The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's enhanced muskie stocking program has gotten off to an inauspicious start.

Although 29 waters were dropped from the program, just a handful of the 25 lakes and rivers slated to receive fish in the form of extra stockings got more than their usual allotment because of a bacterial infection that killed 30,000 fingerlings at the Linesville hatchery this summer.

According to Larry Hines, the commission's fish production manager for northern hatcheries, there were only tiger muskies to spare for Loyalhanna and Keystone lakes locally, but few surplus purebreds for other waters. Just over 3,500 extra muskies were planted in the Allegheny River in Allegheny and Armstrong counties and in Tamarack and Somerset lakes.

The hatchery is scheduled for upgrades that eventually will make disease outbreaks less of the problem.

"From time to time it happens," Hines said. "Hatchery fish are in a stressed condition, so if a pathogen is introduced, they can come down with different diseases, bacterial or otherwise."

The commission's plan is to put more muskie into lakes and rivers it has identified as already excellent or having trophy potential. The agency's top warmwater biologist, Bob Lorantas, expects the increased stocking goal will be met in future years.

"The plan is to ensure that enhanced waters receive more fish on average than they have in the past," he said. "But the program is new. We'll be tweaking it as we go along."

Enhanced waters in western Pennsylvania earmarked for more muskie (M) and tigers (TM) include Allegheny Reservoir (M), Conneaut Lake (M), Keystone Lake, Armstrong County (TM), Lake Arthur (M), Shenango Reservoir (M), Lake Somerset (M/TM), Loyalhanna Lake (M/TM), Glendale Lake (M), and the Youghiogheny River (M).

Area waters dropped from the stocking program include West Branch French Creek, the Beaver, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, Donegal Lake, Keystone Lake (Westmoreland County), Mill Run Reservoir and Yellow Creek Lake.

The overhaul in stockings will be followed by stricter size and creel limits -- at least 40 inches, one fish a day -- in January. It marks a shift in emphasis toward bigger fish.

Statewide the commission stocked 85 rivers and lakes with 100,000 muskie and 50 rivers and lakes with the same number of tigers. All were fingerlings, 6 to 8 inches.

"There's some question as to whether many anglers know they've caught a tiger and not a purebred," said commission fisheries management chief Leroy Young. "Tigers can grow to about 44 inches. Muskies can reach about 47 inches in Pennsylvania waters, and occasionally 50 inches or more."

On Lake Arthur last year, Tom Simon of Monaca released a 51 1/2-inch muskie, and muskie guide Howard Wagner of Fombell has caught several over 50 inches, including a 54-inch muskie on the middle Allegheny River.

It is up to area fisheries managers to decide which waters show the greatest promise.

"Conneaut Lake can be unpredictable, so we're hoping that adding more muskies will enhance the population," said northwest fisheries technician Freeman Johns. "Shenango's another one we want to give a special boost to. Although we get good angler reports, I'm not 100 percent pleased with our trap netting results there. [But] it's got a fantastic forage base [and] a ton of gizzard shad, so there's no reason it shouldn't take off."

"Southwestern area biologist Rick Lorson likes Loyalhanna Lake and the Youghiogheny River. "We decided to double our muskie stockings on the Youghiogheny," he said. "Cold water releases from the dam help with reproduction and survival. Red horse suckers, shad and emerald shiners provide good forage. There's even an outside chance of natural reproduction in the Cedar Creek pool, where we get reports of small muskies being seen.

"The Allegheny River from Highland Park to Clinton is another area we plan to key in on."

In choosing enhanced waters, the commission looked at angler feedback, past muskie surveys, and density and type of forage as well as other game species, Young said.

Western Pennsylvania lakes slated for their usual allocation of muskie and/or tiger muskies include: Presque Isle Bay (M); Allegheny River, from Warren to Allegheny County (M); Crooked Creek Lake (TM); Canadhota Lake (M); Cussewago Creek (M); French Creek (M); Pymatuning Lake (M); Tamarack Lake (M); Woodcock Creek Lake (M); Sugar Lake (M); Edinboro Lake (M); Conneaut Creek (M); Lake LeBoeuf (M); Union City Reservoir (M); Tionesta Creek and Tionesta Lake (M); Connoquenessing Creek (TM); Shenango River (TM); Lake Wilhelm (M); Justus Lake (TM); Kahle Lake (TM); Bridgeport Dam (TM); Mahoning Creek (M) and Mahoning Creek Lake (M).