Famous Question: Pike or Muskie?

[Cheerseh!]

Here's the famous question for all the pike experts out there. Is this a pike or a Muskie? Thank you for your replies.

[Sloughsharkjigger]

Here's the famous question for all the pike experts out there. Is this a pike or a Muskie? Thank you for your replies.

Piskie.... :)

[RavYak]

Definitely not a pike. Either a Musky or possibly a hybrid.

[densa44]

They are called "tiger muskys" and they are sterile!
The Lands and forest people in Ontario used to put them in lakes where they wanted the present population of fish eliminated. The fish eat all the little stuff, grow big and the biologists catch them or net them out in the fall. I always thought that it was a great solution and beat poisoning a lake.

Where did you get it?

[seahawkfisher]

maybe chain pickerel...

[Backbay]

It's a Tiger; as mentioned, pike/muskie cross.
They are regarded as Muskies, as opposed to pike as far as regs, etc are concerned.

[Bow flyman]

I think it is a Northern pike. Small scaling on upper gill plate only, is a good identifiieing marker.

[Backbay]

On a Tiger, the most notable identifier are the bars. Their fins are not sharper, like Muskies, but rounded. like a pike.

[CBintheNorth]

Rounded tail lobes and lack of spots tells me tiger musky but if it was in Alberta the answer would have to be pike because we have neither tigers or muskies. My .02¢

[Backbay]

Rounded tail lobes and lack of spots tells me tiger musky but if it was in Alberta the answer would have to be pike because we have neither tigers or muskies. My .02¢

Lol, if that was caught in Alberta, you have them now!

[CBintheNorth]

Lol, if that was caught in Alberta, you have them now!

Wouldn't that be nice! :fishing:

[Cheerseh!]

Thanks for your replies gentleman. I would have to agree with a few of you as I would also call this fish a “Hybrid Tiger Muskie”. This fish was caught and released this past weekend in a beautiful lake near central AB. The Muskie appears to have arrived. In my opinion, it is no different than a pike as both fish are fresh water gators. Maybe we should start drug testing our Fisheries Management Team?

[Alberta Bigbore]

Thats a nice Bull Trout!!

[Lefty-Canuck]

Thanks for your replies gentleman. I would have to agree with a few of you as I would also call this fish a “Hybrid Tiger Muskie”. This fish was caught and released this past weekend in a beautiful lake near central AB. The Muskie appears to have arrived. In my opinion, it is no different than a pike as both fish are fresh water gators. Maybe we should start drug testing our Fisheries Management Team?

Do they have an underground passage from LOTW to Alberta now???......they can't just "arrive" :)

If it was caught in Alberta it is probably a genetic anomaly to give it the patterning.....neat looking fish but if it is caught in Alberta its a pike....IMHO.

LC

[338Bluff]

X2. Pike.

[BeeGuy]

http://i1242.photobucket.com/albums/gg523/elbee69/chart.gif

http://i1242.photobucket.com/albums/gg523/elbee69/photo8.jpg

[BeeGuy]

I don't think the picture is good enough to see some of the characters.

But I would put some money down that it is a pike.

[seahawkfisher]

chain pickerel
http://rivers.snre.umich.edu/www311/OrganismPhotos/grass_pickerel.jpg

[CBintheNorth]

He said it was caught in Alberta guys! :snapoutofit:

[Albertafisher]

He said it was caught in Alberta guys! :snapoutofit:

If it was, then its is hands down a pike. No questioning.

[Geezle]

Thats a nice Bull Trout!!

http://www.madcastgaming.com/forum/images/smilies/bsflag.gif


I call laker!

[BGSH]

Looks like a large mouth bass to me, did they stock them in Alberta yet?

[whitetailman]

Pike or pickerel is my guess

[CBintheNorth]

Looks like a large mouth bass to me, did they stock them in Alberta yet?

They don't need to, they just arrive! Lol

[Cheerseh!]

Looks like a large mouth bass to me, did they stock them in Alberta yet?

Did you miss the part where Gramp's takes you out fishing as a kid and shows you a thing or two about fishing? If so I sympathize for your loss.

Gentlemen, I'm not looking for sarcastic remarks, but expert opinion. Until I mentioned where the fish was caught the majority of comments favoured the muskie. I still have not recieved one comment explaining why muskie can not/have not existed in AB. Is it the same reason why AB claims to be rat free?

The chain pickerel was an interesting comment. Is that species found in AB?

[TyreeUM]

Here's the famous question for all the pike experts out there. Is this a pike or a Muskie? Thank you for your replies.

Hey Cheerseh,
That is a great specimen and quite an unusual picture. When you catch a fish that has patterning not typical of what you normally would see, it can be easy to misidentify at the species level. I can absolutely say, given the information you have provided, that you have caught a pike experiencing a late transition from juvenile to adult coloration. This typically takes place at a much early stage in their life, and you usually see this exact patterning on pike more than half the size of the individual you have caught.
Juvenile pike typically have 8 to 15 or so vertical white bands that extend from the white belly well past the lateral line of the fish. When these fish get older, those bands begin to break up into the typical spotting pattern you would see in a typical adult pike. As I said before, this usually takes place at a much earlier age than the fish you are holding, but none the less, this is the exact pattern you would expect to see in the transition stages. An incredible specimen and I really appreciate you posting this picture!

