A survey in Wisconsin, conducted by Terry Margenau and Jordan Petchenik of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, showed that 62 percent of muskie anglers use artificial lures exclusively, 37 percent fish with either lures or livebait, and 1 percent use only livebait.4 Of particular concern among anglers surveyed was the effect of single hooks with livebait on muskie survival; 88 percent felt it causes mortality, and 79 percent believed that it should be regulated in some way. The baitfish, commonly a white sucker, is hooked through the snout. After a muskie strikes, it’s allowed to run and swallow the bait before the hook is set.

To address this concern, Margenau examined the effects of fishing with single hooks with livebaits on muskie survival.5 Forty muskies averaging 36 inches were captured by electrofishing and transported to a DNR hatchery pond for the angling experiment. Angling occurred in September and October and fish were observed for a year.

White sucker, northern hogsucker, and redhorse between 10.5 and 12.5 inches were used as bait. Baits were hooked through the snout on 10/0 Mustad carbon steel hooks attached to a 60-pound wire leader and 30-pound monofilament mainline. Baits were set below a bobber; after the strike, muskies were allowed to run and swallow the bait before the hook was set. The average time between take and hook-set was 17 minutes.

Hooked fish were landed quickly (less than 1 minute) to avoid stress and fatigue, and netted. Researchers noted hooking location, and if a muskie had swallowed the hook, the leader was cut before releasing the fish. Throughout the angling period, researchers swam transects at regular intervals to remove dead muskies and examine them. Survival was monitored for up to one year.

Twenty-three muskies were hooked in the stomach; 14 either were never hooked or were hooked superficially; and 3 fish were excluded from the experiment. Muskies hooked in the stomach suffered no mortality within 24 hours of release. Five died within 50 days, however, and 83 percent of stomach-hooked fish died within a year.

Examination of dead muskies showed considerable damage to the stomachs from hooks, with the largest tear being 41⁄2 inches long. In addition to rips and tears in stomach tissue, the barb was imbedded in the liver of one fish, and a barb had punctured the gas bladder of another. Infections and inflammation also were observed.

Hooks dissolved slowly in muskie stomachs. After about a month, hooks had corroded 9 percent, on average. Corrosion reached 29 percent by the following spring, and hooks were almost completely dissolved by fall (after 1 year). Hooks weren’t present in 3 fish and either had completely dissolved or had passed from the body.

The researchers conclude that such low rates of survival were unacceptable for a species managed for trophy potential. They suggest that while regulating single-hook livebait presentations is possible, enforcement would be difficult. Instead, they feel that increasing angler awareness of this problem would likely cause anglers to alter terminal rigging, such as using quick-strike rigs that allow immediate hook-sets and generally produce non-lethal hooking locations.

Results of this study may also have consequences for managing trophy pike, which are often targeted with a single hook and livebait during winter and spring. Margenau notes that stomach-hooked fish appeared healthy, with no bleeding, and swam off when released. A conservation-minded angler might believe that such fish can survive, yet Margenau’s results show there’s a good chance the fish will die within days or weeks.