Thanks! I'd love to do a video on the sucker fish. I've got a lot of fish species to cover, but I'm pretty sure that a sucker video will happen sometime this year.
The presence of pickerel in any trout stream increases the size of the trout caught as there was pressure on the lower year classes. Predation creates trophies.
I have to disagree. You usually get a good hit but they don’t fight much after that first hit. I’ve had smallmouth bass less than 3 pounds fight harder than a 30 something inch pike
@@scoldingwhisper not through the ice. The only thing that comes close is a catfish. Walleye just give up, bass are sluggish. Only pike really spool your line
I love catching little Chain Pickerel. They fight really good for the size, and the bigger ones taste good. Lots of bones though. That was when I was Stationed at Fort Drum NY. Here in OH I chase the Pike and Muskie. We have some good Muskie lakes here.
@ I live in Lima and I believe that is closest to me also. I didn’t venture much outside Lima this year, because the Channel cats and Saugeye were on fire in the reservoirs this year. The crappie were insane also up til June.
I believe the closest relative of the genus Esox is the genus Novumbra which only has one species that split from Esox many millions of years ago and has a much more basal esociforme body plan so was originally thought to be related to the mudminnows in the genus Umbra when in reality it is the sister genus to Esox. Novumbra can give decent insight on Esox evolution as their closest relatives which is really cool. The Olympic mudminnow gets 1-2 inches long and is only found in one river system in western WA naturally, they are also relatively rare within that watershed due to their specific habitat preferences and vulnerability to development and invasive species. the only other species assigned to the genus Novumbra is a fossil species from Oregon which suggests the genus was much more widely distributed during the ice age with the current species effectively being a remnant population. Its not a flashy fish or anything but its interesting simply due to its relationship with the genus Esox and being a monotypic genus with very little distribution, overall I think its one of the more interesting fish in North America as while it appears to merely be a mudminnow it is in fact related to some of the most ferocious gamefish in North America.
Just wanted to say I found your channel from the trout video and I adore what you're doing. Subscribed and look forwards greatly to more videos. Next video on the Suckers or salmon of NA?
Thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel! Both of those videos will definitely be produced in the future but I'm currently not certain which one will be released first.
I am curious why you did not include North Dakota in the Muskie range I have caught Muskie in North Dakota and they r a sought after game fish I. The state. I am curious if during your research you found that they were not native to the state and did not include them or if you possibly overlooked the state.
I know they aren't a game fish, but there is another group of fish in the esocidae family that weren't mentioned. The mud minnows in the genus umbra, they're super neat little fish! Check em out some time
I understand that range maps are challenging, but where did you get the Muskellunge one? It showed essentially the entire lower peninsula of Michigan without them, yet, they are found throughout it, specifically larger rivers and many lakes. Indeed, the current world record(disputed I know) is from a lake that according to your map, has no muskie. I am in Grand Rapids(south west part of l.p. and I have several rivers and lakes with them within a half hour drive of just here.
its not a coherent group but one covering baitfish would be cool, shiners, chubs, other minnows and stuff. I'm not in the us so I'm less familiar with the non sportfish.
As a Canadian, I have a love hate relationship with pike. Catching a giant when I’m actively targeting them is awesome, but when I’m targeting bass and a pike takes my lure. I hate them. 😂
Great video but when I see America anglers they never use unhooking mats but always have cutting edge technology on their boats for the price of a few dollars a padded mat really helps protect the fish Very jealous of the muskies and especially the tigers none of them in the UK😢 enjoy
The northern pike or Esox lucius is spread around most parts of europe and north asia. BTW one of the biggest pike on IGFA record was caught in germany.
72" Max length for muskies? I would put 62" as a max theoretical length. Several of the top unicorns have been debunked. Louis Spray also caught a 60" largemouth
Haha, Louie Spray was the guy you wanted to have a drink with. Cal Johnson was the guy you went to church with. Great rivalry there Im betting there were some grand encounters in resort bars and parking lots, word was Louie loved getting Cals goat.
I thought the same. World class muskie fishermen will fish a lifetime on trophy waters and catch make a high 50s to low 60s. Most people would consider a 60 inch muskie the fish of several lifetimes. I can't fault the video creator for generalizing information though, it's honestly hard to find or theorize maximum sizes about certain species because there will always be unverified claims floating around haha!
A correction for the future for you on the chain pickerel. They are present in a number of the lakes that I grew up around, in west-central Minnesota, so you can extend their range quite a ways north and west of where it ends on your range map.
@RedWaterCatfish I caught two of them a couple of weeks apart when I was in my late teens in the early/mid 70s, where the Otter Tail River leaves West Lost Lake.
Great videos. One bone of contention, I seriously doubt a muskie could get to 72". World class muskie fishermen will fish an entire lifetime for a 60" fish and that is a fish in a calibre of its own. Muskies simply do not get that big. 60"/ 60 lbs is their maximum size. Give or take an inch or lb lol.
