fish id: pike or tiger muskie

[AndyS]

A big NJF WELCOME to Basstrackerhp !!!

[saxmatt]

I'm 100% sure it's not a pike pickerel hybrid. The coloration and scale pattern is all wrong. A lot of people confuse baby pike with hybrids because they can have some really cool looking barring and look a lot different than adults. Looks like a lot of the most experienced esox hunters on the site chimed in on pg.2 and all agreed its a pike.

[bigfishy]

Originally Posted by Fish n Jeep

I understood what you are talking about, I call that a liger pike. Its a humorous reference to Napoleon Dynamite.

Liger = Lion + Tiger, if you haven't seen the movie.

Pike + Musky = Tiger Musky

Pike + Pickerel = Liger Pike

One of the best stupid movies of all time!!!
He was gr8 in grandmas boy too!!
classic

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

I'm 100% sure it's not a pike pickerel hybrid. The coloration and scale pattern is all wrong. A lot of people confuse baby pike with hybrids because they can have some really cool looking barring and look a lot different than adults. Looks like a lot of the most experienced esox hunters on the site chimed in on pg.2 and all agreed its a pike.

I suppose if its a 6 inch pike it could have other markings than what we expect in an adult.. I have caught scads of small hammer handle pike, around 12 inches.. each and every one looked like a pike,, spots and all.. If the fish in question is over a foot or so, in my opinion its a hybrid of some type.. Never saw a 4 or 5 inch pike, maybe they do look not have the characteristic spots, I am no expert , but I have caught LOTS of small ones around a foot.. All spotted in that size range... What was the size of the fish in the picture I wonder? bob

[tjc76]

I estimated the fish to be between 12 and 14 inches

[saxmatt]

I think he said it was around 12". I used to raise and stock pike with the DEP up in Conneceticut I've seen thousands of juvenile pike from 4-20". Most of time they are spotted by the time they hit a foot but lots of them still have some barring, sometimes even into the 20-30" range.

[saxmatt]

Here's one I caught last year through the ice that was in the low 30" range. This is what they look like when the barring breaks up, you can still see the spots arranged in bars.

[slider]

Beautiful pike Matt, I see what u mean by the spots and in line for barring..Have a web site of a guide I fish with on Lake champlain..Check out Lake Champlain Angler..Scroll down till u see fish picture listing..Click on Pike pickel Pics..They resemble the pic here. But alot larger..BTW if u guys don't mind traveling to a great fishing experience I would suggest this guy..His name is Mickey Maynard, Bass LM &Smallies, pike and good lake trout fishing at reasonable prices..Personally I'd rate him the best guide on the NY side of lake Champlain..Check his pics out u'll see why i think the pic here is a hybrid..Just my 2 cents worth...tite lines Slider

[saxmatt]

Slider, I've seen a bunch of the fish and game pics from Champlain. They're one of the only states who have actually done research and DNA testing on pike/pickerel hybrids. The hybrids are an emrald green color and have smaller spots that are usually arranged in straight vertical barring. The pike in this picture isn't emerald green, looks like a dark pike that has a light pigmentation because of muddy water after rain so it's more of a grey color. The spots are bigger than a hybrids and the barring isn't quite in straight lines.

[flyboy1]

This is a PIKE... I catch these all the time and I had sent one of the pics to NJfG and they stated it was a stocked PIKE.....