Fish ID on White Bear - Northern or Muskie?

[Dan Wood]

You can email me the pic and I'll put it up or check your link. That link doesn't work, otherwise you posted correct. Right click on the photo in image station and check properties. Copy/paste into your IMG tags..

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[WALTERCRAFT]

COME'ON SAVAGE , LET'S SEE THAT THING.

[moneyback2]

test

[Dan Wood]

ttt
figured out the problem with the photo...

[iFishMN.YT]

Hard to tell but I would have to guess Northern...I would think we would see something to know its a muskie if it was...and might be a little fatter if it was a ski. Really hard to tell though from that angle....Really BIG fish though wow! That had to get your adrenaline goin!

Whats every1 else think?

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[Jared from Savage]

Doesn't look as good on the forum as it does in an e-mail. I'm still convinced it it a northern.

Thanks for the help posting it.

Crappies are biting...

[RuKiddingMe]

I saved the pic and played a little bit the the brightness and stuff like that. I'm thinking the fish is a clear phase muskie.

RU

I sent the image I played with the Dan Wood if he wants to replace it, and if that's ok with Jared.

[This message has been edited by RuKiddingMe (edited 06-03-2004).]

[Yaeger Guide]

It looks like a northern to me. No distinguishing muskie marks to it that I can see.

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God bless,
Judd Yaeger
Yaeger Guides
(Twin Cities Guides)
www.yaegerweb.com/guide

[Dan Wood]

Here is the pic modified by RU... I'd have to say it's a pike from what I can see from the photo.

[RuKiddingMe]

Odd that looks like the same photo.

Oh well. I tried.

RU

[Dan Wood]

See if this comes out any better....

[RuKiddingMe]

Much better... Cool good job Dan...

Now lets hear y'all think...

My vote is muskie...

RU

[iFishMN.YT]

Still looks like northern to me...I believe we would see some redness to it if it were muskie. But clear phase muskie like stated above is possible, I dont know that much about it.

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[iFishMN.YT]

Well that last post was before the new pic...it now looks like it could be muskie, but it would depend on how the editing affected it...if the redness on top is from the editing or if its the true color of the fish...dont see any stripes still.

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[iFishMN.YT]

Might be able to tell if we get a edited cleared up close up of the tail and see if we can see if the tail is rounded or spiked like a muskie! I dont know if you'd be able to tell but that could clear it up, they are distinctly different.

[This message has been edited by FishinChad (edited 06-03-2004).]

[This message has been edited by FishinChad (edited 06-03-2004).]

[Tonka Boy]

No doubt it is a ski!

[EBass]

Yup that's hard to tell, but if I was to guess, I'd say muskie.

[Autumnhunt]

Tiger Muskie! (Hybrid)
Muskies are light colored and usually have dark bars running up and down their long bodies. That's the opposite of northern pike, which have light markings on a dark body. Muskies are silver, light green, or light brown.

A sterile hybrid of the northern pike and the muskie--the tiger muskie--is stocked in several heavily fish lakes in the Twin Cities metro region. This species has dark markings on a light background, as on muskies, but has rounded tail fins, as on northern pike.

Nice pic!

[iFishMN.YT]

I agree...

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[Dan Wood]

I agree after looking at the modified photo closer that it is a Tiger. It appears to have dark vertical markings if you look close, not the horizontal light markings of a pike. I'd say Tiger muskie.

[AWH]

I've caught, seen and had enough follows from muskies to know that's what we're seeing here. A tiger? I suppose that's possible, although I don't see anything that would make me think that. Definitely not a pike though.

AWH

[tubejigger]

I vote TIGER, they have been stocking tigers in Whitebear since 1990.

[bass-o-matic]

I still think it is a muskie (whether tiger or pure strain I'm not sure). Northerns have more rounded ventral and anal fins. This image makes the both of them look more pointed, like a muskie.

My question to Jared is "Why didn't you try and catch the "northern" in question? That way you wouldn't have the mystery! Were you too intimidated by the size?????

[Johnnie15]

Definately a Pike. You can see the spotted pike markings on the gills.

[Jared from Savage]

I guess my confusion was warrented. Many different theories.

Any ways Bass-O, I actually did quickly throw on a spinner-bait and sure enough she chased it. I honestly only threw out one cast with my 4lb test, crappie rod, and no net in the boat. Then I thought better of it and just enjoyed watching her. I must lack a sense of adventure.

My wife is now afraid to swim off our dock.

[Guest]

I would say that the fish is a Northern being that because its darker.
Actually, I'll bet a sucker minnow that its a Northern!!!

Heres an Idea, Why don't you submit the photo the the DNR so we can stop the guessing game? hehe

Muskie and Tiger Muskies tend to be on a lighter side..

[This message has been edited by webwarrior (edited 06-03-2004).]

[AWH]

I'm actually shocked at the number of people that believe this is a pike. To me, there is absolutely no question it's a musky. Unfortunatly I can't point to any specifics to make a case. But my 14 years of chasing muskies some 400 to 600 hours per year helps me to "know" what I'm seeing.

Folks, we're looking at a musky here. With the kind of picture we're looking at, you aren't going to know for sure if it's a tiger or not. But musky or pike...there is no question.

AWH

[little buddy]

with that brown + the sluggishness of the approach I'm guessin ski as well.

[Guest]

yeah, I've only caught 5-10 pikes a year, what do I know.. I still willing to bet a sucker minnow that its a pike!!

[rapala fisher]

I think its a muskie