See? Pikeral are PIKE!! Not walleye!! (Greetings from Saskatchewan where walleye got the incorrect nickname of Pikeral because of the popularity of Pikeral rigs)
Do you have any idea why there is this massive controversy between a pickle and a walleye? If you ask 10 Canadian fishermen you will get 21 different answers and they all revolve around the fish being the exact same thing all the way to completely separate species that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. It gets to the point where you wanna grab somebody by the throat and shake them. You look at a chain pickle and you look at a walleye and not only is it absolutely obvious that these are not even remotely related other than they've both got sharp teeth.... But there is no possible way to even have the discussion with half of these people let alone get them to actually look at why they're not the same fish. Is this a Canadian phenomenon or do you guys down in the states have the same argument?
@lightfeather9953 They have a huge overlap as far as where the species lives but that's it. But there's this whole weird thing going on regarding these 2 fish being the exact same fish and it's just 2 names for one fish . Do a Google search for walleye and pickle being the same species and you will see this argument that has been happening within the fishing community up here ever since I was a kid and I'm in my 60s now
The confusion comes from many people in Canada referring to what we know to be Walleye as 'Pickerel', similarly to how drums are sometimes called sheepshead or bluegill are called bream in certain places. This leads to some confusion when people bring up fish that are more widely referred to as those same names, as is the case for the walleye and 'true' (esox) pickerels.
Great video, you should do a list of sucker fish
Thanks! I'd love to do a video on the sucker fish. I've got a lot of fish species to cover, but I'm pretty sure that a sucker video will happen sometime this year.
@@WildaboutUT Gar?
@@Swingman7000 In the works!
The presence of pickerel in any trout stream increases the size of the trout caught as there was pressure on the lower year classes. Predation creates trophies.
That's an important factor that many people don't consider. Thanks for bringing it up!
The Amur pike was actually stocked in Glendale Lake, Pennsylvania from 1968 to 1971.
Pike and Musky are some of the hardest fighters in all of freshwater
Especially through the ice. Nothing fight like them when it's super cold
I have to disagree. You usually get a good hit but they don’t fight much after that first hit. I’ve had smallmouth bass less than 3 pounds fight harder than a 30 something inch pike
@@scoldingwhisper not through the ice. The only thing that comes close is a catfish. Walleye just give up, bass are sluggish. Only pike really spool your line
I love catching little Chain Pickerel. They fight really good for the size, and the bigger ones taste good. Lots of bones though. That was when I was Stationed at Fort Drum NY. Here in OH I chase the Pike and Muskie. We have some good Muskie lakes here.
Cesar’s creek is closest to me. My PB is 48”. There’s a lot of 55”+ in there.
@ I live in Lima and I believe that is closest to me also. I didn’t venture much outside Lima this year, because the Channel cats and Saugeye were on fire in the reservoirs this year. The crappie were insane also up til June.
@@mikeofborg2 oh yea, you’re fairly close to Indian lake, which is amazing for saugeye!
Love all these videos
Thank you so much!
Man, i love Pike!!
So do I! Whenever I'm east of the Rockies, they're my favorite fish. And delicious, too.
New subscriber here. These are great. Thanks for another great video. Keep it going 😎🎣👍
Thank you so much for the kind words! It is much appreciated!
Love these videos
I am so glad!
Them sharp tooth bass are everywhere man
Great video would love to see one on salmon
Thank you so much! A salmon video is in the works! It will probably be released in the upcoming month or so.
been fishing 2 years now. Pike have been my absolute favorite to target and catch.
I catch grass pickerel in our backyard creek with a bamboo pole and a tiny ice fishing jig all summer long. They are lightning fast when spooked.
I’m enjoying this series
I am so glad! thank you for watching!
I have caught many Chain Pickerel. Beautiful fish, but so slimey and smelly. Very fun to catch.
No, they're not. I'm trying to catch bass, not snot rockets. Plus, they like to bust my line forcing me to use a leader when I don't want.
I agree, the chain pickerel in my opinion is the most beautiful fish of the Esox. Despite all the controversy.
@smelltheglove2038 wah? Crying a wee bit? Just catch fish, all of these fish fight more than bass and taste better
I believe the closest relative of the genus Esox is the genus Novumbra which only has one species that split from Esox many millions of years ago and has a much more basal esociforme body plan so was originally thought to be related to the mudminnows in the genus Umbra when in reality it is the sister genus to Esox. Novumbra can give decent insight on Esox evolution as their closest relatives which is really cool. The Olympic mudminnow gets 1-2 inches long and is only found in one river system in western WA naturally, they are also relatively rare within that watershed due to their specific habitat preferences and vulnerability to development and invasive species. the only other species assigned to the genus Novumbra is a fossil species from Oregon which suggests the genus was much more widely distributed during the ice age with the current species effectively being a remnant population.
