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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: Northern of a different color
 
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snakecharmer
07/15/2008 05:34PM
 
An interesting article on silver pike. (If you like that sort of thing).
 
gogo
07/15/2008 12:06PM
 
Looks like a normal Northern Pike to me. The particular food and water in the area can make fish look very different. The genetics from fish to fish can also make a huge difference, just like it does for people.
 
MagicStik
07/15/2008 01:05PM
 
Here is the normal coloring and pattern of a pike. You can see the silver pike does not have the darker colors and has no pattern at all.



MagicStik
 
croixboy96
06/10/2011 02:43PM
 
Wikipedia has some info on Silver Pike too.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pike


Interesting points; Silver pike, sometimes called silver muskellunge, lack the rows of spots and appear silver, white, or silvery-blue in color. When ill Silver pike have been known to display a somewhat purplish hue, long illness is also the most common cause of male sterility. They have been known to attack swimmers in fresh water.
 
airmorse
07/13/2008 08:51PM
 
A few weeks ago while fishing on Loon we caught a northern that was colored almost white. It had the same striping but the color did not match other northern. I have caught many many northern's in the BWCAW but have never caught one with this coloring. Any thoughts???

 
arctic
07/13/2008 09:46PM
 
Albino?
 
airmorse
07/14/2008 01:28AM
 
Yes I think I have pic's. Not developed yet though. When I get them I will look to see if I took a pic of it.

I do not think that it was a musky.

I have not heard of silver pike. Are they native or were they introduced to the bwca???

Interesting!!!
 
scat
08/11/2019 05:16PM
 
I caught a few silver or blue like on Snowbank Lake a long time ago. Can’t remember exactly, bit it seems they were bluish tinted. Definitely are different that your standard pike.
 
ILikePike
07/14/2008 04:34PM
 
BigLake,
i was gonna say the same thing
 
Red Beard
07/14/2008 11:52AM
 
The DNR website does not list muskie for Loon but all the water up there is connected. One could have found it's way there from another lake.
 
sasquatch
07/28/2008 04:02PM
 
I caught 2 very unusual pike on my first trip through the BWCA in 1992. They were small (12-15"), and were silvery-blue with a distinct irridesence. They were shaped just like any Northern or Muskie I have caught.

I am used to seeing lake-to-lake color differences in both pike and bass (small and large mouth) so I thought at the time it was some kind of cross breed that I hadn't seen, never having been in the pristine wilderness before then.

We caught them on the move in a small, unlikely lake in the vicinity of Snowbank, so I don't even know if we shot pictures. I'll look in the old albums to see...



 
snakecharmer
07/14/2008 10:38PM
 
The Minnesota state record Silver Phase northern pike is 18 lbs, 14 oz, from Disappointment Lake. A 40+ inch fish might have been in the ballpark.

 
MagicStik
07/14/2008 10:32AM
 
Could have been a Silver Phase pike but the two that I have caught did not have "pike" markings on them. I'll see if I can attach a pic of one I caught a couple years back.



MagicStik
 
BigLake
07/14/2008 02:47PM
 
MagicStik,
Cool pictures. It looks like a walleye mated with a northern.
 
TomT
07/14/2008 07:28PM
 
I never knew about silver northerns but it probably explains the one I had on in Eddy lake in 2000. It was a real big one that fought like hell. I had it up to the boat several times but couldn't get him in before he broke the 8Lb test line.

It was like the one in the photos and had an almost light purple cast to it. It was the hardest fighting weirdest looking pike I ever saw. It came completely out of the water 2 times and must have gone over 40 inches. All I wanted was his picture...
 
The Great Outdoors
07/13/2008 10:20PM
 
Could have been a silver pike as suggested, or by your description, striped, possibly a musky???
 
snakecharmer
07/14/2008 05:29AM
 
Silver pike are a mutation - not a subspecies.
 
MagicStik
07/14/2008 10:47AM
 
Here is a bigger pic of the fish where you can see the colors and lack of markings a bit better.





MagicStik
 
mr.barley
07/14/2008 01:22PM
 
I think East Pike is the only BWCA lake with Muskies. They were stocked there years ago.
 
mb2035
07/18/2008 02:56PM
 
the MN conservation mag. just put out an article in thier lateest issue about some "secret"lake up there that have blue pike.
blue pike
 
BigLake
07/16/2008 12:26PM
 
"BigLake....what are the odds???? Both "Silver Pike" I have seen have come out of Big Lake near Cloquet, MN. :)"

That is interesting MagicStik. The Big Lake for my name is the one I own property on up the Echo Trail. It would have been too much if it was the one by Cloquet.

 
TomT
07/16/2008 05:03PM
 
Thanks for the article Snakecharmer. :)
 
MagicStik
07/15/2008 08:14AM
 
BigLake....what are the odds???? Both "Silver Pike" I have seen have come out of Big Lake near Cloquet, MN. :)

MagicStik
 
stubs
07/15/2008 04:11PM
 
It sounds like the silver pike won't have striping at all. Maybe it was a cross between a silver pike and a normal pike? I guess I don't know if the coloration would mix or if it would just be one or the other.

I've never heard of an albino pike, but I guess anythings possible.
 
MagicStik
06/10/2011 01:52PM
 
Possible new Silver Phase "record" caught on Snowbank....


Duluth News Tribune Article


MagicStik
 
Frenchy19
06/10/2011 02:24PM
 
quote BigLake: "MagicStik,


Cool pictures. It looks like a walleye mated with a northern."



Totally agree; you stole my take!!
 
nazgirl1
08/04/2019 11:26PM
 

 
Basspro69
06/10/2011 03:30PM
 
Could have been a blue pike, I will have to see the picture, also could be silver phase pike.
 
drrick
08/10/2019 09:36PM
 
Can anyone say why some pike have yellowish tinted meat ? The few I have caught were on Lake Three.
 
snakecharmer
07/13/2008 09:34PM
 
Could have been a mutant - a silver pike.
 
dock0048
07/13/2008 11:14PM
 
Do you have a picture of it?
 
marsonite
07/14/2008 06:00AM
 
The DNR used to list the "silver pike" in their state records. I believe the state record was caught in Disappointment IIRC. Do they still have the category?
 
shock
08/10/2019 09:55PM
 
drrick: "Can anyone say why some pike have yellowish tinted meat ? The few I have caught were on Lake Three." i have done a few Ontario fly-ins in the late 80's and caught pike that had a orangish tint to the meat , in coffee stained type water , thinking more a diet thing ?