Everything about The Muskellunge totally explained
The
muskellunge,
Esox masquinongy, is also known as the
muskie,
musky or
maskinonge. They are large, relatively uncommon
freshwater fish of
North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike
family,
Esocidae. The name comes from the
Ojibwe word
maashkinoozhe, meaning "ugly pike", by way of
French masque allongé (modified from the Ojibwe word by
folk etymology), "elongated mask." The French common name is
masquinongé or
maskinongé.
Muskellunge are known by a wide variety of
trivial names including
Ohio muskellunge,
Great Lakes muskellunge, barred muskellunge,
Ohio River pike,
Allegheny River pike, jack pike, unspotted muskellunge and the
Wisconsin muskellunge.
Description
Muskellunge closely resemble other Esocids such as the
northern pike and
American pickerel in both appearance and behavior. Like other pikes, the body plan is typical of
ambush predators with an elongate body, flat head and dorsal, pelvic and anal
fins set far back on the body. Muskellunge attain lengths of 60–150
cm (2–5
ft) and weights of over 30
kg (66
lb). The fish are a light silver, brown or green with dark vertical stripes on the flank, which may tend to break up into spots. In some cases, markings may be absent altogether, especially in fish from
turbid waters. This is in contrast to northern pike which have dark bodies with light markings. A sure way of distinguishing the two similar species is by counting the
sensory pores on the underside of the
mandible. A muskie will have seven or more per side while the northern pike never has more than six. The lobes of the caudal (tail) fin in muskellunge come to a sharper point while those of northern pike are more generally rounded. In addition, unlike pike, muskies have no scales on the lower half of the
operculum.
Habitat
Muskellunge are found in oligotrophic and
mesotrophic lakes and large rivers from northern Wisconsin and northern
Minnesota through the Great Lakes region, north into
Canada, throughout most of the
St Lawrence River drainage and northward throughout the upper
Mississippi valley, although the species also extends as far south as
Chattanooga in the
Tennessee River valley. They are also found in the
Red River drainage of the
Hudson Bay basin. They prefer clear waters where they lurk along weed edges, rock outcrops or other structure to rest. A fish forms two distinct home ranges in summer: a shallow range and a deeper one. The shallow range is generally much smaller than the deeper range. A musky will continually patrol the ranges in search of available food in the appropriate conditions of water temperature,
pH and clarity.
Food
Muskies prey upon anything that fits in the mouth. Most of the diet is fish but it also includes
crayfish,
frogs,
ducklings,
snakes,
muskrats,
mice and other small
mammals. The mouth is large with many sharp teeth. Muskies take their prey head-first, sometimes in a single gulp. They will take prey items that are up to 30% of their total length.
Behavior
Muskellunge are sometimes gregarious, forming small schools. They spawn in mid to late spring, somewhat later than northern pike, over shallow, vegetated areas. The males arrive first and attempt to establish dominance over a territory. Spawning may last from five to ten days and occurs mainly at night. The
zygotes are negatively buoyant and slightly adhesive; they adhere to plants and are then abandoned by the adults. Those
embryos which are not eaten by fish, insects or crayfish hatch within two weeks. The larvae live on
yolk until the mouth is fully developed, at which time they begin to feed on
copepods and other
zooplankton. They soon begin to prey upon fish. Juveniles will generally attain a length of 30 cm (12
inches) by November of the first year.
Reproduction
Muskies reach sexual maturity at 3–5 years with females maturing later than males. The fish may live to approximately 30 years of age. Females grow faster and live longer than males, and thus reach greater lengths and weights. While muskies in the northern portion of the range may take as much as 11 years to reach 1
m (40 inches) in length, the fish in the southern portion of the range may attain such a length in as little as 5 years. Maximum size is heavily influenced by the
genetics of a population. In general, maximum size increases with increasing northerly
latitude.
Predators
Few animals, save for large
birds of prey and
humans, prey upon adult muskies but juveniles are consumed by other muskies, northern pike,
bass and
sunfish. The musky's low reproductive rate and slow growth make populations highly vulnerable to
overexploitation. This has caused some jurisdictions to institute
artificial propagation programs in attempts to maintain otherwise unsustainably high rates of angling effort. There is also strong cultural pressure on anglers to practise
catch and release when fishing for muskellunge.
Angling
Anglers seek large muskies as trophies or for sport. The fish attain impressive swimming speeds but are not particularly maneuverable. The highest speed runs are usually fairly short. Muskies are known for their strength and for their tendency to leap from the water in stunning aerobatic displays. A challenging fish to catch, the muskie has been called "the fish of a thousand casts". Anglers most often use extremely large but otherwise conventional lures. The average lure is 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) long but longer lures of 35–65 cm (14–26 inches) are not uncommon in the musky angler's arsenal. Some of the largest and most voracious of the species can be found in Lake St. Clair (located between the St. Clair and Detroit rivers between Michigan and Ontario) where a significant charter industry has thrived on them for nearly 40 years. Charter captains have reported incidences where Musky have actually attacked the propeller blades of the boat while trolling for them.
Subspecies and hybrids
Though interbreeding with other pike species can complicate the classification of some individuals,
zoologists usually recognize from zero to three
subspecies of muskellunge.
- The Great Lakes (spotted) muskellunge (Esox masquinongy masquinongy) is the most common variety in the Great Lakes basin and surrounding area. The spots on the body form oblique rows.
- The Chautauqua muskellunge (E. m. ohioensis) is known from the Ohio River system, Chautauqua Lake, Lake Ontario, and the St Lawrence River.
- The clear or barred muskellunge (E. m. immaculatus) is most common in the inland lakes of Wisconsin, Minnesota, northwestern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba.
The tiger muskellunge (
E. masquinongy x lucius or
E. lucius x masquinongy) is a
hybrid of the musky and northern pike.
Male hybrids are almost invariably sterile although females are sometimes fertile. Some hybrids are artificially produced and planted for anglers to catch. Tiger muskies tend to be smaller than non-hybrid muskies but grow faster. The body is often quite silvery and largely or entirely without spots but with indistinct longitudinal bands.
Further Information
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