The maskinongé ( Esox masquinongy ) is an American pike species. It is largest representing of the family of pikes. Admitted to be finer than pike, it is required for its spectacular combat.

Origin of the name

Nicknames

Fresh water shark, fresh water tiger

Scientific name

Esox masquinongy . Classify Ostéichthyens, order of the Esociformes, family of the Ésocidés.

Description

Maskinongé is a fish hurled with the gray, striped or mouchetée dress of black. The reasons are very variable according to the water levels and certain individuals are completely gray money with the darker back without aucuns reasons.

Identification

Maskinongé has from 6 to 9 sensory pores visible under its mandibles inferiors, while the large pike has of them 5 and the pike with a grid that 4. The tail ends in points well defined contrary to the pike whose ends are rounded. An hybrid between maskinongé and large pike is sometimes observed where the two species cohabittent. The color delivered recall then maskinongé but certain features (the shape of the tail in particular) are intermediate. The hybrid is called striped pike. Moreover these hybrids were sown at certain places for sporting fishing.

Habitat

It affectionate important rivers to slow current. Characteristic habitat: the St-Laurent river and large-lakes. Relatively rare if one compares it with large pike, it is present mainly in the catchment area of the St-Laurent, the Mississippi and Hudson Bay.

Lifestyle

Hunter with the mounting it plunges highly on its prey when it is in the vicinity. Admitted to raise the nose on the dead soft foods it is before all the alive fish which constitute the major part of are food.

Food

Any flesh-colored food adapted to its size, thus fish, crayfish, ducklings, rat-musky, frogs etc Of many history mention attack on small animals like dogs of company.

Reproduction

It reproduces in spring in the herbaria close to the banks.

Fish

As the pike a Crinelle of steel is recommended. The carps and alive millers and of large sizes are recognized like best the soft food (more than 30 cm). They are now proscribed in the majority of the water levels because of the risk of introduction of new species. It is thus with artificial lures imitating these preys that it is generally captured. Its bite being particularly sharp and its particularly tough jaw it is frequent that the fish so extremely tightens the lure which the hooks do not penetrate its flesh. The astonished fisherman will lose his catch as it was going to pass it to the scoop.