Muskie or Northern??

[LOTWSvirgin]

I reason I ask is it come out of a lake where they are not suppose to be.

Different pic less flash

[goblueM]

a little hard to tell with the way the flash comes off the fish, but I'd say its a northern

I'm assuming by "they" you mean muskies are not in the lake

[vman11]

I'd guess pike, but the long lines near his tail kind of throw it off.

Pike, final answer.

[MJ1657]

I have saw several small pike with those type of markings.

[cbrooks]

The fins look rounded. I say northern.

[Esox_Magnum]

I still stand by what I told you on the phone, Tiger. Still a neat catch either way from the waters it's in.

[blakeb]

Tiger

[cbrooks]

I could see it being a tiger on second thought. With the light background and the dark markings going vertical. Northerns are opposite with dark background horizontal markings. I changed my answer to a tiger.

[BronzeBrother]

Here is a Tiger about the same size to compare with...

[HeviShot]

Its a juvenile northern pike 100%. I had to dig deep to find a picture of a juvenile hybrid I caught 14 years ago, ha thanks. Notice the light background with dark markings on the hybrid, your northern pic is the exact opposite.

[img:left]

[HeviShot]

Bronzebrother, your muskie pic also is not a hybrid, notice the even vertical bars with pointing fins. A young muskie will almost always have well defined vertical bars such as your fish. (Even leech lake strain)

I had some of those in an fish tank for a few years. (purchased legally at a fishery) The markings on your fish will lighten up and "blend in" once the fish is more mature.

[10,000 Casts]

I'd say Northern.

[dfricke1010]

Pike for sure

Hevishot how big is that ski in your avatar? that thing is fat

[Nick Kuhn]

Northern, 100%. Pike's spots actually are vertical for about the first year of their life, then they elongate horizontally as the fish grows.

Here's a baby pike:

[RUNnGUN]

Yes that is absolutely a pike.

[Shawn Kellett]

It's a pike.

Pike= dark with light markings

muskie/tiger= light with dark markings

[BronzeBrother]

Bronzebrother, your muskie pic also is not a hybrid, notice the even vertical bars with pointing fins. A young muskie will almost always have well defined vertical bars such as your fish. (Even leech lake strain)

I had some of those in an fish tank for a few years. (purchased legally at a fishery) The markings on your fish will lighten up and "blend in" once the fish is more mature.

I never was any good at identifying the difference between the two muskies. As I rarely fish for them. Thanks for the correction, now I know what to look for.

[Zelmsdawg]

For sure its a northern.

Bronzebrother, I could have sworn I saw in another post that your fish came out of cedar which is just tigers? Maybe I'm mistaken

Zelmsdawg

[guideman]

Most muskies that small would have very destinked red spots and a Tiger would have very bold bars on it, that is a Pike.

"Ace"

[BronzeBrother]

For sure its a northern.

Bronzebrother, I could have sworn I saw in another post that your fish came out of cedar which is just tigers? Maybe I'm mistaken

Zelmsdawg

You are correct, it came out of Cedar...

[BigJohn]

Can I add one to identify?

Caught in a lake in southern ohio.It was released.

I know there have been muskie in this lake before.

[cbrooks]

Tough to tell from that angle(almost looks like a perch) but with the vertical markings I would rule out it being a northern.

[BigJohn]

Tail fin says pike or muskie and dark on light leads me to muskie, but I have been told by more knowledgable(supposedly) folks that it is a pike.

This is what the Ohio ID guide says.

Description

The Northern pike is a long and slender fish with a duckbill shaped mouth and lots of needle sharp teeth. The dorsal fin is soft and located near the tail fin. In contrast to the muskellunge, the lower half of the opercle (gill cover) does not have scales while the cheek is fully scaled. Northern pike also have numerous white or yellow spots on their sides with a dark green or olive background body coloration. They also have dark spots or wavy lines on their fins. Muskellunge have dark colored markings on a lighter background. Both the grass and chain pickerel do not have any dark markings on their fins.

[goblueM]

that almost looks like a big Logperch to me doesn't really look like Esox family at all. guess it could be the strange angle though

[BigJohn]

you gotta look at the head and the fins.