Monroe and his five-year-old son, Dalton, both of Parishville, took the minnows on the ice off Hawkins Point, on the St. Lawrence River in Massena. With them was Monroe’s buddy, Ryan Roy.

If you're not fishing for early-season muskies, you’re missing out on a great opportunity—and you're hardly alone. With prime muskie fishing typically pegged for mid-summer and early fall, lots of ...