On a day with low expectation...

[MuskieBait]

Here's the story...

http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot.ca/2014/06/when-you-have-low-expectations.html

Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) - Species #391!

And a bonus Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus)

Birthday boy got his lifer Rudd and Grass Pickerel too!

What the??? Steelhead on June 21st??? YES!!!

Birthday boy with his Steelhead of his own...

Freaking eh!!!

 

[Shawarma]

Steelies don't look bad at all either! The grass pickerel looks awesome. Such an a dinosaur looking fish.

 

[MuskieBait]

Steelies don't look bad at all either! The grass pickerel looks awesome. Such an a dinosaur looking fish.

Mine was in prime condition (except for that hook puncture that you see bleeding)...but Michael's was beat up (see the bloody tail and the bloody spot on the side). Must be a rough life underwater...tough journey dropping back to the lake.

Grass Pickerel isn't any more "dinosaur looking" than Northern Pike and Musky...in fact, if I don't tell you that it was a Grass Pickerel, you would likely assume it was a juvenile Pike or Musky. I guess Pike and Muskies are "dinosaur looking" then :razz: Just teasing.

 

[Shawarma]

Pike and muskie do have that look to them too. Something about the long shape that makes me think dino lol.

 

[alwayscatching]

I thought the first one was a tiger muskie.

 

[MuskieBait]

I thought the first one was a tiger muskie.

If you don't know what to look for, it sure looks like a juvenile tiger muskie. But a tiger muskie this is not...due to the fully scaled cheek and opercular (gill flap). A tiger muskie would have a fully scaled cheek but only partially (upper half only) scaled opercular...similar to the Northern Pike parent, but it would have the dark over light markings of a muskie and spots or stripes on the fins like a pike.

Grass Pickerel is rare in Ontario...only found in a very restricted corner of the province. We're at its northern most natural range and they are native here.

 

[hamiltonangler94]

If you don't know what to look for, it sure looks like a juvenile tiger muskie. But a tiger muskie this is not...due to the fully scaled cheek and opercular (gill flap). A tiger muskie would have a fully scaled cheek but only partially (upper half only) scaled opercular...similar to the Northern Pike parent, but it would have the dark over light markings of a muskie and spots or stripes on the fins like a pike.

Grass Pickerel is rare in Ontario...only found in a very restricted corner of the province. We're at its northern most natural range and they are native here.

Would love to get into some grass pickerel. Never even heard of them being caught around here.

 

[MuskieBait]

Would love to get into some grass pickerel. Never even heard of them being caught around here.

That's because most people don't care to catch a fish that is basically equivalent in size to a baby pike. But these guys are pretty aggressive...and fun on micro gear.

I fish for them the same way I fish for pike or musky...break down the body of water into sections, find structure and cover, and fish that area really, really well. A stick may not look like much cover for a pike, but it is great cover for an 8" Grass Pickerel. A small patch of plants, even if there were 3 to 4 stalks, can also provide potential cover.

I can't really help you with location since I've only found them 2 years ago, didn't find them last year, and just happened to find this spot this year. Consistency hasn't been achieved yet in my book. But I would suggest looking up sampling reports to narrow down some potential locations to try...and then simply putting in legwork to find them. I've done a lot of legwork to try to find these little guys.

When you catch them, be gentle. Treat them as you would treat a 40lb musky. They are only found in small corners of Ontario and their habitat, being such small shallow bodies of water, is very prone to manmade and natural changes. They already have enough threats so they certainly don't need too much angling pressure and rough handling.

 

[instapump416]

Sweet pics and great report as always.