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Posts: 17
Location: Mosinee WI 54455 | This fish was taken by one of my clients Marnel Wedeman, it was her very first musky. Is it, or is it not, a tiger musky?
See attached photo
Musky Phil
www.hooksetters.biz
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 Marnel.jpg (15KB - 574 downloads)
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Posts: 626
Location: ashtabula ohio | looks like tony to me............. |
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Posts: 585
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland | I've taken a lot of Tigers and vote Tiger. However I've seen barred Muskies that look the same. The picture (being small) makes it difficult to tell. The to fin looks pointed, the bottom round and the back fins (not sure if they are pointed or rounded (like a Tiger's fins). Then again, I'm no fisheries biologist or taxonomist (what is a taxonomist?)!!!!
Of course you could count the pores!!! Whatever it is, it sure is pretty and your client sure looks happy in the photo (the name of the game).
Edited by muskiekid 7/18/2003 5:19 AM
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| I vote a pretty natural. Just don't see anything in the pattern that says tiger to me. |
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Posts: 743
| oops
Edited by tomcat 7/18/2003 11:13 AM
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Posts: 260
Location: Kentucky | Ditto on the pretty natural. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | I get a chance to catch quite a few tigers in a lake near my house, and They seem to be a stockier fish than a natural. This does look like a well marked natural. I third the above opinions. Also one of my semesters in college was spent studying fisheries biology. Notice how I said one. That means its probably a tiger. But I still say a nicely marked natural.
Goood lungen,
Joel |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Phil- Not! It's a very nicely marked natural. Al Warner http://www.zaltnad.com |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Very nice markings, but not a tiger. |
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Posts: 17
Location: Mosinee WI 54455 | Thanks for all of your replys, This fish was taken in the Wisconsin River, it is a dark stained water and I myself have never caught a tiger musky there or seen one, but this one sure looked close. I wasn't sure due to the fact that all of the fish I catch here have very little markings and are very dark in color. Thanks again for your help.
Musky Phil
www.hooksetters.biz |
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Posts: 120
Location: Chicago, IL | I am suprised that so many people are so sure that it is a natural... even the expert guides. I have seen naturals with vivid bars but never rounded fins like the one in the picture.
Therefore... I vote for Tiger. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | My guess is a natural. Obviously a beautiful one. The tigers I work with have more distictive light vs. dark markings, i.e., more contrast; almost green/silver vs. green yellow. |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I wouldn't be suprised if it's a tiger, I have caught a few fish on the WI River that looked pretty close to that one, and in fact were tigers by pore count. Look at my photo album for what a classic WI River fish looks like. |
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Posts: 1430
Location: Eastern Ontario | Hmmm I don't catch tigers and know this is a natural. I wonder where he's looking at if he sees rounded fins I see pointed ones. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | That is a natural tiger musky, not a hybrid tiger musky. Fins are not rounded enough. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'm blowing up the picture in photoshop to get a better look. The anal and pelvic fins are rounded prett well. The tail is too 'relaxed' to get a really accurate look. Markings are definitely Hybrid, especially the lateral dark lines on the tail, anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins. The dead for certain will be if scales show on the cheek when the picture is magnified. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The tail and all the fins, when magnified, look plenty enough rounded to be a hybrid. The black markings on the fins definitely match a hybrid, and the operculum is dark on the bottom and light on top and looks to be half-covered in scales. I vote hybrid. I took the picture to almost 6 times it's size holding the resolution. Too big a file to post here, but it cleared up the fish prety well. |
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| I believe this is a tiger. I sometimes fish lakes that are stocked with tigers only and I have seen a great deal of variation in the degree of roundness of the fins ranging from clearly rounded to pointed - just like a natural. |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | I did the same thing as Worral with Photoshop, and then compared it with some tiger photos that I have saved and I don't think this one is a hybrid. Looks like a very nicely marked WI strain fish to me.
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Here's what a majority of fish from the WI River look like.