Its not a flashy fish or anything but its interesting simply due to its relationship with the genus Esox and being a monotypic genus with very little distribution, overall I think its one of the more interesting fish in North America as while it appears to merely be a mudminnow it is in fact related to some of the most ferocious gamefish in North America.
The staté record pike in KY is attainable if you know where to catch them, the record is 10 lbs
Just wanted to say I found your channel from the trout video and I adore what you're doing. Subscribed and look forwards greatly to more videos. Next video on the Suckers or salmon of NA?
Thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel! Both of those videos will definitely be produced in the future but I'm currently not certain which one will be released first.
Walleye/sauger/saugeye would be really cool. Could even add zander for fun
Well technically zander were stocked in a lake of North Dakota.
Chain pickerel also range across southern Ontario up to the east edge of lake of the woods
My favorite fish to fly fishing for.
They really are beautiful
You got the silver pike to they are really rare but i already catch one in the memphremagog lake in Québec
Not real
I love northern pike
Me too! Favorite fish to target.
grate video.. some big beautiful monsters, you showed me my new fave..red fin pic..
I am curious why you did not include North Dakota in the Muskie range I have caught Muskie in North Dakota and they r a sought after game fish I. The state. I am curious if during your research you found that they were not native to the state and did not include them or if you possibly overlooked the state.
Chain Pickerel are found in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. There are also Muskie in the St. JOHN River in New Brunswick.
I love catching chain pickerel early spring in my area they hit super hard!
I know they aren't a game fish, but there is another group of fish in the esocidae family that weren't mentioned. The mud minnows in the genus umbra, they're super neat little fish! Check em out some time
@@elijahcreedon365 I would love to study up more on those. Thanks!
We also have Southern Pike in Croatia
I understand that range maps are challenging, but where did you get the Muskellunge one? It showed essentially the entire lower peninsula of Michigan without them, yet, they are found throughout it, specifically larger rivers and many lakes. Indeed, the current world record(disputed I know) is from a lake that according to your map, has no muskie. I am in Grand Rapids(south west part of l.p. and I have several rivers and lakes with them within a half hour drive of just here.
You should do a video on the freshwater perch family.
Gar next
Great idea. I'll consider it!
A Carp video please and thank you
I definitely want to do a video on the carp species soon! Thank you for watching!
@@WildaboutUT thank you and you are very much welcome
Yeah I can tell you for a fact there are muskies throughout much of Illinois. Not in the smaller bodies of water, but any decent sized river or lake.
Stocked and more than likely tigers. The range map is the natural occurring areas
Yeah. From Fox River down to Shelbyville, there's musky.
Muskie are in Maine
You should do gar or sturgeon next.
very cool ! where i live in eastern Texas we have chain and grass pickeral.
do a video on gar please.
I would love to do a video on gar at some point!
Fun fact a common nickname in Canada and upper Midwest for walleye is also pickerel even tho they aren’t related
Im 90% sure I caught a lil grass pickeral in south Ontario years back, could’ve been juvenile pike but it really looked unique and different
Caught some gar in weird spots too, and while going thru old photos my dad unknowingly caught a tiger muskie in 2002
I am trying to raise a record grass pikerel. They breed in the pond on my property.
That's awesome! They are beautiful fish.
we catch 3 foot chain pickerel on the regular in northern maine all the time
Ive caught redfin pickerel in northern Illinois
I love chain pickerel.
its not a coherent group but one covering baitfish would be cool, shiners, chubs, other minnows and stuff. I'm not in the us so I'm less familiar with the non sportfish.
I would love to do a video on those fish at some point.
As a Canadian, I have a love hate relationship with pike. Catching a giant when I’m actively targeting them is awesome, but when I’m targeting bass and a pike takes my lure. I hate them. 😂
Great video but when I see America anglers they never use unhooking mats but always have cutting edge technology on their boats for the price of a few dollars a padded mat really helps protect the fish Very jealous of the muskies and especially the tigers none of them in the UK😢 enjoy
Do a panfish species video.
You should Burbot next. Its a interesting fish that was fished more in preindustrial america.
I will also say I have caught grass pickerel in the white mountains of New Hampshire.
The northern pike or Esox lucius is spread around most parts of europe and north asia. BTW one of the biggest pike on IGFA record was caught in germany.
Chain pickerel are in all of Maine
I have caught Muskie in Illinois there’s not a big population of them but they are here
Some of the morphs you showed were just tiger musky
Pike exist in England, Scotland, Ireland and the north of Europe. Which species are they?
do sunfish please
Great idea. It's definitely on my list of videos to make!
Great video!
