Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Cecil and Bill might find this interesting.

Good stuff Dave... There sure is still a lot to learn in the field of fisheries science! You and your students are definitely adding more to the field every year though.

I think you mean "lucastrine."

Interesting thread. There are a couple big lakes in NW Iowa that have NP, Muskie, and Tiger Muskie together, and seem to do quite well. I don't know about the TM, which I have been told is a cross between and NP and Muskie. I don't know if they re-produce, or are a hatchery fish. Angling wise and pound for pound I like the TM, they really fight, and are cool looking.

Tiger musky are for the most part a man made hybrid between the musky and NP. There has been rare documentation of possible natural hybrids, but that is unlikely as they spawn at different times of the year. Tiger musky themselves are completely sterile and unable to spawn. I agree with you, TM definitely fight better than either parent are are VERY cool looking. Especially when from clear waters when their tiger stripes really shine through.

You left out the silver northern. They are in Big Spirit and maybe west okoboji. They have one mounted at the fish hatchery. Neat looking fish - its an all silver colored northern pike. They DNR get 1 or 2 a year in their gill nets collecting brood fish. Anglers catch them occasionally too. I am not sure what causes the color.

Supposedly they don't get as big as a regular northern, the one mounted in the hatchery is ~8 pounds and the biggest one they know of. Its hard to say they don't get bigger with them being so rare, but a pike that maxes out at 8 lbs could be an interesting tool for pond management.

Last I knew the state stopped stocking tiger muskies about 10 years ago. That may have changed as I have been out of the loop with the hatchery people for 3 or 4 years.

Very interesting, is it sort of like a color morph like a blue pike(color morph with slightly bigger eyes and possible subspecies of the walleye)? Chain pickerel are also an option, they max out at about the same size(8 lbs) and can handle a large range of water qualities.

NP sustain their population in several man made strip mines in Central Illinois, they dont overpopulate by any means, but do reproduce in some, even as small as 5 acres I have seen.

I dont know of any Muskie naturally reproducing anywhere in the state of Illinois? I am pretty sure they are all stocked fish.