Walleye and Muskellunge Movement in the Manitowish Chain of Lakes, Vilas County, Wisconsin

Abstract

I quantified movement and spawning-lake fidelity for walleye Sander Vitreus and Muskellunge Esox masquinongy in the Manitowish Chain of 10 interconnected lakes in Vilas County, Wisconsin. I marked 7,427 walleye (55-2,720 per lake) and 491 muskellunge (24-99 per lake) with T-bar anchor tags and 34 walleye and 36 muskellunge with radio-tags. Tags were recovered from catches in electrofishing, trap netting, voluntary angler returns, tribal spearing, and angler creel surveys. From May 2004 to October 2005, 23% of all Walleye tagged and 19% of all muskellunge tagged were recovered. During that period 85% of walleye (17-95% per lake, 1,710 tags, 19-555 tags per lake) and 59% of muskellunge (0-92% per lake; 92 tags, 1-18 per lake) were recovered in the same lake in which they were tagged. Of 1,152 tag returns (2-302 per lake) for walleye and 58 tag returns (0-11 per lake) for muskellunge, 87% of walleye (33-97% per lake) and 55% of muskellunge (0-91% per lake) spawned in the same lake in 2004 and 2005. Walleye movement rate increased with the number of outlets that connected each lake to other lakes in the chain, 11% in lakes with one connection, 21% in lakes with two connections and 50% in lakes with three connections. Muskellunge movement rate also varied with the number of outlets that connected each lake to other lakes in the chain; 74% from lakes with one connection to other lakes, 26% from lakes with two connections, and 50% from lakes with three connections. My results indicate that most walleye spawned and stayed in the same lake, but that many muskellunge did not spawn or stay in the same lake in the Manitowish Chain in 2004 and 2005. I recommend that angling and spearing fisheries be managed for individual lakes for walleye and entire lake chains for muskellunge.