By Christa Clasgens, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

Throughout West Virginia, many native species have become triumphant game fish to anglers local and out of state. From Small Mouth to brook trout and even Walleye. There is a fish with a very long history in the Mountain State that has been coined ‘the fish of 10,000 casts’ because of the difficulty landing such a prized fish.

The Musky or Muskellunge fish with prehistoric features and predatory shape and behavior make this fish the king of the rivers. These fish have a high prey drive and are known to grow to exceptionally large sizes. The state record being recorded at 55inches. But it’s not only the size and the difficulty that is recruiting new interest in these fish. The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been monitoring populations and stocking fingerling Musky since 1958. At times, implementing a “stocking moratorium” to evaluate if natural reproduction is sustaining in certain rivers.

Today, current trends in the angling world have increased attraction toward this species as the next “challenge” for anglers across the state. In a niche part of the angling community, many fly anglers are now also targeting musky with large baitfish style flies and heavy-duty rods and reels. This method is still more challenging than using traditional gear as the larger flies and gear are more difficult to cast and can be taxing after just a couple hours on the water. However, this doesn’t deter anglers; it feeds their desire to land the fish of a lifetime using unique lures and gear.

So how does increased pressure on these fish affect the fishery? It comes with a learning curve to best determine the health and population of these fish. The WV DNR’s monitoring of population is helpful, and increased stocking over the year has adjusted for population loss with increased pressure on these fish. A reel survey conducted by local anglers in spring of 2024 saw fourteen Musky landed by sixteen individuals over three days. These were highly unprecedented numbers as anglers are lucky to get 1-3 musky in a year while targeting them regularly. Even more unexpected was all gear used was fly equipment making the staggering success even more unexpected.

Keeping these fish safe comes with the same protocol for any fish while angling for them: once caught, keep them wet. Limit their time out of the water. Only keep them long enough to snap a quick picture and place them back in the water until they can swim off on their own. A point of caution – these fish are toothy! Ensure you have the proper tools to remove the hook and keep your hand away from their mouth. These fish have hundreds of razor-sharp teeth and a trip to the hospital for stitches is typical if bitten.

Unknown to many – Musky are a cold-water species. They thrive in colder water with lots of other fish to feed on. Targeting them in high water temperatures is not recommended as their mortality rate increases when caught in temperatures exceeding 70 degrees. The main rivers that host the best Musky fishing are the Little Kanawha, the Buckhannon, and the Tygart.

If you ever have the success of landing one of these frightening but beautiful fish, take a moment to appreciate their hundreds of years of survival, conservation efforts by state and local agencies, and that it only took you 9,999 casts to catch one. As always, practice safe catch-and-release for current and future generations.