I caught this in the scioto river in central ohio while bass fishing. I didn't know there were pike I this river. Any thoughts on confirming the species on this? The spots on the fins make me think pike. Sorry he's on the ground, he flopped off the hook after I landed him.

Yep, looks like a northern to me. Easy ID between them and pickerel: Pike have white bean-shaped markings on a lighter olive colored background, and pickerel have black chain link markings on a yellowish background. Muskie have vertical dark bars or blotches on the sides. What you have is a hammer-handle northern pike.

PIKE

Looks like a tiger musky to me - a cross between the two species.

Northern pike

Looks like a tiger musky to me - a cross between the two species.

My guess as well

Tiger muskys usually have dark stripes over a light background. The white spots over a dark background tell me it's a pike.

Northern Pike....

Well, now you know.... There ARE pike in the river

Sometimes identifying juvenile fish can be tricky ~

 

By that photo, I can't say for certain Pike or Tiger

 

But it's not a Bass

 

 

A-Jay

Sometimes identifying juvenile fish can be tricky ~

 

By that photo, I can't say for certain Pike or Tiger

 

But it's not a Bass

 

 

A-Jay

Sometimes the lateral line will clarify similar related species, different fins too.

I see stripes on that fish..... Blow up the image and you can see a distinct stripe pattern. That is a tiger musky. 

 

Juvenile pike often have a more stripey than spotty appearance, and that northern pike looks pretty juvenile.

I see stripes on that fish..... Blow up the image and you can see a distinct stripe pattern. That is a tiger musky.

I catch a lot of small northern pike with that same pattern. It lacks the coloration and pattern of a tiger muskie. The lines on a tiger muskie are much more distinct and the coloration is darker. I've caught freshly stocked juvenile tiger muskie, and there's no mistaking them. That is a young northern pike.

That's definitely a juvenile pike. Google says there's a population of them in there.

I'm goin' with  small Northern Pike, aka "snot rocket".

 

Tom

I'm goin' with  small Northern Pike, aka "snot rocket".

 

Tom

aka "hammer handle", aka "snake"

Thanks all, figured it was a juvenile pike