Linesville Hatchery, PA Muskie Baitfish Fund
Rob Brown, from the Linesville Hatchery, gave a presentation on muskie culture at the Three Rivers Chapter of Muskies Inc. monthly meeting last night. About 50-60 peolple attending the meeting.

The PFBC raises and stocks approximately 150,000 muskie fingerlings accross the state annually. Approximately 30,000 of those fingerlings are produced at Linesville Hatchery and stocked on the western side of PA. Their goal is to improve the quality/size of the fingerlings stocked. Rob said that fathead minnows are the key ingredient to raising larger fingerlings. The goal is to stock 10" fingerlings in the fall that were cultured in the spring. Right now the Linesville Hatchery is raising an 8" fingerling (on avg) to be stocked in the fall. Rob said that those fingerlings grow fast when placed in outside ponds and fed fathead minnows, but the hatchery does not have the funding to purchase enough minnows to feed the muskies. Rob said that an average fingerling can grow a coouple inches in one month when fed a good supply of fathead minnows. Not only the length of the fingerlings is important. The hatchery measures the quality of their fingerlings by measuning FPP. FPP is fingerlings or fish per pound, so the weight or fatness of the fingerlings is very important to their survival.

The most exciting thing to come from the meeting and presentation, as it relates to us as muskie fisherman, is the chapter being able to donate funds to help raise fathead minnows. I had said before that the money we raised would be used to improve habitat in the ponds that Linesville uses to raise fathead minnows. However, Rob feels that the money would be best spent by purchasing minnows for next year. He said that their process and the habitat in the ponds will support a 600% return on fathead minnows raised. In other words, they can turn 100lbs of fathead minnows into 700lbs over a growing season.

Rob said that the hatchery would be very pleased if we could raise enough money to purchase 300lbs of fathead minnows next year. Fathead minnows are $5.90 per pound, so we will need to rasie about $1800 to purchase those minnows for next year. I think that number should be pretty attainable. The key will be supporting this effort over a number of years. Those 300lbs of fatheads should be able to produce about 2100lbs of fatheads following the 600% return. The Three Rivers Chapter will be able to cut a check directly to the minnow supplier to deliver the fathead minnows to the Linesville Hatchery in May.

The Three Rivers Chapter will be working on fund rasining ideas over the next month or so. We will be looking for donations from lure manufacturers, guides, etc to create a raffle ticket to sell. Capt. Larry Jones has already offered to donate a guided day on Chautauqua, Red Childress offered a guided day, and I know we will have many others who will want to support this cause. All of the proceeds would go directly to the minnow fund. Another idea is to auction donated muskie baits on ebay etc. I will keep people posted as I learn more from the next board meeting in January.

Zach Baker and the 50 to 60 members that attended the meeting last night got the minnow fund off to a great start. Zach donated a Baker Lure package of 11 baits that we raffled off last night to one lucky winner. The raffle generated $345 last night to start the fund. Thanks very much to Zach! Your baits are truly works of art.