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riverfish2.jpg (149KB - 220 downloads)
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Look at MuskieMedic's muskie, paying attention to the operculum. Then look at the other fish. It looks VERY much like a half scaled operculum to me. That would be a definite hybrid. |
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Posts: 172
Location: Chagrin Falls, Ohio | I don't know if this will help or not, but it was the best I could do in photoshop under 200k. Now that I have been looking at it I have to say Tiger, but I'm not completely sure. Good fishin', Tyler Campbell
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Marnel.jpg (95KB - 292 downloads)
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Posts: 122
| I am of the belief that is a beautifully barred true muskie. I just don't get the feeling it is a hybrid. I've been wrong before though!!
Donnie |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | As soon as I get back from LOW I'll scan a few pics of some tigers that I have. Gotta figure out how to use the new printer/fax/scanner though. I've got one pic that will probably convince most that this is not a hybrid. The vertical stripes on all of the tigers that I have ever seen are broken up about halfway down the fish, and the head is usually heavily spotted. The fish in question has stripes all the way down the sides, and lacks the tell tale spots around the head.
Like I said, I'll scan and post a few of my pics when I get back from the Woods. |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | The top half of the tail shows a quite rounded inside edge resembling a pikes tail. The fish is also very green from its Pike influences. I would have to agree with the "Tiger" votes.
Don't be too surprised to catch a tiger where there are mostly Naturals if there are also Pike present, especially in a climate where they spawn closer together i.e. quickly warming waters. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Markings can and do vary quite a bit depending on the waters. The dead giveaway is if the operculum is scaled, and it sure looks like it is under magnification. The gill plate has a distinct line across the lower part where it is darker and appears to be about half scaled, which is a Hybrid identifier. |
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Posts: 17
Location: Mosinee WI 54455 | Wow!!! I never expected this kind of response. What a great way to show support for such a wonderful sport. And the time some of you took to analyze the picture, downloading it and enlarging it to try to figure out what kind of musky it was. I thank each and every one of you, not only for your time, but for all of your comments. Every time I see something of this magnatude in musky fishing it just makes me appreciate the fact that I am part of it, and part of such a close-knit, and growing organization. I myself will place my vote, I am not positive, but with most of the answers leading towards tiger, and Steve Worralls observations of the markings I vote Tiger Musky Too.
Thanks for the support:
Musky Phil
www.hooksetters.biz |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | Dug this thread out 'cuz I finally got a minute to post one of the better tiger pics I have. Pic is kind of grainy (poor scanner)but it clearly shows the differences that I was basing my opinion on.
Look at the differences in these pics and then reformulate your opinion.
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mike45tiger.jpg (68KB - 207 downloads)
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The reason I am so sure is I know the water, and what the fish look like out of that area. The water is stained ALOT, and most fish out of there have little or no barring at all. The fish does have the spots on the fins and tail, and scales on the cheek. I remain committed to hybrid. |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I stand firm on Tiger as well, Steve is right about the stained water and the scales. Like I previously mentioned I have caught a lot of muskie's out of the WI River and most of the tigers that I have caught look just like that. My largest tiger a 44" came out of Lake Du Bay only a few miles downstream from that fish, I was pretty young and new to muskie fishing and I wasn't sure if it was a hybrid or a true, so I motored over to the old bait shop and the guy who ran it showed me how to count pores and it was indeed a hybrid that looked just like that fish!! We quickly released it, and swam away strongly.
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | Sheesh, didn't mean to ruffle any feathers here. I just thought it might help if there was a pic of a known hybrid to compare to.
I guess I'll just agree to disagree. Its a beautiful fish either way! |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | No ruffle here, sir. Just weird markings on the Wisconsin River fish, that's all. How are the kids?? |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Definately no ruffle, just some good observations. |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | Kids are fantastic Steve (they're napping right now), thanks for asking!
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Posts: 2
Location: Stevens Point WI | I recall a discussion with a fisheries prof. whom said most, but not all, hybrid musky are sterile. My vote is 1/4 northern and 3/4 pure river musky.
I have caught highly marked hybrids on the river system. Most are green with light or no barring. This morning we boated a clear phase and lost a fish at the boat that was barred. |
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