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d2bucktail |
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Attached is a pic of my good friend's dad from NW Wisconsin with a very unusually marked 24" fish that seems to have the characteristics of a pike or pike/muskie hybrid based on its rounded tail. But those markings on the side, they are something I've never seen before! Strikingly wild stuff! Do any of you have an idea what it is? And have you ever seen anything like it? I'm very interested to share your reaction with my friend's dad. In case you're wondering, the fish was released.
Attachments ----------------  GeorgeStoeberl-unusualPike-reduced.JPG (76KB - 2533 downloads) | |||
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| 55starfire |
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Posts: 148 | I am not a biologist, so I can't rule out a hybrid- but I have handled more pickerel than I care to admit- it is not a chain pickerel, it is too big to be the other two species (redfin and grass) - here is a pic of a pure chain pickerel- notice how different the fins, marking and coloration are. I have seen photos of supposed pike/pickerel hybrids- and they retain their vertical bar under their eye Edited by 55starfire 6/15/2011 9:30 AM Attachments ---------------- pickerel.jpg (108KB - 309 downloads) pickerel1.JPG (143KB - 260 downloads) pickerel2.JPG (136KB - 349 downloads) | ||
| muskie-addict |
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| sworrall |
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Posts: 32935 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The images of the fish in question does display the vertical marking at the eye, it's the first dark marking there if you blow up the image. The coloration of the entire esocid family varies widely; I've caught Pike on Wabigoon that look very hybrid muskie like, but are simply not. Hybrid Doug mentioned is another possibility. Pikerel Variants: Attachments ---------------- images.jpg (9KB - 227 downloads) index.jpg (2KB - 209 downloads) index1.jpg (3KB - 216 downloads) medium.jpg (36KB - 237 downloads) pickeral.gif (26KB - 286 downloads) | ||
| Duke |
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| d2bucktail |
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| Thanks for all your input. I send the same pic to a Wisconsin DNR fisheries bioligist (Ben) who worked with the Milwauke Chapter of Muskies Inc on a muskie rearing project last fall/winter/spring and he responded with a couple comments; one from himself and another from a colleague: From: Heussner, Benjamin M - DNR Date: Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 11:45 AM Subject: FW: Ben's e-mail Thanks for the picture. I have seen some rare markings on pike before, but this one is a little more extreme than usual. I sent the picture to John Lyons, (see his comments below), and he sent a photo which is attached entitled "Pike Four Phases". This is a rare pigment pattern for northern pike, but not a hybrid. Very interesting. Thanks, Benjamin M. Heussner Fisheries Biologist WDNR Waukesha Service Center /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ From: Lyons, John D - DNR Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 9:13 AM To: Heussner, Benjamin M - DNR; Beyler, Susan M - DNR; Motl, Travis A - DNR Subject: RE: Ben's e-mail Hey Ben, This is a rare but regularly seen pigment pattern for northern pike. I've been collecting photos of odd-looking pike for several years now, and I have seen fish that look like this from a number of places around Wisconsin as well as Minnesota and Canada. Attached is a nice photo of variation in pike appearance that I got a few years ago from Mike Sullivan, a fisheries biologist in Alberta. John Edited by d2bucktail 6/15/2011 1:42 PM Attachments ---------------- Pike_Four_Phases.jpg (283KB - 825 downloads) | |||
| sworrall |
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Posts: 32935 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | |||
| Guest |
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| Muddy41 |
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Posts: 642 Location: Richfield, MN | |||
| 55starfire |
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