Muskie vs Pike: How to Tell Them Apart (Plus Tiger Muskie)

Muskie vs pike: the marks that separate them

No single mark settles every fish, and the agencies do not agree on the pore counts. Read the table, then check three or four marks on the fish in hand.

Why pore counts alone mislead

Muskie and pike both have a row of pores along each underside of the lower jaw. Iowa, Indiana and USGS say pike have five or fewer and muskie six or more. Wisconsin gives 5 to 7 for pike and 6 to 9 for muskie, so the ranges overlap at 6 and 7, and Iowa’s fish profile says pike never have more than 10. Tiger muskie fall at 5 to 8 in Indiana, 5 to 6 in USGS and 5 to 7 in Wisconsin. Counts of 6 and 7 fall in both ranges, so lean on the other marks.

A quick checklist

1. Look at the colour pattern. USGS says coloration usually distinguishes muskie from pike. Light spots on dark means pike, and dark bars on light means muskie.
2. Check the cheek. A fully scaled cheek is pike (Iowa, Wisconsin). A cheek scaled on the upper half only is muskie (Iowa, Missouri).
3. Look at the tail. Pointed lobes are muskie and rounded lobes are pike (Iowa, Indiana). A tiger muskie also has rounded lobes (Iowa), which is another reason to combine marks.
4. Count the pores. Count along each side of the lower jaw and use the ranges above as a tiebreaker.

What is a tiger muskie?

A tiger muskie is a hybrid between northern pike and muskellunge. Wisconsin describes the cross as a male pike with a female muskellunge. USGS says it has 5 to 6 pores and dark stripes on a lighter background, and grows faster and larger than its parents. Iowa says a tiger muskie counts as a muskie for length, bag and possession limits, so identify it before you keep it.

Where and when they live and spawn

Indiana says both fish prefer clear, vegetated, slow water and are ambush predators that eat mainly fish. Wisconsin describes pike as living in shallow, cool, weedy lakes.

• Pike spawn first: at the ice break-up in late March and early April (Wisconsin), starting at 35°F after ice-out in mid-March in Iowa, or around 48°F in Indiana. Iowa says they use flooded marshes.
• Muskie follow: Iowa says several weeks later, in tributaries and lake channels. Indiana says at or above 50°F, in April to early May.
• Cold water: Wisconsin says pike are most active in cold water and easier to catch in winter than summer.

How hard each one is to catch

Wisconsin DNR says northern pike are far less wary than muskellunge: on average it takes about eight hours of fishing to hook a northern, while anglers must log nearly 100 hours on the water to get a glimpse of a muskellunge. For lure choices, see the best pike lures.

Size and records

Indiana says muskie reach up to 5 feet and 70 pounds, and pike about 4 feet and 40 pounds or more. Virginia says pike can exceed 50 inches. Wisconsin says common pike catches are 18 to 20 inches and about 2 pounds.

IGFA lists 67 pounds 8 ounces (30.61 kg) for muskellunge, 55 pounds 1 ounce (25 kg) for northern pike and 51 pounds 3 ounces (23.21 kg) for tiger muskellunge. The pike record was caught by Lothar Louis at Lake of Grefeern, Germany, on October 16, 1986, on a spoon. Iowa’s state pike record is 25.31 pounds and 45 inches from West Okoboji in 1977.

Rules

Limits differ between the two fish. Iowa lists a 40 inch minimum for muskie and no length requirement for pike, and says to check current rules. Check the agency where you fish, such as Iowa DNR or the Wisconsin DNR.