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: Sunday, October 15, 2017 - 10:08
 Bald Eagle Lake, MN |
Post date: Sunday, July 1, 2012 - 16:52
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Post date: Monday, April 16, 2012 - 21:45
 WI |
Post date: Friday, January 19, 2018 - 20:38
 51+ musky caught on the St. Lawrence outside of Montreal. Hit a 12" bulldog lure....was tagged and released. |
Post date: Thursday, April 5, 2018 - 23:20
 Wisconsin |
Post date: Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 20:37
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Post date: Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 02:18
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Post date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 19:03
 St. Joe River
Elkhart,IN |
Post date: Friday, April 24, 2015 - 21:51
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Post date: Saturday, December 8, 2018 - 14:17
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Post date: Sunday, September 22, 2019 - 09:15
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Post date: Monday, April 28, 2014 - 11:31
 Lake of the Woods, Ontario |
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Post date: Thursday, February 25, 2016 - 08:24
 Lake Josephine, Arden Hills, MN |
Post date: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - 11:11
 Yahara river |
Post date: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - 06:11
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Post date: Saturday, January 11, 2014 - 01:09
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Post date: Thursday, July 18, 2019 - 17:17
 Clinch River, TN |
Post date: Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 09:51
 Rideau River, Ont., just a stone's throw from where Canada's prime minister lives. |
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Post date: Sunday, August 23, 2015 - 00:01
 Callahan lake, WI. |
Post date: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 15:05
 Kars |
Post date: Thursday, September 19, 2019 - 10:18
 Midwest |
Post date: Friday, June 30, 2017 - 23:46
 Northen MN |
Post date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - 10:34
 First muskie on Big Mantrap Lake, Shoepack strain |
Post date: Sunday, August 23, 2015 - 20:30
 Lake Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, NY |