Is there any chance that southern bred musky, such as flourish in Tennessee, could live in my NE Texas BOW? Sure would be fun to have a few, if they could survive summer. My deepest water is around 21 feet and I don't aerate, so a thermal refuge sets up right around 9 or 10 feet deep in July/Aug/Sep.
Central Ohio 22 acre BOW stocked 25 12 inch TM and they did well, growing to about 38/39 inches. Reduced excess LMB numbers with positive effects on LMB size & BG.
I know this sounds crazy, and the odds are against, but then HSB in ponds was crazy, too.
Does your pond have springs in it by chance? The reading I've done has articles claiming pure strain muskie handle warmer water better, but I've also come across sources claiming tigers handle warmer water better. I have read of lakes in New Mexico with them, but I'm certain those were high elevation reservoirs. Bruce and myself have bodies of water around here ranging from .5 acres to 11 acres that they have survived in.
This is just my gut feeling here, but I have a feeling they will survive here, and possibly at your latitude, until reaching a certain size. Bill Cody and others may know better, but from my reading it seems like the cool water and oxygen demands are greater the larger the fish becomes. I have no idea what that size may be, but my gut tells me yours would survive for a few years until reaching a size where their demand for cool oxygenated water surpasses your ponds accessibility. Thats just my two cents.
