Lake George
The following is an excerpt from the IL DNR's
"STATUS OF MUSKIE FISHERY IN ILLINOIS 2004"
LAKE GEORGE - This 167 acre lake in Rock Island County was built in 1966 and has a maximum depth of 62 feet with an average depth of 24 feet. Because Lake George is located near a heavily populated area, it receives between 200 and 350 man hours per acre fishing pressure.Other predators in Lake George, in addition to muskie, are largemouth bass, walleye, and striped bass hybrids which are stocked supplementally each year. The main prey species in the lake since 1990 is gizzard shad.
The lake was first stocked with pure muskie
fingerlings in 1983. By 1993, Lake George had developed
into one of Illinois’ premiere muskie lakes especially
for muskie over 40 inches. In 1993 and 1994, Lake George
suffered some mortalities to larger muskie.
Approximately 50 muskie, 36 to 42 inches died. The cause
could not be determined. Lake George was not stocked
with muskie in 1995, but was stocked with 167, 12 inch
Leech Lake strain muskie fingerlings purchased by the
Mississippi Valley Chapter of Muskie, Inc., in 1996 and
1997. In 1997, the state also stocked 169, 10" muskie.
In 1998, the lake was doubled stocked again to make up
for muskie lost in 1993 and 1994 with the Mississippi
Valley Chapter of Muskie, Inc. purchasing 169 muskie. In
1999, the lake received 1000, 4 inch muskie; 334, 11-13
inch muskie from state stockings. The lake also received
170, 11 inch muskie from the Mississippi Valley Chapter
of Muskie, Inc. In 2000, the state stocked 167 - 10.0"
muskie and 167 - 11.0" muskie. In 2001, the state
stocked 334 - 11.2" muskie. In 2002, the state stocked
334, 6.8 inch muskie and 167, 11.9 inch muskie. In 2003,
332 - 10 inch muskie were stocked.
The volunteer muskie creel program from 1987 to 1991
recorded 106 legal muskie caught with 90 being released.
Creel report data from 1994 reported 83 muskie caught
with only 3 harvested. The lake has a 36 inch size
restriction on muskie with one fish per day creel limit.
In 1999, thirteen trapnets set overnight in April
resulted in the collection of 9 muskie greater than 33
inches. The largest was over 35 pounds. In 2002, 28
trapnets set overnight resulted in the collection of 37
muskie greater than 24 inches. In 2003, 10 trapnets
resulted in the collection of 23 muskie greater than 25
inches. The lake has a good number of 40 inch plus
muskie with several muskie collected near the Illinois
state record. Lake George is scheduled to be stocked in
2004 with one, 12 inch muskie per surface acre. With the
large gizzard shad population that has developed in Lake
George, muskie fishing is tough because of the prey
density.
Coming Soon !!!