pegasus bridge Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 What do the PW piking fraternity think about this fish? I should add - i didnt catch this fish.. i have caught many many pike, some light, some dark, but none with this patterning - this looks to me more like a musky type pattern. what does everyone think? I did put this onto a dedicated piking website - but didnt get a response,, I would be very interested to hear other pikers thoughts on this! the fish came from a canal in Yorkshire apparently.. just as a reminder - this is pretty much the pattern that I've seen before on UK Pike, some light, some dark - but the pattern is generally this; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Mike I have seen a few variations of note was pike in Ardley reservoir with very bold markings..... also seen Black foxes and White Fezants and Stags so nature can and will have oddities I guess this is one of them PS I have a mate works in a Zoo and he says they have a black and white striped horse...yea right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie10 Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Could be someone bought it for their aquarium and set it free. You would probably have to do a fin count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kelly Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 (edited) Had this one a few years ago. Made Neville Fickling very excited. LOL Some of the Italian pike have similar markings. Muskie are quite different looking, often with virtually no markings. The pike from Canada and places like Sweden often have really bold markings like the one you showed. Often the markings extend right round their bellies too! Usually fish with the strongest markings come from the clearest water, the murkier it is the paler and more indistinct they seem to be. Edited October 31, 2014 by Tim Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegasus bridge Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Thanks Tim, very interesting - according to Wikipedia, there is a separate species of pike 'the southern pike'- as you mention native in Italy that has very similar markings, either way, lovely looking fish, in going to have a go at catching one! http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esox_cisalpinus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kelly Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 I think that "Southern pike" thing is quite a recent addition to the classifications. Not sure there's much scientific merit to it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Environment dependant! Clear water /murky water, weedy or rock. muddy. Pike from some big Lakes and lochs have different colourations taken from bays than those out over deeper water. If you want to see colour variation happen before your eyes store fish in a white tank and they usually lighten up in colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Environment dependant! Clear water /murky water, weedy or rock. muddy. Hard to admit, but Kent is spot on on this... +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegasus bridge Posted November 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Thanks for the input gents, I know that water conditions can effect the colour hugely- and I mentined this in my opening post, but this pike has a completely different pattern! Look at the first two pics carefully, the pattern is very different. very similar to the 'southern pike' which had only just been recognised in 2011, but is apparently restricted to Italy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 It is certainly unusual , looks like it may be a snub nose too. I have caught a number over the years with vivid marking and the markings can vary dramatically even in the same water , as the picture Tim put up shows , I bet every fish in that river does not look like that ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IEH Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 The markings look similar to those of the chain pickerel, see http://www.fishinfo.com/fishing-information/uploads/pickerel.gif Whilst I've seen a lot of variation in Pike markings (different environments) I've never seen anything that dramatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Thanks for the input gents, I know that water conditions can effect the colour hugely- and I mentined this in my opening post, but this pike has a completely different pattern! Look at the first two pics carefully, the pattern is very different. very similar to the 'southern pike' which had only just been recognised in 2011, but is apparently restricted to Italy . Within the same water they can have their own favourite haunts, this creates an environment within an environment. I saw a chocolate coloured Hare this year (just like a Lab of the same dark liver colour) I wont be claiming a new species. Remembering one water were a 28lb Pike favoured a very small area on a BIG water, it was almost a guaranteed catch if you did a few sessions there in its spot, Brown Trout are also known for their variations in a given water for similar reasons. We have recognised individual fish from variations in markings for years, this is a good one but really nothing new in my experiance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 I've caught plenty of fish with a similar pattern but never seen anything as dark as that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Just as a thought to entertain, how experienced is the angler in question? I agree with everyone else that local conditions will change the colors on a fish quite considerably, and it is a shame the picture doesn't show the whole fish. However, what are the chances it is actually a trout instead? The coloration looks an awful lot like a tiger trout (which also range in color and pattern, but commonly have that patterning from the top picture): BTW, the markings are called vermiculations. Loosely translated it means worm-like markings. thanks, rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegasus bridge Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Hi Rick, It's Definitley not a trout, this is the link to the YouTube clip . (I didn't catch it & don't know the guys who did). http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=s-PJVyAAhR8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Fair enough. The video is clearly a pike. Never saw one vermiculated like that. Love it. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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