PFBC is open to suggestions on their homepage. This is your chance to voice your opinions to the guys who can/will make a difference. Get active, and educated.
http://fishandboat.com/musky-plan.htm This is what I had to say:
I would like to see the musky fingerlings that currently are stocked to be another 6 months or so in age and stocked in better habitat. In my opinion, these 4-7 inch musky fingerlings are the most perfect little snack baits for bass, walleye, pike, and even musky. With an extra couple of months to get into the 10-15 inch range, the survival rate should be incredibly higher, thus having to stock fewer fish to reach established goals of adult musky populations per acre. I know it is expensive to raise those fish a few extra months and transitioning them from pellets to minnows is tricky, but I think it could be worth it.
To fund raising these fish a few extra months, maybe have anglers pay a 5 dollar per year stamp to be able to keep/harvest muskies. This would force the "average joe fisherman" who might randomly catch one per year to either purchase the stamp in advance, or to release the fish! Most avid musky fishermen would not have an issue with paying an additional fee for better fishing opportunities.
Also, I have noticed in many bodies of water that the stocking trucks will dump the musky fingerlings into the "most convenient" locations on the lakes instead of putting in a little extra effort to find them better habitat. There isn’t much cover around or near boat launches and I feel they don’t stand a chance against predators. So much money is spent raising these fish, at least give them a chance!
I’ve recently heard and seen on the stocking website that the 3 rivers musky club is experimenting on a few N.W. PA kettle lakes, where they are stocking the 10-15 inch yearlings and I am very interested to see how that pans out. Many mid-west states like Indiana have been implementing this method of fewer but larger fish stocked, and studies have shown much greater success in survival rates of fish reaching adulthood.
In conclusion, I would personally like to see muskies stocked larger and to be stocked in habitat areas where they have a better chance of survival. This may more expensive, but a musky stamp could cover much of the expenses. A musky stamp would increase revenue specific for this type of program that most dedicated musky fishermen would accept. In addition many accidental catches would have to be released if a stamp had not been purchased by a fisherman thereby protecting existing populations.