If that's the case, it's really the worst case scenario. It's another apex predator, so salmon and trout are really gonna suffer even more than they have with the muskies (the bass are a little more hardy and their prolific spawning might be a bulwark). This is also going to effect the Musky fisheryin a really big way in the long run, as pike spawn earlier in the spring, and studies have shown that, in bodies of water with both pike and musky, the pike have a much better survival rate on those first year fish. Some even postulate that the young of the year pike are one of the biggest predators of the YOTY musky, due to their quicker growth rate and earlier spawn.Did you happen to get a shot of it? Just to rule out it being a Musky/Pickerel hybrid.
Just wondering if it is a known fact that there are pike in the st john River system?..... I have searched and cant find anything online but either case wouldn't be surprised..... I landed a decent 30 inch pike while Muskie fishing at the beginning of the month in the main part of the river and just wasn't expecting it honestly. I Have fished that river system a few times a year for the past 15 years and havnt seen one before.
will just replace one apex predator with another and chew through the smallies in there.