Muskies, or muskellunge, are considered a trophy fish because of its large and elusive nature.
Muskies are light-colored with dark bars running vertical along their bodies. Muskies can be silver, light green or light brown.
Tiger muskies are hybrids of northern pike males and muskie females and have dark markings on a light background, but have rounded tail fins. Determining a northern pike from a muskie is not always easy, so anglers may need to count the pores on the lower jaw to be sure. A northern pike will have five pores or fewer and a muskie has between six and eight pores.
The muskie state record in Minnesota is 54 pounds and 56 inches from Lake Winnibigoshish in 1957 and the tiger muskie record is almost 35 pounds and 51 inches from Lake Elmo in 1999, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.Minnesota muskie season opens June 7 and closes Dec. 1. The season for Minnesota-Canada border waters opens June 21 and closes Nov. 30.
The muskie record for North Dakota is 46.5 pounds and 54 inches from Garrison Diversion Unit Canal Lakes in July 2007. The tiger muskie record is 40 pounds and 45 inches from Gravel Lake in 1975. Muskies are available for fishing in North Dakota during fishing season, which is specified by location.