Pike with unusual markings

[daltonweaver3]

Well, I e-mailed the Pennsylvania Fish Commission to get there opinion.  Here is their reply:

I would say it is not a pike and not a pickerel. We collect pike and pickerel at this lake now, so the most likely answer is it is a hybrid between northern pike and chain pickerel. It is interesting because it looks somewhat like the tiger muskies (hybrid between pike and musky) we handle from other waters, however we do not stock them there nor have we collected muskies from this lake.

[icefisherman10990]

cool lookin fish whatever it is

[jlaclair]

caught this same northern about a week apart... has a really cool birth mark...hope to catch her when she is a monster

[stevek]

Could be a grass pickerel, or a dull redfin. Search for "grass pickerel", you might have released a record, or close to one 

http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=201

http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=41

[stevek]

More

http://skychasers.net/grass_pickerel.htm

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/william_fink/esox_americanus.jpg/view.html

[Jaycr3183]

I caght a fish that looked EXACTLY like that 4 years ago in Saratoga Lake.  I have caught hundreds of Pickeral and Northers in my day, but it still boggles my mind what the heck it was.  Becasue to my  knowledge they didnt release and tigers in Toga?? But I could be wrong.  Any biologist reading this post, please set my mind at ease! lol.

[Mudpout]

Like i said earlier, i have seen identical fish in waters near James Bay ( northern Ontario).  There are no musky or pickeral there.   Usually these fish were in very shallow water too now that i think about it.  Depends on the environment?  Take bass for example, largies vary from gold to green and everyhting in between, small mouths too for that matter.  Sometimes they are bronze, sometimes olive. channel cats from grey to silver to brown.