Fish ID on White Bear - Northern or Muskie?

[JiggingSpoon]

I looked at all the pictures and even from the first one to the ones that were brightened, it is definetly a muskie, i have seen many of each in the shallows and this is a muskie no doubt for tons of reasons, you can even se the dark marks on a light body on the side, MUSKIE!!!!
JS

[Beef46]

I'll be on WBL on next week after work. I will catch him for us all. Then we can close the book on this deal.

[Lost]

Contact the DNR and demand a response. This is driving me crazy!

[little buddy]

hey webbie, Pay up. the dnr ain't gonna respond. ya know, nobody else really knew, and maybe they still don't, becuz the picture is inconclusive, so..... it's up for review....and the zebras took their time and they looked, and they looked, god blessthem, and they looked again, and they took a consensus,.... based upon the available material and decided yes.!!??!! we think it's a ski and thus a muskelunge it must be. so, for now and forever more go forth and seek these ski's as this is good. don't use the killer suckers to slay these giants, but use the hardware of craftsmen. trick these giant devils, of deep and shallow, here today , gone tomorrow. the pursuit, and the bet is the game, not the wall of fame-- shame. these worthy opponents deserve the best, catch em' and let em, rest. who said best fishes?...i know it's late.

[Guest]

little buddy,
I'm still waiting for my response from the dnr! Don't worry, If I'm wrong, you'll get your sucker minnow~

[FishinWilly]

It's a 'ski for sure

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Selling copiers by day, hooking into the bigguns by night

[GreyGoose]

In the first two pics I thought it was a pike. But after seeing the cleaned up version it is definately a 'SKI. Your desciption of it's actions point toward musky too. Only ever seen big pike that shallow and that docile in the very early spring. The few ski's I've caught out of WBL have been very litte colored compared to other lakes. I don't think any were tigers either. And one was probibly around 1990 so I think there was a small population of pure strain in there before the DNR started stocking tigers. I was only about 10 years old and I caught that one fishing for walleye. I 've got a picture somewhere.

Anyways, it's a MUSKY hands down.

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God Bless America
Please Practice Catch and Release

[Mayfly]

Come on guys.......we all know its a muskie.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

[CrappieMagnet]

It's a rather large northern pike.Look at the skinniest portion of the tail.It has circles like typical northerns do.My guess would have to be around 42 to 44 inches.
Nice pike!

CM

[Guest]

Its a Northern.

[Guest]

Ok, lets put this to REST.
Since this debate has been going on for a while, I've decided to use my computer expertise and use my equipment to enhance the photo of the misterious fish.
This process was refined by using Adobe Photo Shop 7 to neutralize all colors and restore ORIGINAL lighting.

We can all see its a NORTHERN.

Here is the original enhanced picture.

Here is mine

[This message has been edited by webwarrior (edited 06-13-2004).]

[Long Gray Line]

Flip the picture over and count the holes.....

[Lost]

Haha! Good one Long Gray Line!

[iFishMN.YT]

I did my own enhancing of tail to try and see that better but from the angle we have its hard to tell if its pointy or not because even a northers will look pointed from a top angle, and some northers tails still look somewhat pointy sometimes if you look at pictures, cant tell by tail from this angle, but I think if it were a muskie we would not be having this debate and we would know its a muskie due to muskie features that just arnt seen in this picture. Still anyones guess but cant rule out jumbo pike!

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"Better get the net!"
-Fishin Chad

[buzzsaw]

100% Muskie!! No Doubt about it.

Da Saw

[RuKiddingMe]

Without a doubt 1000% muskie... I have seen enough in the water to know what I'm looking at, definetly Muskie.

RU

[pjfweb]

This debate could go on forever since the pic is not the right angle and all, but I'll still add my 2 cents....

I say Muskie.

[Guest]

I have a feeling this is going to be like a "Ford/chevy" debate so lets just leave it as it is.

[pikehunter]

Tastes Great!

Less Filling!

[Guest]

big fish,
I don't think name calling would be necessary. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion as to what it is.

[Lost]

Haha! Ford/Chevy debate. I like that. Let's stay on the safe side and say its a Chevy/Muskie.

[ilikepike]

Muskie...

...based on: casual non-spooky behavior, shape of head, no obvious contrast of light spots on dark background, WBL is managed for muskie, muskies that size are common in metro - a metro pike would have been put in a frying pan before it got 1/2 that size, etc...

[hanson]

Is winter spearfishing prohibited on White Bear???

If its legal, sounds like half the people here wouldn't know what to do if that fish swam under the hole!

[pikemania]

Spearing is illegal on WBL due to the DNR stocking muskies. I believe they have signs posted at the launches also indicating that there are muskies in WBL and how to tell the differance between the pike and muskie

[wallyH]

Everyone that "enhanced" the picture cut off the tail. If you look at the DNR's website, one of the only differences between the 2 in shape is the tail. Muskie has a pointed tail and northern's is rounded. From the first picture posted, the tail definitely looks pointed. If someone's bored, they should enhance that section.

Wally H.

[gundy89]

You are all wrong!! Its a Dodge, but I hope that muskie doesn't "Ram" the boat!!!

[Lost]

gundy89, don'cha know that Dodge's are Carp-mobiles? There's proof at Coon Rapids Dam right now.

[walleyehawk]

Hanson has a great point.

We can't agree if this is a musky or a northern. The spear is in your hand, go or no go? Now we know why the DNR closes the lakes with muskies to spearing.

It's a beautiful fish regardless of what it is and I am glad it is still swimming!

Besides, I have a fishing buddy that swims in this lake. Time for the midwestern version of the movie Jaws? Do these toothy critters like walrus?

[This message has been edited by walleyehawk (edited 06-16-2004).]

[FigR8'EM]

Its a muskie for sure....judging by the size of its head and the coloration...most likely in the clear phase of its coloration change....there are some big muskies in White Bear...and that is one of them.

-Pig Hunter

[lttle walleye hunter]

dodge is the only way to go its a muskie