The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is reporting that a 25-year-old fish has been found living in West Okoboji Lake. Jonathan Meerbeek, a DNR fisheries research biologist, says the male musky was marked with a freeze brand and stocked in the Iowa Great Lakes in 1993. It was caught during the gill netting season last week.
The last time this particular fish was caught by the DNR was in 2006. According to Meerbeek, after age four, muskies have an annual mortality rate of around 25-percent.
The 25-year-old musky was documented and released back into the lake. The 17.5 pound fish was 41.6 inches in length.
