Muskie mania under way in Illinois

Rain and warm weather has spurred the start of muskie mania across Illinois.

Anglers have already been out in force for days at Kinkaid Lake, where guide Chad Cain (pictured above) boated his largest muskie ever last Saturday.

Cain said the fish measured 49 7/8 inches and had a girth of 25.5 inches.

At first, he thought the big fish might exceed the state record of 38 pounds, 8 ounces.

So a fisheries biologist was summoned to weigh the fish on a certified scale. But the fish weighed 37.4 pounds. Cain released the muskie. He wrote, “Still a great fish, though, and it was great to see her swim away.”

Muskie anglers have also been out at Spring Lake in Tazewell County, which is typically one of the early season hotspots for toothy critters. Larry Karnes said 10-12 boats were parked at the causeway between the north and south lakes on Wednesday.

He also heard reports of at least one keeper muskie being boated and released.

To learn which other Illinois lakes also offer muskie, check out this history of state stockings.

Illinois_Muskie_Stocking_History.pdf

A wealth of muskie fishing information is also available at Illinois Muskies.com.