My friend Doug, and I, headed to Lake St Clair last week on what we thought was a small mouth bass trip. We caught fish and had a great time. In spite our effort to target smallies, we caught quite a variety of fish! Much to my surprise we were blessed with quite a few bites and catches of the toothy variety! Three times our Lake Fork swim baits were chomped in two! Three other times the hook set was followed by our line going limp, bit through! Doug landed the first "razor mouth" on the first evening. We are not experts on the subject so upon returning to the motel room, we began our inquiries as to what this fish was, We asked several fisherman at the motel and I sent pictures to numerous fishing friends to seek assistance in identifying our mystery guest.
 |
| Doug and his first catch on Lake St Clair. |
Most of the fisherman at the motel were small mouth enthusiasts like ourselves. One fellow had some experience in Canada with our long toothed buddies. Then, lo and behold, we found a crew who were Musky Hunters! They were most helpful. One hint they shared with us is to look at the pattern of coloration on the fish. If it is vertical, it is some kind of musky, if horizontal, it's a pike.
 |
| Example of the horizontal pattern on this pike I caught on LSC. |
 |
| Note the vertical pattern on this "Barred Musky" that I landed. |
I am told that Lake St Clair has all three major Musky varieties; Clear, Spotted and Barred. Another identification key is when looking at the posterior dorsal fin and tail (caudal) fins of a Musky, you will find that their outline comes to a point. On a Northern Pike the fins are rounded.
 |
| Pike Tail |
 |
| Musky Tail |
When comparing the two pictures you can clearly see that the outline of the Musky tail comes to a more pronounced point than that of the Northern Pike. You can also see the vertical pattern of the coloration on the Barred Musky, and the horizontal pattern on the Northern Pike. This only works when there is a pattern present. I heard conflicting reports from people about the color of the fish aiding in identification. From what I have read and from limited personal experience, I have concluded that color only confuses the issue. Apparently, it can be helpful in a specific location, but a poor "rule of thumb".
If you catch a fish with a vertical pattern and rounded fins, it is a Tiger Musky. This fish is a cross between a Musky and a Northern Pike.
Just to make things interesting, Lake St Clair has Musky, Tiger Musky and Northern Pike. I do not know if the Tiger Muskies made their way up from Ohio, or if they were stocked in Michigan, or if they are a natural hybrid. Doug, a biology teacher, informed me that Walleye and Sauger will naturally cross and produce Saugeye. This natural cross is not common place but it does happen, Since it happens with Walleye and Sauger, why not Pike and Musky?. I have caught both Pike and Musky in the same weed bed.
I enjoyed the fishing trip and the identification research as well. Perhaps this will be helpful or interesting to a fellow fisherman. If you are so inclined as to consider Musky hunting, I am told that a fluorocarbon leader is a necessity. The line is tough enough that they don't bite through it and it is nearly invisible. The next time I go up, I will use a leader on all of my rods just in case. The steel leaders are a bass deterrent, not a good plan for a smally fisherman.
I highly recommend a trip to Lake St Clair. It is a beautiful lake, and full of fish!
