The Muskie is not a species natural to our environment and cannot reproduce in our waters. Its natural habitat is in the northern states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. So sport fisherman who moved down to the south missed fishing for their Muskie (which are not even very good eating) and convinced wildlife to stock them in our Lake Adger here in Polk County.

I know most of you that have been fishing Lake Adger for many years noticed that the Muskie, which have no enemy in these waters and takes 14-15 years to reach their size of 30-40 plus pounds and have teeth like a barracuda, have decimated the Crappie, sun fish, blue gill, small mouth bass and have decreased the largemouth bass population by at least 50 percent since 1999 when I began fishing at Lake Adger. I would like to have some of you write in to this paper so we can have this discussion as well.

My children and grandchildren have given up coming to visit to fish because they can do better elsewhere and have been frustrated too many times. Have any of you folks noticed that you hardly hear any ducks quacking early in the morning or late in the evening or that the Canadian Geese have stopped swimming in Lake Adger except in the streams and tributaries?

Do you know that ducklings and baby geese have fallen prey to this predator, reducing their numbers? If wildlife is so knowledgeable and to be trusted regarding our badgers and coyote populations, perhaps they can be stopped from stocking the Muskie into our lakes and ruining our environment for fishing.

– Stan Mazur, Mill Spring