Fall weight gain on muskies and more...

[Bryan Saenz]

So i just had a question and maybe some of you could answer, just curious...
In fall it is said that muskies are putting on a 'feed bag" Like they are feeding up for winter. I have heard this on many videos. Musky are eating all they can before a long winter. Then I read an artical that musky are not feeding heavily that makes them fat, it is that people are catching lots of females that are carrying eggs, thus making them 4-6 pounds heavier then earlier months. in most cases I would assume they are feeding more in winter, yet females are heavier from carrying eggs that are developing.

I know that through the fall into the winter months through the holidays i tend to put on a feed bag, yet I am not carrying eggs....LOL

bryan

[Will Schultz]

Who wrote the article????

A combination of factors...

Biologically they need to feed less as the water cools because their metabolism slows.

Some fish species concentrate in the fall making it appear as if muskies are on a feeding binge. In fact they're just taking advantage of the situation as they would any time of the year. Combine this with a slow metabolism and you'll get heavy muskies in certain waters. Some waters you'll see a minimal difference between fall and summer muskies.

Females do start growing eggs in late summer making them heavier. This is part of the myth of the feedbag.

[Hamilton Reef]

There may also be some localized growth areas such as the muskies that over winter in a power plant warm water discharge. Such discharges are often packed full of warm temperature sensitive gizzard shad followed by warmer metabolism hungry muskies. Burp..........