Tiger Musky also have rounded tails, helping you tell them apart from regular Musky. If markings do occur, they will be darker than the background color of the body. It’s always best to start at the beginning. 2) Short answer, patience, especially with Muskie! 1. Pike and Muskie will generally stick to shallow, sluggish water and rarely go below 40 feet deep. Urban Angling: An Intro to Fishing in London, Your Ultimate Guide to Fishing in Russia – Part I. These are both highly predatory fish, built for speed and strength. Most anglers use large spoons, shallow-running plugs, or spinnerbaits to catch Pike. Started fishing randomly with very little experience. Thanks for the comment. Muskie and Pike are often around the same size. White and flakey and virtually no fishy taste. Please indulge a couple of out of state questions. Fishing in San Antonio – Your Complete Guid... Texas Fishing: All You Need to Know Before You Go. Where are you thinking of fishing? Look at their markings. The St John River in New Brunswick, Canada is a hotbed of the largest Muskies around. Ended up hooking several more northerns including a 39” sow! Pike and Muskie have special pores to detect movement in the water. Any carnivorous freshwater fish of the genus. vary state by state. IDO » Community » Forums » Fishing Forums » Fishing by Species » Muskie & Pike » Muskie VS Pike. Are they a regional variety? Do you have any tips of your own on telling the two fish apart? Let us know in the comments below! Was a bit of a fight, but super fun. Grew up fishing for muskie and northerns on St Lawrence (Thousand Islands). They are beautiful creatures, fun sport fishes and good eats. 3) Seasons, limits etc. However, that’s about as far as the similarities go. Jonsey. Even getting one to bite is an achievement, never mind bringing one that size to the boat. Wow, I bet that really made the trip. The paired fins on the lower body of a northern pike are rounded in shape, as is the tail fin. Average size is about 7-10 pounds and the further north you head the bigger they get, Replied on August 20, 2020 Caught plenty of northerns using big Daredevil Spoons. I’ve lost a couple northern because I was bass fishing w too light a rig. HOW TO TELL MUSKELLUNGE, NORTHERN PIKE & PICKEREL APART. I grew up fishing St Lawrence for pike and then also up just south of Timmons Ontario. Fishing for northern last weekend and had a 45” Muskie up to the boat when it snapped the line. It was about 26 inches but put up a fight and got my blood pumping. Good luck on the Muskie hunt – I guess they call them “the fish of a thousand casts” for a reason! A tiger muskie, which is actually a hybrid between northern pike and muskellunge, counts as a muskie for length, bag and possession limits, and has dark vertical bars and dark irregular spots on an olive to dark gray base. Musky are a more prestigious catch because they’re so unpredictable, but Pike definitely deserve legendary status, too. It’s great to hear that you released it unharmed. I’d say that the head is a little less pointed on a Barracuda, though. Pike are a classic fly fishing target. A sharp point, such as that of the weapon. The easiest way to distinguish Muskie and Pike is by looking at the tail. Known as “water wolves” and “the fish of a thousand casts” respectively, Pike and Muskie are two fish that absolutely do not come quietly. Their bodies are dark green-blue with lighter, creamy, bean-shaped spots. Nice article BTW and very informative! MassWildlife stocks some locations with Northern Pike and Tiger Muskellunge, which are members of the esocid family. Muskellunge closely resemble other esocids such as the northern pike and American pickerel in both appearance and behavior. You can find both fish in all five lakes and the surrounding rivers. Hi and greetings from Finland! Pike are less fussy about where they live. Great article! A Rapala (or other) split minnow is my absolute go to. Lots of pike as well – similar setups, but we generally found the pikes liked the midsized daredevils more than the big doctors.