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Panfish species
Gooood Eating….! 😋
People in manitoba canada call Walleye "pickerel" this is a regional thing and is misleading. Thanks for the vid
Thank you for watching! It's always interesting to see how regional names for fish vary.
we have chain pickerel in ontario canada
72" Max length for muskies? I would put 62" as a max theoretical length. Several of the top unicorns have been debunked. Louis Spray also caught a 60" largemouth
Haha, Louie Spray was the guy you wanted to have a drink with. Cal Johnson was the guy you went to church with. Great rivalry there Im betting there were some grand encounters in resort bars and parking lots, word was Louie loved getting Cals goat.
I thought the same. World class muskie fishermen will fish a lifetime on trophy waters and catch make a high 50s to low 60s. Most people would consider a 60 inch muskie the fish of several lifetimes. I can't fault the video creator for generalizing information though, it's honestly hard to find or theorize maximum sizes about certain species because there will always be unverified claims floating around haha!
A correction for the future for you on the chain pickerel. They are present in a number of the lakes that I grew up around, in west-central Minnesota, so you can extend their range quite a ways north and west of where it ends on your range map.
Minnesota doesn’t have any chain pickerel
@RedWaterCatfish Yes, it actually does. Several lakes in Ottertail County have chain pickerel in them. I have caught them, there.
@@KevinRCarr what lakes? I’m very familiar with otter tail county and haven’t caught or seen one before.
@RedWaterCatfish I caught two of them a couple of weeks apart when I was in my late teens in the early/mid 70s, where the Otter Tail River leaves West Lost Lake.
@@KevinRCarr I’m sure it was just a light colored northern I’ve caught tons of bright ones
the picture of the barred morph of musky was actually a tiger musky
If you love esox check out images of Amur pike.
This video 😮
The musky at 4:11 is taking a piss lol
Pickerel here, Redfin and Chain, the old timers just call them "Jackfish"
Muskie have a much wider range than you displayed
Now you have to do the chad family of fish
Great idea!
Do panfish
Don't forget to remove the Y bones. The meat can also be boiled and are good faux crab.
Like your videos but if you could give a little more detail information about the species would be appreciated
BLUE PIKE ...
Lake Erie, I believe endangered?
Your muskie range map is flawed. There are 2 great muskie lakes in northern Indiana, and there absolutely are muskie in central Michigan.
Muskies are said to be the fish of 10,000 casts.
@@Daniel-j1f8d A saying that I have found to be somewhat true haha.
Great videos. One bone of contention, I seriously doubt a muskie could get to 72". World class muskie fishermen will fish an entire lifetime for a 60" fish and that is a fish in a calibre of its own. Muskies simply do not get that big. 60"/ 60 lbs is their maximum size. Give or take an inch or lb lol.
Sweeeeeeeet
Gotta call bs on a 72 inch musky
Lol Same
Record is 70.02”, but I believe netted.
For some reason I’m thinking 57.5” is rod and reel record.
I’m old, probably wrong lol
Good eating fish
fresh water sharks
See? Pikeral are PIKE!! Not walleye!!
(Greetings from Saskatchewan where walleye got the incorrect nickname of Pikeral because of the popularity of Pikeral rigs)
All hail pike lol
Cancel culture came for the nothern pike 😢
They cannot be canceled, they can cut 25lb mono with their teeth!!!
Where did you hear that?
ngl i need a fishing guide from you when i go to utah
What part of Utah will you be fishing?
Saskatchewan also has muskis
Do you have any idea why there is this massive controversy between a pickle and a walleye? If you ask 10 Canadian fishermen you will get 21 different answers and they all revolve around the fish being the exact same thing all the way to completely separate species that have absolutely nothing to do with each other. It gets to the point where you wanna grab somebody by the throat and shake them. You look at a chain pickle and you look at a walleye and not only is it absolutely obvious that these are not even remotely related other than they've both got sharp teeth.... But there is no possible way to even have the discussion with half of these people let alone get them to actually look at why they're not the same fish. Is this a Canadian phenomenon or do you guys down in the states have the same argument?
What part of Canada? I didn't even know that walleye and pickerel had much overlap.
@lightfeather9953 They have a huge overlap as far as where the species lives but that's it. But there's this whole weird thing going on regarding these 2 fish being the exact same fish and it's just 2 names for one fish . Do a Google search for walleye and pickle being the same species and you will see this argument that has been happening within the fishing community up here ever since I was a kid and I'm in my 60s now
The confusion comes from many people in Canada referring to what we know to be Walleye as 'Pickerel', similarly to how drums are sometimes called sheepshead or bluegill are called bream in certain places. This leads to some confusion when people bring up fish that are more widely referred to as those same names, as is the case for the walleye and 'true' (esox) pickerels.
Can you do one for whitefish?
I would love to do a video on whitefish at some point!