At first, I threw a bobber and a worm or a small crayfish to catch yellow perch and bluegills. As I grew older, my favorite lure switched to a small F-2 or F-3 Flatfish, a short wooden lure with a single trailing hook that I could cast with my 8-pound test “catgut.” That’s what they called monofilament before it was called monofilament in the mid to late 1950s. Berkley made it. With the perch pattern Flatfish, I caught all sorts of panfish, both black bass species and many healthy weeds. Then, one day, a musky whacked the lure. What a battle! The musky was hooked and released unharmed – my dad said I had to let it go; it was about 16 inches long, handsome and sleek. That fish was amazing. Instantly, I too was hooked, hooked on learning more about musky. In researching all my old issues of Boy’s Life, the scouting magazine for kids at the time, Homer Circle has never written anything about the freshwater shark of the land. Most of his great stories were about bass and panfish. We didn’t have an encyclopedia, so with Dad, we headed for the library.

We discovered news of the Chautauqua Fish Hatchery at Prendergast Point. It was very small back then, but today, there are 21 raceways, 10 troughs, and 12 one-acre earthen ponds on the property that house the fish raised there. Raceways and troughs receive up to 500 gallons per minute of water from Chautauqua Lake and one well. The first muskellunge hatchery at Chautauqua Lake was in Greenhurst in 1888, followed by other hatcheries in Bemus Bay and Bemus Point in 1893 and Stow in 1899. The main state hatchery moved to Bemus Point in 1904 and relocated to its present-day location at Prendergast Point in 1950. The staff at the hatchery also raise about 300,000 brown trout eggs obtained from New York State’s Randolph Fish Hatchery; Sauger fry (a close relative of walleye) from Kentucky and West Virginia as part of the Allegheny watershed recovery program; and more than 300,000 walleye fry from New York State’s Oneida Fish Hatchery. They’re a busy bunch. The hatchery is open year-round, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Call 716-789-2705 for information.

Our research led us to the Prendergast fish hatchery, which is the reason behind the prevalence of musky in Chautauqua Lake. Musky fishing is not just a hobby; it’s an adventure. These powerful creatures, known for their fierce fights, will test the skills and patience of any angler. They’ll drag the line beneath the boat, wrap it around the dock posts, or submerged stumps. They’ll crack rods, strip the gears out of heavy-duty reels, break lines, crush lures and bend hooks. In short, they’ll do whatever it takes to escape with sheer power. Hooking a Chautauqua musky is a first-class thrill no angler will soon forget. Musky fishing is not just fun; it’s addictive fun.

The recent NY Musky Expo, which was well attended at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel venue, is stepping up to “give back” to the Prendergast musky hatchery efforts with a fundraiser/raffle. Expo show organizer and president of the New York State Muskies Club, Katia Rivers, says, “I am pleased to organize this amazing fund-raising and raffle opportunity for the musky fishery. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the New York State musky fisheries, specifically for the Chautauqua Prendergast Hatchery and the TIBS Program to assist with stocking initiatives on all the New York inland lakes and musky research projects on the St. Lawrence River.”

Photo courtesy of Katia Rivers Fingerling musky like this 12-incher that met hundreds of Musky Expo attendees, are raised at the NYSDEC Prendergast Fish Hatchery in support of maintaining healthy musky fisheries across many waterways of New York State.

Rivers adds, “Money raised will go specifically toward buying new aerators for the musky hatchery ponds, as they assist in the longevity of healthy stocking numbers as well as larger fish and higher success rates at release.” To be a part of this fund-raiser/raffle, visit the “New York Muskies Inc. – Chapter 69” page on Facebook or send a check or money order to NY Musky Expo, c/o Katia Rivers, 24 Post Hill Drive, Rochester, New York, 14623, or via PayPal to @nymuskyexpo stating “fisheries fundraiser.”

Rivers says, “Our donated list of raffle prizes from the NY Musky Expo participants for this fundraiser is huge, hoping to encourage donations to this worthy initiative. We have included the most successful collection of musky lures, guided trips, fishing tools, and apparel to help raise money to support a healthy musky.” I’m all in. About 25,000 muskie fingerlings are stocked annually in 14 waters, including Chautauqua Lake and the Allegheny River watershed, Waneta Lake and the Susquehanna River watershed. If anyone would like to know more about this, please text me a note at ForrestFisher35@yahoo.com.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

March 1: Southtowns Walleye Association, Outfitters Fair (Flea Market), 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 7 p.m., 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg, free entry, free parking. Table reservations: 716-796-5372

March 1-2: Gun, Knife, Ammo Show – The Knights Event Center, 2735 Union Road, Cheektowaga, $6 admission.

March 6: WNY Walleye Association, monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Curly’s Grill, 647 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, guest speaker, Capt. Dave Adrian.

March 7-9: WNY Sport and Travel Expo, Hamburg Fairgrounds, $10 admission.

NOTE: Send calendar info or related outdoor news to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com.