Caught this "little" guy over the weekend.

[Waterfoul]

New personal best.  45", 22.5 lbs.  Hit and destroyed an A-rig on Lake Bellaire.  Was a blast to fight.  Release healthy and swam away strong.

[Manxfishing]

Nice,

It's a Tiger, I didn't think they stocked them any more

[Waterfoul]

Nice,

It's a Tiger, I didn't think they stocked them any more

It's a Great Lakes Musky.  They've never stocked Tigers up north as far as I can tell.  Lake Bellaire is part of the same chain of lakes as Torch, where the current world record Musky is from.

[djkimmel]

That's not a Tiger Musky. It's most likely a Great Lakes Musky though it could be a Northern strain due to the mix of spots and barring. It looks more Northern to me but I was under the impression that the muskies in the chain of lakes were the Great Lakes strain?

[Waterfoul]

That's not a Tiger Musky. It's most likely a Great Lakes Musky though it could be a Northern strain due to the mix of spots and barring. It looks more Northern to me but I was under the impression that the muskies in the chain of lakes were the Great Lakes strain?

Yeah, me too.

[Dan]

Good fish Mike. How did you do on the smallies?

[TheFishinPollock]

That is a GL muskie strain. They did stock tigers in some lakes up here years ago. Most noteably Otsego. They destroyed the fishing with those things. Now they are almost all gone and some fishing is coming back.

I thought I saw you parusing around my lakes Mike.

[Manxfishing]

Well

I still don't think it's a spotted or Great lakes musky so I looked up the sub species
I'd say it's the Barred


Spotted Muskie

The spotted muskie (E. masquinongy masquinongy), are native to the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, and their tributaries. They also have been imported to many other regions of the United States. Spotted muskies are characterized by small, dark-green or black spots on a light-green or silver background. This type sometimes is called a leopard muskie. If the background is darker than usual, it may be called a black panther muskie.


Barred Muskie

Similar to the spotted muskie, the barred muskie (E. masquinongy ohioensis) is marked with bands or large blotches of dark coloring on a light background. Originally found only in the Ohio River and its tributaries, barred muskies can now be found living and reproducing in waters far from their natural habitat.


Clear Muskie

The clear muskie (E. masquinongy immaculatus), is a natural resident of the rivers and lakes of Ontario and Manitoba, as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States. Slow growers, clear muskies are not as widely stocked away from their natural range as the other two subspecies. They are rarely seen in the United States beyond their native waters. Clear muskies range in color from silver to deep green with very faint spots or bands, if any.


Tiger Muskies

Tiger muskies are sterile pike-muskie hybrids. While such hybrids sometimes occur naturally, tiger muskies are usually bred in fisheries. They are faster growing than their parents, and can tolerate higher temperatures. Because they are sterile, they are often used to stock lakes and rivers outside the natural range of the parent species because their numbers can easily be controlled.
Tiger muskies are sometimes confused with the barred muskie, but the markings are distinctly different. Tiger muskies feature light bands and spots on a dark background, and their patterns continue up and over their backs. Barred muskies have dark markings on a light background, and their patterns do not cross over their backs. The hybrid muskie has a shorter, stockier body, and the fins are more rounded, like those of the pike.

[Waterfoul]

Well it look exactly like the one in this article about the world record Musky, caught from the same lake as mine.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/pike-muskie/muskie/new-world-record-muskie/

I'm still going with Great Lakes Musky because I've caught a few before an this one was simply bigger than those, and it looks just like the one in the article.

[Manxfishing]

We catch a few down state
And most are the Great lakes spotted musky

They look like this, Just smaller
http://www.fishing-poles.biz/michigan-state-record-muskie-from-torch-lake/

[robhj]

Great catch Mike! Yep, Great Lakes Spotted muskie for sure. Very low density in those lakes but evidence has shown that chain grows some of the biggest muskies anywhere. There is no stocking in those lakes up in that chain. They are all naturally occurring and the DNR is now stocking mostly Great Lakes spotted muskies in other lakes around the state since that is the species indigenous to Michigan. Once again, great catch and on an A-rig no less.

[Waterfoul]

Great catch Mike! Yep, Great Lakes Spotted muskie for sure. Very low density in those lakes but evidence has shown that chain grows some of the biggest muskies anywhere. There is no stocking in those lakes up in that chain. They are all naturally occurring and the DNR is now stocking mostly Great Lakes spotted muskies in other lakes around the state since that is the species indigenous to Michigan. Once again, great catch and on an A-rig no less.

Thanks Rob!

[Waterfoul]

Caught a couple of these yesterday morning before work.  These things are a blast on bass gear!  You can just call me a multi-species MOFO!

[TheFishinPollock]

that is dinner