Muskellunge
(Esox masquinongy)
Other names: Musky
The Muskellunge is native from Georgia to the northeastern United States and throughout the Great Lakes region of both Canada and the U.S. The muskellunge has a duck bill shaped mouth with rows of razor sharp maxillaries and feeds on other fish, small mammals and birds.
Though there were once believed to be as many as four species of muskellunge, it is now understood that those varieties are all the same species. Its closest relative is the tiger musky, which can be distinguished by its complex markings and by dorsal and pelvic fins that are located much closer to the tail than the musky's.
The northern pike is sometimes confused with a musky, but the color patterns on each are very distinct. Musky may be spotted, barred or simply a light brown color, but any marks they possess will be darker than the background whereas a pike has light colored marks on a darker background. Redfin and grass pickerels are marked very similarly to musky, but they only grow about 15 inches long while giant muskies will reach more than 60 inches.
The muskellunge prefers shallow water with heavy cover, usually staying along rocky shorelines of large rivers and slow flowing streams. Rarely caught in more than 40 feet of water, musky are particularly fond of thick weeds that allow them to lie in ambush for smaller fish. Musky generally spawn in three to six feet of water over gravelly areas that are not adjacent to the bank.
Some muskies are caught each year by anglers trolling crankbaits or Gator spoons, but they are generally targeted with heavy jigs or large crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Many of the biggest muskies ever caught in North America came on the M/G Muskie Tandem and Buck-A-Boo spinner baits from Lindy. The marabou and tinsel in these spinners gives fish a fresh look, though some anglers prefer a more traditional, rubber-skirted spinnerbait like the Lindy Big-Fin.
Live-bait fishing for huge muskies is very effective, but frowned upon by musky aficionados. Large jigs with frozen cut-bait are very effective at ice out, just as they are for pike.
Average spawning water temperature: 50-60 degrees F
World Record: 67 lbs. 8 oz. – Lake Court Oreilles, Wisconsin – July 24, 1949