Lake Arthur’s quality muskie fishery, which produces such examples as the 41-incher caught and released by Andy Vetula, will be the focus of the Moraine Musky Association.

Lake Arthur, one of Western Pennsylvania's more productive muskie waters, will soon have an organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of this fishery.

The Moraine Musky Association will hold its first meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Mount Zion Church meeting hall.

Club organizer Howard Wagner said one of the motivating factors for forming the group was the inclusion of Lake Arthur in the Fish and Boat Commission's revamped muskie program.

Beginning in 2007, Lake Arthur was one of 25 state waters that saw increased muskie stocking. This is expected to bolster an already solid muskie population, as indicated by the commission's 2007 lake survey, which found 86 muskies ranging in size from 29 to 49Z\x inches.

"With the history of Arthur as a quality muskie lake, and the promise of an even better muskie fishery in the future, I felt it could benefit from a group of anglers that have the lake's best interests at heart," said Wagner.

One of the aspects of an increase in muskie numbers is the frequency of which the fish is caught by anglers targeting other species. Muskies, particularly larger ones, require special equipment and skill to be handled safely. Wagner sees a presence of experienced muskie anglers, identified by boat decals, T-shirts and jackets, as a positive element.

"If one of our group happens upon someone with a hooked muskie that needs help, we can assist," said Wagner. "We can help identify the fish, too. Lake Arthur has a good supply of northern pike, which some folks have a hard time distinguishing from muskies. Northerns only have to be 24 inches to creel. We can help keep someone from unintentionally killing a short muskie they misidentified as a pike."

Two years ago, the commission raised the minimum length limit for muskies from 30 to 40 inches and reduced the creel limit from two fish to one. These changes were part of the commission's enhanced muskie management program that led to the increase of muskie stocking in waters with a history of good return and angler popularity. The modifications also saw several lakes and river sections with poor returns dropped from the stocking program.

Wagner envisions the Moraine Musky Association's members as being stewards of the Lake Arthur resource. With a membership that spends so much time on this water, it will be able to keep an eye out for potential threats, such as water quality issues.

Once the membership has grown to a level that allows it, he sees the group working in concert with the commission and the state park in habitat improvement projects.

When the commission adopted its new muskie regulations, a process that involved considerable input from the muskie-fishing community, it left the door open for future special regulations, such as select lakes managed for trophy muskies by way of a higher minimum length limit. Wagner said the club's involvement could help determine if this is a good idea for Lake Arthur at some point.

The group's meetings will be held year-round on the first Monday of the month. The Mount Zion Church meeting hall is located on the shores of Lake Arthur, next to the Church Launch just off Route 528.

Each meeting will include a featured speaker, which for the initial meeting will be Youngstown, Ohio's Kevin Goldberg discussing spring muskie tactics. Club membership is $5 annually.

For information, visit morainemuskyassoc.info or call Howard Wagner at 724-452-4464 or Brian Boyer at 724-465-0502.