# Look at this rare beauty!



## 1roofmusky

http://prairiestateoutdoors.com/ind.../comments/muskie-northern_hybrid#yourcomments

A few speculators are calling it a rare "Leopard" musky. A musky that occurs when an extremely rare, fertile hybrid(tiger) back-breeds with a pure musky. The colors are unbelievable to say the least!


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## crittergitter

Yeah, I saw that on another site. Very cool color pattern on that fish.


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## fishingfoolBG

Cool fish, It looks a lot different from the tiger muskies out here in NM. Thanks for sharing


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## ShutUpNFish

Can someone copy a pic of the fish in the forum please? The link is blocked here at work!


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## MuskieJim

Here you go Paul:


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## ShutUpNFish

Dayuuum! Still cannot see the photos!! This server at school sucks!!! I'll see it later on at home...thanks Jim


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## MadMac

Awesome looking fish, whatever it is.


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## sploosh56

I think I'm gonna have to agree with 1roofmusky on this one. I was wondering if it may have been an amur pike that someone might have dumped out of their aquarium, but it doesn't look like it. Take a look for yourselves. 

Either way that fish looks awesome

http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/pikes/Esox reichertii.html


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## DaleM




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## ShutUpNFish

That fish is awesome looking


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## stream_stalker

Awesome looking fish for sure. Does anyone know if there is a difference in appearence in tiger muskys if the cross bread happens with a pike an a barred strain or a pike and a spotted strain of muskie? What about weather or not it is a male pike or female musky or the other way around?


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## 1roofmusky

Nice job on enlarging that one Dale. Thats my favorite pic.


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## 1roofmusky

Nick-
I'm pretty sure it's almost always: male pike + female musky


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## stream_stalker

1roofmusky said:


> Nick-
> I'm pretty sure it's almost always: male pike + female musky


Any idea if there's a difference when it's a barred strain or spotted strain of musky?


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## ESOXSeeker

This one is Hybred from Northern male and female Muskie. I wonder how much the environment affects the color and shading. This Tiger was from a high altitude mountain lake about four years ago.
Tom.


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## BaddFish

Looks more like a Leopard then a Tiger! Awesome pics!
I would have to get a replica made.


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## ShutUpNFish

ESOXSeeker said:


> This one is Hybred from Northern male and female Muskie. I wonder how much the environment affects the color and shading. This Tiger was from a high altitude mountain lake about four years ago.
> Tom.


Man I WANT one of those!!!! A trip out west perhaps Nick.....lets hook up the boat n go!

The environment certainly does make a differnce in the fade or brightness in their markings. You'll notice that most fish out of the Great Lakes or that frequent deeper water will have more of a pale look to them, but muskies out of shallower lakes containing heavy weed structure are barred up and marked up to blend into their environment. I'd be willing to bet that if you took a Great Lakes strain and dumped her into Chautauqua, that the fishs' markings would change to adapt to it's new environment.

Here is some good info on the various strains for ya Nick..... http://www.muskie411.com/fishid.html


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## BaddFish

Very good point Paul!... I never thought of it like that..
These Leopard colors (camoflauge) would make one blend in inside weeds a whole lot better then our pale Ohio fish.


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## ShutUpNFish

BaddFish said:


> Very good point Paul!... I never thought of it like that..
> These Leopard colors (camoflauge) would make one blend in inside weeds a whole lot better then our pale Ohio fish.


Yes, but I'm not sure that is the case with this leopard looking fish....I have truely never seen a fish with markings like that all the way to the end of the snout....My guess is that it has to be a hybrid of some sort....cannot be tiger since they do not reproduce....maybe a spotted/barred fish....if we knew where it came from, it might help to figure it out.


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## 1roofmusky

Paul-
The fish was caught in Crow Lake, right next to LOTW. They are almost positive that a naturally occurring, FERTILE TIGER backbred with a pure muskie. This is an extremely rare occurrence and doesn't happen with sterile, hatchery tigers. Apparently ALL Tigers are NOT sterile.
*The link to the article on my first post in the thread explains this further.


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## ShutUpNFish

Yes, that would be very rare then!

My server keeps blocking the link! GRrrrrrrrrrrr


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## stream_stalker

ShutUpNFish said:


> Man I WANT one of those!!!! A trip out west perhaps Nick.....lets hook up the boat n go!


I'm up for that!!!


ShutUpNFish said:


> The environment certainly does make a differnce in the fade or brightness in their markings. You'll notice that most fish out of the Great Lakes or that frequent deeper water will have more of a pale look to them, but muskies out of shallower lakes containing heavy weed structure are barred up and marked up to blend into their environment. I'd be willing to bet that if you took a Great Lakes strain and dumped her into Chautauqua, that the fishs' markings would change to adapt to it's new environment.


Perfect example of that is the pictures I was showing you last weekend, they look nothing like the barred strain in chautauqua and nothing like the spotted strain in st.clair, so what are they? Here are 3 pictures of three different colored muskies what strain would you say they are?
number-1









number-2









number-3











ShutUpNFish said:


> Here is some good info on the various strains for ya Nick..... http://www.muskie411.com/fishid.html


Thanks paul, good info...


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## ShutUpNFish

My guess would be most likely barred fish, if not, a mix strain of the barred and spotted which has got to be possible. A lot of broken up bars, but if you look close, there are still majority bars....

The more I look at the leopard looking fish and do some research, the more I'm lead to believe it even has any norther pike in it. The fins are too pointed and the head seems too small. Never know unless a biologist can securely identify. Hmmmmm.....Awesome fish nonetheless


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## Weatherby

There are two thoughts on the "Leopard" muskie.

1. It is just a color phase of the spotted muskie.

2. It is a hybrid of a Tiger muskie with a pure muskie.

I'm not sure how they get here but they are indeed a beauty to look at.


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## MadMac

Well, saugeye aren't supposed to be furtile but they have back bred with the walleye in West Branch. Nature seems to always find a way. It could just be a fluke like an albino. After all, that's how evolution takes place.


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## g1pper24

these are amazing looking fish. the patterns are unreal and i can only hope that some day i can catch one of these beauties. good topic and awesome fish.


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