THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



which with propriety might be called the North 

 Wisconsin-Minnesota muskellunge, for the name "pike" 

 here is confusing, and the fish is found only in the two 

 states named. The great northern pike is a muskel- 

 lunge — get that fact clearly in mind; while the great 

 pike, sometimes growing to almost fabulous size, is 

 but a pike. As there is considerable confusion in the 

 minds of anglers regarding the several species of pike, 

 it seems wise to devote some time and space to the 

 discussion of the subject. 



Perhaps for convenience it might be a good plan to 

 tabulate the family, giving common names, scientific 

 names, and range, following with a tabloid descrip- 

 tion of each species: 



COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME RANGE 



Little pickerel E^ox vermiculatus. Upper Mississippi 



Valley and streams 

 emptying into 

 Lakes Erie and 

 Michigan. 



Banded pickerel Esox Americanus . East of the Allegheny 



Mountains, from 

 Massachusetts to 

 Florida. 



Eastern pickerel — Esox reticulatus. . . Common everywhere 



Green pike east and south of 



the Alleghenies, 

 from Maine to 

 Arkansas; common 

 in the Ozarks. 



Common pike Esox lucius From New York and 



Great Lakes pike. . . Ohio northward. 

 Pickerel Common in Can- 

 Jack ada. Not found on 



Great pike (name the Pacific Coast 



used in this work). outside of Alaska. 



The one member of 

 the family found in 

 four continents. 



34 



