To put it plainly, the mighty muskellunge is just flat out harder to catch than its close cousin, the Northern pike. Muskies weren’t nicknamed “the fish of 10,000 casts” by accident ...

In the present study more than 87% of estimated northern pike spawning in 1994, and 97% in 1995, occurred in offshore, deep-water habitats (2-5 m), while muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) spawned ...