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I'm pretty excited about this and looking forward to driving up to the panhandle to wet a hook.


Tiger muskies are coming to Panhandle

By Ed Godfrey
October 12, 2014




Oklahoma anglers are getting a new species to fish for as the state Wildlife Department plans to introduce tiger muskies in Lake Carl Etling in the Panhandle.

The tiger muskies � a cross between a northern pike and a muskie � will be added to Lake Carl Etling as an experiment, said Ken Cunningham, assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

�We think we have the potential to develop a trophy tiger muskie fishery in that lake, something we don't have in Oklahoma,� Cunningham said.

The Wildlife Department traded with Wyoming for 200 10-inch tiger muskies that will be put in Lake Carl Etling later this month, Cunningham said.

The lake has been low, but has risen enough to allow for the addition of the fish, he said.

In the beginning, the fishing for tiger muskies will be catch-and-release only to protect the population and allow the fish to grow to trophy-size. Tiger muskies can get as large as 30 inches in length and weigh 30 pounds or more.

�We are not really sure how fast it will take them to get up to that size (in Lake Carl Etling), but we are thinking four to five years, depending on the growth rate,� Cunningham said.

Tiger muskies are primarily found in Canada and the Great Lakes, but many states stock the fish, including New Mexico, where two reservoirs have become trophy tiger muskie destinations in recent years: Quemado and Blue Water.

Cunningham said New Mexico introduced tiger muskies, a carnivorous fish, in those reservoirs to control the goldfish and white sucker populations. As a bonus, the tiger muskies became a fish that anglers like to pursue.

�The fish have gotten really big and a following has developed in the last five years,� Cunningham said.

�It generated some excitement over there and we hope to do the same thing here.�

Lake Carl Etling was chosen for the tiger muskie experiment because the lake has an overpopulation of large shad.

Lake Carl Etling also used to be stocked with northern pike in the 1960s and 1970s, he said.

�The northern pike traditionally have done pretty well there, so we think it is a good candidate to try it out,� Cunningham said.

State wildlife officials want to see how well the tiger muskie does in Lake Carl Etling before considering adding the fish to other Oklahoma lakes, Cunningham said.

�We may end up identifying other Oklahoma lakes that might be viable candidates,� he said.

State wildlife officials still plan to add trout to Lake Carl Etling this winter as usual, even though tiger muskies are known as voracious eaters that will devour almost anything in the water.

The main diet of tiger muskies is fish and small birds.

Because there are so many shad in Lake Carl Etling, state wildlife officials think the baitfish will become the primary food item for tiger muskies, Cunningham said.

We got them in a local lake, brought a few to the boat but never got one in.
Hard to do with 4 lb test and a small net.

Wonder why tigers? Kinda weird. Well...they get a lot bigger than 30" that's for sure! I caught a 45" a few years back. They're fun to catch.

Are them things good to eat?

I don't think tiger muskie can reproduce. When I lived in NY they introduced them to lakes that had a over population of panfish.

Sweet! Maybe by the time I'm ready to move back there'll be so hogs in there.

Tigers are stocked to control smaller species, mostly perch and minnow/ sucker types....... they do not reproduce, so the number you stock is the number you get.... and the big bonus , they grow faster then their relatives, northern pike and pure breed muskies. Way fun to catch , but tend to be difficult in winter. The other bonus is they like chasing surface lures. We just got some here in North central Wyoming and it has renewed my love of baitcasting reels!!!!!!!!

A good "bucket biologist" could get what he wants in any lake ...get her done...

Tigers are something else. They were hybridized for the purpose of cleaning out junk fish then dying out as they are mules. A Tiger will barf up a full stomach in order to kill again and they get LOTS bigger than 30" long. 30 inches here is MINIMUM length.

My friend caught a 50 incher in Southern Wi.years ago.40 some pounds as I recall.No 30" fish would ever weigh 30 pounds more like eight or nine pounds.

So, I take it they ain't good table fare. They are just fun to catch like carp and tarpon.

Tiger's aren't too bad and I think they are better tasting then Northern. I think the record for Tiger's is around 54" in Vilas County Wi. They are definitely eating machines and and the Trout population will feel it.

They ARE good chow. Northern Pike are delicious,so are Muskie but are bony as Hell

Thanks! Hell we don't have that stuff here. But I have been known to frequent the Quemado NM area. May havta check out the fishing! .

Kiss any other fish in that lake goodbye those are eating machines.

Not sure about tigers but Northerns are great eating. Just need to filet them in such a manner as to not have a filet full of bones.

We went on a fly out pike fishing trip this summer and brought back 80# or so of fish. A couple for practice and a few YouTube videos and I had the cleaning method down pretty good.

That lake probably sees 3 visitors a year. Shoot your rifle at the right angle from that lake and you could probably hit New Mexico..

I think they're hoping to bring in some business by having something fun to fish for...

How deep is this lake? I am surprise that they would introduce them this far south.

The TMs have gotten fairly big in the lake near here, and they cook up and taste like Northerns. Someone already noted the bony issue. Fun fishing but, as Keith said, hard on the trout.

They are good eating, better than Northerns, but can't keep them here if they are under 50". Boated a 52.5 here last week, not a Tiger though, a Leech lake strain