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How to Identify a Tiger Muskellunge

The tiger muskellunge is a sterile hybrid of two of North America's most sought-after and formidable gamefishes, the closely related northern pike and muskellunge. While occasionally found in the wild where the natural ranges of those two fish overlap, tiger muskies historically were also purposefully bred for recreational opportunities. As they have been stocked well outside their normal range, these impressive-looking predatory fish may be encountered in lakes and rivers from Colorado to Maryland. They feed on everything from yellow perch and smallmouth bass to muskrats and ducks. Identification of this fish mainly concerns distinguishing it from its parents.

Instructions

- 1
  Consider the fish's shape and size. Tiger muskies share the general body form of their parents: sleek and elongate, with long, tapered jaws and a dorsal fin situated well in the rear of the animal, just ahead of its tail. They are also among the largest freshwater fish in North America; they may exceed 5 feet long and weigh well over 30 pounds.
- 2
  Look at the shape of the fish's fins. The pectoral, pelvic and tail (or caudal) fins of the tiger muskellunge are more similar to those of the northern pike than the muskellunge. Where the tips of these fins in a normal musky are somewhat pointed, they are rounded in both tiger muskellunge and pike.
- 3
  Examine the fish's coloration. Both northern pike and muskellunge may be spotted, though the spotting in the latter is darker than the background body color, whereas in pike the opposite is the case. Many muskies also show vertical barring. In the tiger muskellunge, the bars are thicker, and more prominent and broken than in a normal musky. The fins of a tiger musky may show spotting.
- 4
  Look at the gill cover (or operculum) and cheek area of the fish. A tiger muskellunge, like a northern pike, will have scales at least partly extending down this portion of the head, whereas a normal muskellunge lacks scales on the lower portions of its operculum and cheek.
- 5
  Investigate the prominent pores on the underside of the fish's lower jaw. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, most northern pike show five to seven such pores, while most muskellunge show six to nine. A tiger muskellunge usually possess five to seven pores, like the pike.

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