Hey guys. I’m an avid musky angler/guide out of Oak Ridge Tennessee and we have some outstanding trophy musky fishing in the south that few have heard of. Not too long ago I had a clients from Savannah and Charleston who got a 50.5" musky with me mention that he thought there was a musky fishery in South Carolina. Do any of you have any knowledge of this? Not details just wanted the name of the lake. Might come try it this winter. Our fishing here in Tennessee has even been making Canada and Minnesota look bad at times…
Southern Musky This Year
I recently posted up some pictures to give you an idea of what kinda muskies swim in the south and why I was excited to learn there may be a finery for them in north Georgia.
I wouldn’t exactly call it a “fishery” but I remember someone catching a musky in the Broad River in Cherokee County some years ago. DNR biologists speculated that it had been washed downstream from a lake in NC. But where there is one there could be more.
The State Record muskie came from the Upper Broad, just like riverman mentioned. SC does not stock muskie, nor do they have a chance to reproduce naturally. NC stocks them in Lake Adger and a few escape down the Broad and create a stir among the bream fishermen there.
By Rob McComas…Muskie population well stocked in Lake Adger
Published 4:26pm Friday, October 21, 2011
I had the privilege recently to help the NC Wildlife Resources Commission in their efforts to stock muskie in Lake Adger.
Lake Adger is and has been known as the ?home of the muskie? for quite some time. The small 438-acre lake has been home of the state record several times in the past 30 years, and is home of the current state record at 41 pounds 8 ounces since 2001.
The NCWRC, along with the help of the Western North Carolina Muskie Club, stocked the lake wit 1,450 muskie ranging from 7?- 10?.
?That?s the most we ever stocked,? said David Yow, the warm water research fisheries coordinator.
Yow told me that was about five to six times the normal amount. The big stocking was due to a very good year at the Table Rock Fish Hatchery, the hatchery that supplies the fingerling muskie for the state.
The ?cigar? size muskie are ?stocked in October to give the fish the best chance at survival,? said Yow.
It gives the fish time to adjust to their new habitat before the cold of winter sets in. And, the water has cooled enough to reduce the stress of warm water temps.
The size of the fish reduces somewhat the number of fish that will be eaten by larger predators. Although I?m pretty sure I may have caught an Osprey catching a freshly stocked fish on film. The cost of feeding the fish to get bigger is hard to justify as well.
Yow also told me we should start seeing results in three to five years for catchable size fish. I took this as fish in the 30?- 40? range.
All of the fish released are tagged. The main purpose is for future studies done on the lake. There is also some minor concern that fish can get down the river into South Carolina, and
I’m sure there are several lakes in the upstate that could support muskie, as well as the Broad river since it currently supports smallmouth. I live in Nashville and the muskie is still on my list to catch. I’ve had several cut me off on Dale Hollow but have yet to get up to Melton Hill to get after them, even though Melton Hill is where I caught my first fish while still in diapers! I’m also planning on getting out on the Collins river to try for them.
Wow…it’s amazing where these fish will end up. I imagine they would do quite well in many of be SC waters that support smallmouth and given a proper forage base can even enhance a smallmouth fishery believe it or not (ask an multiple species guide in Lake St. Clair)… …wow, a Nashvillian on this forum? I know the Collins and Rock Island system very well and am getting accustomed quickly to my new digs in Melton Hill. It’s a challenging fishery but those same factors make it a giant factory…recently myself and a client from Chicago got a 50", a 51", and a 48" on 3 consecutive casts on Melton. The number of large fish in the lake is insane but the Collins Rock Island system has produced lots of big fish for me and those in my boat up to 52" and we’ve lost several larger. Still in the few months I’ve lived in Oak Ridge I’ve seen more 50" muskies than I had in the previous 4 years fishing the old water. I still fish it especially during peak periods but hard to beat what’s out my Backdoor now.
Heading to Charleston next weekend to do some red fishing so had to join the forum to get the skinny on what’s happening. Learned a lot here too, nice folks. Trying to figure out how to approach the Collins, would you recommend putting in at Great Falls with a bass boat? John Boat? or putting in upstream on the Collins with a john boat? I have a guy who has experience muskie fishing we’re just trying to figure out the best way to approach it. Any help on where to put in and what types of areas to target would be appreciated.
There are some monster muskie in Dale Hollow too. Most people catch them trolling but in the spring they come shallow, an experienced angler could target them and I think really hook into some big ones. Saw one eat a muskrat off the surface last May.
I was told by an outfitter on the lower French Broad that it held native muskie. Most where caught in the Rosmon NC area. He said they were not plentiful (the fish of 10,000 cast) but assured me they were there.
Charles rhodes
Muskies are in the French Broad River. They can be caught all along the river, certain spots hold more than others. Rosman NC is the head waters of the French Broad River
BOB
One of the best places is the stretch of river near the Asheville NC airport.I think it is better to fish with live Hornyheads a small fish in the river. Just fish the deeper holes.
BOB
I’ve guided the Collins and Great Falls past 4 years. Had some 6-9 fish days on that system and fish up to 52" with clientele. I would recommend using a Jon boat for that entire system… …It’s all relatively small water and especially the Collins, which is all but unfishable in a bass boat.