ORIGINAL: nw/jigmaster

Have seen millions of these fish die .. year after year @ pymie.. Usually after first ice..Was there 1 year with about 1 inch of black ice.. they were still dying under the clear ice.. flopping and twitching to death.. Yet they come back year after year.. Maybe once establised always established..

One can see them starting to die off in September . I think it's related to fall turnover . Not to insult anyones' intelligence , that is when the bottom water "turns over " and mixes with the top water . The thermocline is generally around 15 - 20 feet and anyone that has experienced it knows how cold the water is . That would make sense because turnover typically happens in PA in late September . Just my thoughts on them dying off .

Muskies will eat shad when they are the prominant baitfish. but too much bait makes for tough fishing aka lake arthur. as far as stocking wipers, the fish commission has to trade other fish that they raise for them and that gotten harder to do with the vhs outbreak. states just aren't able to trade gamefish.

Often wondered why our commission can't cross their own white bass and stripers, they can do with northerns and pure strain muskie, can't think it would be that hard to do.