pike/pickeral hybrid maybe?????

[jrock]

My friend caught this fish in one of my spots the other day and its the second one I've seen that looks like a pike/pickeral. I have heard of pike/pickeral hybrids before and am wondering if this is one. The place is full of pike and pickeral so that element is their. I have only seen these two fish in photos so I haven't been able to examine them in person. The markings are of both species in my opinion. I don't see the teardrop behind the eye, but coloring is more greenish like a pickeral though. What do you guys think? what do you see? your opinions would be appreciated.

[FASTEDDIE29]

I'm gona have to say Tiger Musky!

[saxmatt]

Most of the pics I've seen posted of fish that people think are pike/pick hybrids are pure pike, but that one could be a hybrid. Pike can have vertical barring like that but hybrids tend to have more of an emrald green coloration like the fish you posted. The fins also look a little different than a pike's and there is a hint of the black line pickerel have around their eyes.

[flyboy1]

Ive sent the pic to the NJ-FW dept so we will find out... they usually reply to me with in a week...

[Gatto1227]

http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/n...pe-235475.aspx looks pretty similar to me

[Skunk City]

Cool catch....in to hear what the State has to say. I'm assuming it was caught in NJ?

[flyboy1]

Wow, recieved a reply within a few hours..... here it is...

Hey Billy

Best I can figure it’s a few year old northern pike. We have been getting a lot of emails from anglers with similar looking photos. Seems that it takes about 3 to 4 years for the vertical bars to break out into individual spots. Looks like your fish has started this breakup and most likely by fall will look like a northern. It also looks like that fish has a genetic or nutritional problem going on. A very low percentage of our stocked fish have this look every couple of years.

Thanks for checking in with us and enjoy some more great fishing this summer.

Craig Lemon
Superintendent
Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery
23 Reese Ave
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
908-852-4950
Fax 908-852-6630
hatchery0@verizon.net


**** I did receive another email response from another fish biologist who thinks it may be a Tiger Musky... but he needs more info on where it was caught....

[saxmatt]

Do you have a clear picture? That one looks like a pic of a pic. I've probably seen over 10,000 pike and pickerel between the ones I've caught and ones I've sampled and stocked when I used to work for the fisheries division of the Connecticut DEP and I still think it's a hybrid, but it's tough to tell on with that pic. Vermont fish and game did a study on hybrids in Lake Champlain, here is a picture of a hybrid they genetically tested. The barring can break up into spots when they get older just like a pike. The one in the middle is an older hybrid where the barring has broken apart, notice the difference in coloration.



Here is a pike I caught with barring that had just broken up for comparison. Big difference in the color both on the body and the fins.

[saxmatt]

Here's another good hybrid pic

[jrock]

Thanks for all the responses guys. It is a pic of a pic cause my phone reselution is to high and I can't figure out how to post it. I still think its a hybrid but I guess there is no way of knowing unless you test its genetics. The fish was caught in jersey and the place has nothing but healthy lookin fish but I guess its also possible that one particular fish wasn't nurished properly for whatever reason. some interesting stuff I'm guessing like any other hybrid it would be steril. I will post any other fish caught in the future. Oh and this pike is caught from the same lake and appears to be about the same age but looks nothing like the oyher one. This pike looks like a pike.