fishing in Pennsylvania," said Sayers.

More Muskellunge

Fertilized eggs in incubating jars, waiting to hatch.
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Linesville State Fish Hatchery is the only Pennsylvania
fish hatchery to spawn purebred Muskellunge. Tiger
Muskellunge (hybrid cross between Muskellunge and
Northern Pike) are spawned at Union City State Fish
Hatchery, Erie County. Tiger muskellunge are easier
to raise and grow faster than purebred Muskellunge.
However, tiger muskellunge do not grow as large.
Visit www.fishandboat.com for a list of Pennsylvania's
Best Fishing Waters for Muskellunge. For more detailed
information on Muskellunge propagation and the
stocking program in Pennsylvania, check out the
Pennsylvania Muskellunge Management Plan, also
available at www.fishandboat.com.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2019

35
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019

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