[Cheerseh!]

An incredible specimen and I really appreciate you posting this picture!

That was a great explanation and I appreciate your comments.

[Cal]

Did you miss the part where Gramp's takes you out fishing as a kid and shows you a thing or two about fishing? If so I sympathize for your loss.

Gentlemen, I'm not looking for sarcastic remarks, but expert opinion. Until I mentioned where the fish was caught the majority of comments favoured the muskie. I still have not recieved one comment explaining why muskie can not/have not existed in AB. Is it the same reason why AB claims to be rat free?

The chain pickerel was an interesting comment. Is that species found in AB?

Theres about as many chain pickerel in AB as there are muskie. As for an explanation of why muskie can not exist in AB, on a scientific level I know that they spawn later than pike in places where the two co-exist and therefore probably need warmer water to successfully spawn than can typicly be found in AB.

On a logical level yours would be the only "Muskie" to have been caught in AB. Not only are they absent in Alberta but to the best of my knowlege Saskatchewan has none and even in Manitoba they only exist in good numbers on the very eastern side of the province. Not sure what kind of a radius we have to the south between Alberta and the nearest muskie water but its probably similar. On top of that Tiger Muskie do not comonly ocur naturaly, remember how I said muskie spawn later? Since tigers are sterile it would be a pretty grave evolutionary oversite in regards to the survival of the two species, which comonly co exist naturaly, to not include some kind of preventative measure to keep this from happening. So... for you to have caught a Tiger muskie in centeral AB someone would have had to transport that fish a thousand or so kilometers and succesfuly live released it, sounds a little improbable wouldnt you agree? Ditto on the chain pickerel, if that were a chain pickerel you should be sending it to a taxidermist cause it would be a monster.

[Cheerseh!]

Thank you Cal for another very good explanation. Cheers Eh!

[Geezle]

Hey Cheerseh,
That is a great specimen and quite an unusual picture. When you catch a fish that has patterning not typical of what you normally would see, it can be easy to misidentify at the species level. I can absolutely say, given the information you have provided, that you have caught a pike experiencing a late transition from juvenile to adult coloration. This typically takes place at a much early stage in their life, and you usually see this exact patterning on pike more than half the size of the individual you have caught.
Juvenile pike typically have 8 to 15 or so vertical white bands that extend from the white belly well past the lateral line of the fish. When these fish get older, those bands begin to break up into the typical spotting pattern you would see in a typical adult pike. As I said before, this usually takes place at a much earlier age than the fish you are holding, but none the less, this is the exact pattern you would expect to see in the transition stages. An incredible specimen and I really appreciate you posting this picture!
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/GeezleHerps/Moved/LacSteAnneCounty-20120107-00238.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/GeezleHerps/Moved/LacSteAnneCounty-20120107-00239.jpg

[greylynx]

Are they fairly common to catch?

Are pike muskie spawning periods at the same time of the year?

[catnthehat]

I have cought tiger muskies and that one does not seem to look like one.
however, they can be very different in colouring at times, because they are a hybrid.

If you count the pores on th eunderside of the jaw however, this will give you a diffinitive answer.
The musky ( and the tiger as far as I know and have been told )has at least 6 per side, the pike will only have 4 or 5
That, and Cal's explanation!
Cat

[Cheerseh!]

Again, thank you everyone for your comments. I'm now convinced it's a pike and I've learned a thing or two from you experts. I've discovered a great site for people who love to catch. I'm now HOOKED.

Cheers Eh!

[Backbay]

Are they fairly common to catch?

Are pike muskie spawning periods at the same time of the year?

I wouldn't describe them as common, particularly as they are sterile.
In the Moon River area of Georgian Bay where I fish, I have not heard of one being caught. They are somewhat more common in the lakes around Kawarthas area, and I have heard, Lake St, Clair.
In the mid-west and western US States, it seems there are more of them. I understand they've been stocked in the past, but have never understood why. Stocking actual Muskies would have made more sense.

Muskies spawn later, in pretty similar shallows.
Muskie season in Ontario opens about 6 or 7 weeks later, depending on the zone.

[TyreeUM]

I understand they've been stocked in the past, but have never understood why. Stocking actual Muskies would have made more sense.

They have been used in fisheries management plans in lakes where no large preditors exist and are prone to overpopulation and stunting. They are also stocked in lakes where nusiance introduced species occur. With tiger muskie, you can introduced a predetor that can be easily managed (ie there population is drectly controlled by stocking densities) that will help control the populations.

[Cal]

They have been used in fisheries management plans in lakes where no large preditors exist and are prone to overpopulation and stunting. They are also stocked in lakes where nusiance introduced species occur. With tiger muskie, you can introduced a predetor that can be easily managed (ie there population is drectly controlled by stocking densities) that will help control the populations.

A few of the reasons I have heard for stocking tiger muskie that havnt been mentioned are

1. they grow to a catchable size faster

2.Being sterile they canot cross with existing muskie stocks, according to one study I read the suplimental stocking of lakes with existing muskie populations can be counter productive. Apparently in some lakes the muskie populations are very highly addapted to best survive in their specific eco system, tiger muskies can be stocked to supliment existing fish stocks without messing with the gene pool of the fish native to that lake.

So pretty much the same reasons we stock triploid trout these days.