20,000 muskellunge stocked across many Ohio lakes

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is stocking nearly 20,000 muskies in nine inland lakes across the state in 2024. Muskies can grow to more than 50 inches in length and are a popular sport fish for anglers.

The Division of Wildlife raises muskellunge at the Kincaid and London state fish hatcheries. The hatcheries stock 10- to 12-inch muskies in nine lakes each fall. Muskies are a predatory sport fish that grow quickly and create trophy fishing opportunities in Alum Creek Lake, C.J. Brown Reservoir, Caesar Creek Lake, Clearfork Reservoir, Lake Milton, Leesville Lake, Piedmont Lake, Salt Fork Lake and West Branch Reservoir. In addition to reservoirs where they are stocked, muskellunge are caught in many of Ohio’s river systems.

Trophy muskellunge have been documented across the nine stocking locations. The Division of Wildlife created the Muskie Angler Log to gather public reports of muskie catches and use that information to better manage the fishery. Muskies longer than 40 inches have been recorded in each of the nine stocked lakes, and seven of those lakes have hosted muskies longer than 50 inches. Ohio’s state-record muskie, weighing 55.1 pounds and measuring 50.25 inches long, was caught in Piedmont Lake in 1972. Ohio record fish, tracked by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, are determined based on weight only.

Anglers who catch a muskellunge measuring 40 inches or longer are eligible to receive a Fish Ohio award. The Fish Ohio program annually recognizes thousands of anglers who catch one of 25 species of sport fish of a qualifying length. Since 1976 the program has awarded a Fish Ohio pin to any angler who qualifies.

The top 10 waters in which anglers caught Fish Ohio muskies in 2023 were as follows: West Branch Reservoir, 102 Fish Ohio entries; Leesville Lake, 48; Piedmont Lake, 42; Alum Creek Lake, 24; Salt Fork Lake, 18; Caesar Creek Lake, 17; Mahoning River, 17; Clearfork Reservoir, 11; Lake Milton, 11; and Pymatuning Lake, eight.

The Division of Wildlife operates six state fish hatcheries to manage fish populations and increase public fishing opportunities. Eleven fish species are stocked statewide, and the agency put more than 40 million fish into public waters in 2023. Learn more about fish stocking at www.wildohio.gov or view complete fish-stocking records at www.data.ohio.gov.

Sales of fishing licenses and the federal Sport Fish Restoration program support the operation of Division of Wildlife fish hatcheries.

Anglers age 16 and older are required to have an Ohio fishing license to fish in state public waters. An annual license is $25 and is valid for one year after purchase. A one-day fishing license costs $14 and may be redeemed for credit toward the purchase of a one-year fishing license. Licenses and permits can be purchased online at www.wildohio.gov, through the HuntFish OH app and at participating license sales agents.