All is well in the Buckeye State's muskie program. If anything, muskie fishing in Ohio's waters is better than ever.

According to Kevin Page of the Ohio Division of Wildlife's Inland Fisheries Research Unit, 2,141 muskies were reported on the state's new Muskie Angler Log last year. That's the second highest reported catch rate in the last 10 years.

There have been some changes in the state's muskie program.

The biggest difference for the ODOW from last year is that the London Fish Hatchery will be using Leesville Lake as its brood stock lake.

The Clear Fork broodfish tested positive for VHS virus last year, but there was no associated fish kill, and the virus wasn't transferred to the hatchery. The Kincaid Fish Hatchery will utilize Salt Fork muskies for broodstock as normal.

The new Muskie Angler Log launched by the ODOW last March allows anglers to examine statewide summary statistics by lake and by year, including the number of fish reported caught and how big they were. The results were outstanding! The ODOW was only about 15 fish short of a new annual reporting record.

The Minnow Fund was another big hit. Muskie clubs helped fund the purchase of minnows to feed the hatchery broodstock, plus some money so that the ODOW could purchase some new equipment, which was greatly appreciated as well.

Yet another change is that Cowan Lake will be joining Acton and Rocky Fork lakes being dropped from the stocking program. Cowan's last stocking was in 2007, so there are still muskies present. East Fork Lake received its first-ever muskie fingerlings last fall and is a fishery worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Here's a look at where Ohio's muskie insiders will be this year:

ALUM CREEK RESERVOIR
This is the preferred destination for central Ohio muskie hunters. The catch rates are now above the state average and boating a "huskie muskie" isn't as rare of an occurrence as it used to be.

One dedicated Alum Creek muskie hunter happens to be Elmer Heyob Jr., an ODOW fisheries biologist. By Heyob's estimate, the muskie fishing doesn't get much better than at Alum Creek. The population density isn't as great as in Clear Fork and Leesville lakes, but Heyob estimates there's an average-sized muskie per acre in Alum Creek -- and those are just the small ones.

Heyob stresses catch-and-release as a way to ensure good fishing for the future at Alum Creek. Even catch-and-release practices can result in mortality if anglers aren't careful.

"Handle big muskies with care," biologist Heyob advised. "Improper landing is a leading cause of muskie mortality, especially in hot weather. Getting the gills tangled in the net, letting fish flop in the boat and keeping them out of the water for more than a few seconds may leave your big catch belly-up within minutes of being released."

Catch-and-release does have one drawback. When the surface temperatures exceed 80 degrees, there is less dissolved oxygen in the water. While being fought, the bigger muskies are easily stressed. This is especially true for older fish. Even if they swim away from the boat, delayed mortality may come into play. Quick and efficient release is the key to saving those bigger fish.