Northern Pike and Muskies
Northern pike and
muskies provide some of
the most exciting fishing
of all freshwater fish.
These fish bite with more
aggression than any
other freshwater fish.
They have a long,
powerful body with razor-
sharp teeth. They are known for making long runs,
especially when they see the boat.
These fish are most common in the northern states and in
Canada, however, they can be found throughout the
Midwest also. Northern pike are easier to catch. They
will attack a lure numerous times until they are finally
caught. Muskies are difficult to catch. They are known
as the fish of 10,000 casts. It might not take you 10,000
casts to catch one, but it gets the point across that it's
tough to catch muskie. After you learn more about how
muskies feed, you should be more productive, but that
doesn't mean that you aren't going to get skunked every
once in a while.
Northern pike and muskie are found in the same waters,
but you will usually not see good populations of both
species in the same lake or in the same areas of the
lake. Northern pike usually dominate in lakes or rivers
where they are both found. Pike spawn earlier than
muskie and this allows the pike fry to be large enough to
eat the muskie fry. When lakes are being stocked with
muskie, it is common to stock lakes that have small
populations of pike. If a lake has large populations of
pike, it will be very hard for the muskie to reproduce in
large numbers.
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