I got some facts for you brother Muddy.
On average Musky fishermen will spend much more to travel to catch their fish of choice. especially since they HAVE to travel to catch their species. the gear it takes to outfit a devoted ski angler is by far more so than that of a walleye fisherman. that is no dis, but the gear suited for skiis is redeclious!!!
sure there are more walleye fishermen in Iowa, but if more value was put on skiis, more iowa anglers would pursue them, not to mention spend money to do so thus boosting the local economy!
also, an occasional walleye gets nabbed by a musky, but their primary forage is rough fish and that is because they are usually the most abundant food source in the system. so when you hear walleye fishermen complaining about the muskies eating all the walleyes, nothing is further from the truth. and they are not population depleating, eating machines.
Limits. in Iowa a 40 inch fish is the legal keeping limit! that is nonsense if you ask me especially since the musky fishery is a "Trophy Fishery" you ask any musky fisherman they will tell you 40 inches is a great fish, but not a trophy by a long shot. the DNR states that the 40 inch minimum is in place so that the everyday angler can keep a trophy fish like a musky if they catch one! and i assure you, most folks who catch a 40 inch fish will keep it mainly for the sheer novilty aspect! if a 40 inch fish is kept, or even mishandled while out of water they will most likely never reach trophy stage!
i have had this conversation with several "Fisheries Biologist" and i honestly think they misunderstand the full value of muskies and their fishermen. there is more value in walleyes, that is evident, but i think more value should be put into muskies as they are a valuable part of the resource. i also think the stocking numbers could be twice of what they are if not more as all of the fish i have caught/seen caught have been very fat and healthy. so the forage is available to support larger populations.
my biggest issue is the hours to catch ratio. in iowa a serious angler could expect to see 1 fish per 80 hours of fishing. (this does not count the IGL's) in Wisconsin and MN 20-25 hours per fish is considered ok. so i think the "Trophy Fisherey" that is currently in progress is a joke and needs reworked.
but like you said Matt, the DNR puts work where the most stock lies and unfortunately us musky guys are not anywhere near the top of that list.....