The muskellunge is a large predatory pike that lives across the northern tier of US states and southern Canada.
Other Names: Muskie, Musky, Allegheny River Pike, Barred Muskie, Shoepack Muskie, Clear Muskie, Spot Muskie. The original Ojibwe name is "Maashkinoozhe", which means "Ugly Pike."
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. The foolproof way to tell a muskie from a northern is to count the pores on the underside of the jaw: A muskie has six or more. A northern has five or fewer. Muskies grow larger than Northern Pike, exceeding seventy pounds in weight. However, Northern Pike fry hatch earlier than muskie fry do, and devour the newly hatched muskies where both species exist. The Muskellunge is also called "The Fish of 10,000 Casts" because of the difficulty in finding and hooking one. Their fight is fierce and unpredictable.
Muskies are normally pursued with large lures, some over a foot in length, to imitate the large prey this fish prefers. Crankbaits, bucktails, jerkbaits, soft plastics, and huge spinnerbaits all will work. Trolling for muskies is popular in some areas, as is live-bait fishing with giant sucker minnows.
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Post date: Monday, April 28, 2014 - 11:31
 Lake of the Woods, Ontario |
Post date: Saturday, January 11, 2014 - 01:09
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Post date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 10:34
 First muskie on Big Mantrap Lake, Shoepack strain |
Post date: Monday, September 2, 2013 - 19:45
 Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, spook, 23" |
Post date: Sunday, August 23, 2015 - 00:01
 Callahan lake, WI. |
Post date: Friday, June 15, 2018 - 13:02
 Baker Lake Outlet, Maine. |
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Post date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 17:32
 WI |
Post date: Friday, June 30, 2017 - 23:46
 Northen MN |
Post date: Sunday, February 4, 2018 - 20:18
 Clinch River, TN. |
Post date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - 20:06
 Wisconsin |
Post date: Friday, April 24, 2015 - 21:51
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Post date: Monday, October 3, 2016 - 19:53
 Rideau River, Ottawa-Carleton RM, Ontario, Canada |
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Post date: Monday, October 10, 2016 - 20:35
 MN Lake |
Post date: Sunday, October 15, 2017 - 10:08
 Bald Eagle Lake, MN |
Post date: Monday, April 25, 2016 - 15:35
 Lake of the woods, Canada |
Post date: Thursday, March 22, 2012 - 16:49
 Lake Harriet, MN |
Post date: Friday, January 24, 2014 - 09:44
 Beaver Lake, NE |
Post date: Wednesday, August 8, 2018 - 18:29
 Lake St. Clair, Michigan |
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Post date: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - 13:39
 Lac Ouimet, QC |
Post date: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 - 22:16
 Alum Creek Lake Ohio |
Post date: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 - 16:08
 Ottawa River |
Post date: Friday, March 16, 2012 - 21:36
 St Croix River |
Post date: Sunday, August 23, 2015 - 20:30
 Lake Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, NY |
Post date: Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 20:37
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