mike rousseau Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Was fishing yesterday and saw what I thought was a muskrat or beaver... Until I looked closer... It was a pretty big pike swimming with its head out of the water!!!! Over 10 FOW... And I don't mean I coul see the top of its head... I could see tge whole head right to the gills... And it swam like this for about 100 feet... I've never seen this before... Has anyone else ever seen this? Does anyone know why it was doing that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 They are known to do that although I completely forget why. This came up on the board a few years back, someone will know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Mike, it's a very common occurrence. In certain sections, the Larry is not crystal clear so some fish with failing eyesight (especially pike, carp and sturgeon) must stick their head out to get their bearings...see where they are going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontcryformejanhrdina Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I've heard of that happening, never witnessed it myself. Some people think it might be because they just ate a big meal and are trying to swallow it, who knows? Definetly strange.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Here is a thread from a couple years back. Some of the guys suggest digestion in the thread but it isn't clear cut. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website that Sinclair links suggest the same thing as Roy mentioned. http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=44521&st=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bow slayer Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I seen a large musky doing this once and we watched it from a dock for a couple minutes. When it circled around close enough we noticed it had a large sucker in its mouth,actually most of it down his throat. After a another few minutes it dropped down out of site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I have a strange hypothesis. Musky and pike like to bask in warm water after they get a belly full of food to help them digest. If a Pike or Musky sucked back a big ole Sucker (like some of the eye witness accounts of fish in the Pike/Musky's mouths) and then went to shallow warm water to digest, maybe it would be possible that the predators swim bladder would be controlled but the dead Sucker's swim bladder being still intact would expand with the air as it comes into shallow water? That would make for too much air for the predator fish to deal with at the front of the body thus bringing his head out of the water until he can swallow the fish back into his belly. Once swallowed back into the centre of the body he could get that tail moving and those pectoral fins steering properly until the food would be digested enough to get rid of that extra air or move back to some deeper water. I have no idea, it was just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Good hypothesis Grimace. You'd make an excellent debate partner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAW Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I've seen Gar do this several times, but never for 100'. Only 5 or 10' at most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted June 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Thanks guys... And thanks for the link grimace... I've seen gar swimming with beaks out of the water... Bit not the entire head... Choking down a meal sounds like it makes sense... Very cool sight to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Mike, it's a very common occurrence. In certain sections, the Larry is not crystal clear so some fish with failing eyesight (especially pike, carp and sturgeon) must stick their head out to get their bearings...see where they are going. Silly little man !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregoire Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 This year I have been out twice, and seen a few musky breaking the water. I have not seen a fish with it's entire head out of the water yet. One of the common explanations, as has been suggested, is that the musky, for whatever reason, is gulping air. The suggestion that it is looking to fill it's air sac seems as likely as any other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djeep Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 while doing some volunteer the ministry I saw a muskie released from a trap net swim like this for a while, possibly related to stress. Ive also had a hooked pike swim around like this, which contributes to the food jammed in the throat theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pigeontroller Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Mike, it's a very common occurrence. In certain sections, the Larry is not crystal clear so some fish with failing eyesight (especially pike, carp and sturgeon) must stick their head out to get their bearings...see where they are going. I think you'd better check the colour of the leaves in your cigarettes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted June 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 I think you'd better check the colour of the leaves in your cigarettes! According to this site... http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/musky_odd.htm ... He's right... I thought he was kidding till I read the info in the link... Now I'm thinking there may be something to it... I see musky jumping all the time... And I don't mean busting the surface in an attack... I mean like clear the water by a few feet sometimes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickingfrog Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 The myth thread is two down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Nelson Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 According to this site... http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/musky_odd.htm ... He's right... I thought he was kidding till I read the info in the link... Now I'm thinking there may be something to it... I see musky jumping all the time... And I don't mean busting the surface in an attack... I mean like clear the water by a few feet sometimes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Nelson Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Just because a website posts a theory ( that is Bull) doesnt make it true. Possibly one of the dumbest things Ive ever read! Ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Just because a website posts a theory ( that is Bull) doesnt make it true. Possibly one of the dumbest things Ive ever read! Ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted June 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Just because a website posts a theory ( that is Bull) doesnt make it true. Possibly one of the dumbest things Ive ever read! Ha ha I didn't say it was true... I said according to the link someone else posted it was true... And what the heck do I know about pike dancing across tge surface of the water...? That's why I asked... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cudz Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Mike, it's a very common occurrence. In certain sections, the Larry is not crystal clear so some fish with failing eyesight (especially pike, carp and sturgeon) must stick their head out to get their bearings...see where they are going. That is a very interesting hypothesis. I have recently read an article that suggests fish eyes out of water work much like our eyes do underwater. Everything is very blurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfisher Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 The muskies when they do it in the hatchery its usually because they're stressed as hell (although i can see them doing it with food to use gravity to their advantage to help food slide down). Gar do it because they are breathing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.brock Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 That is a very interesting hypothesis. I have recently read an article that suggests fish eyes out of water work much like our eyes do underwater. Everything is very blurry. Yeah, I would a guess a fish can't see when out of water, I'm pretty sure that even if they could see well above the surface, they couldn't comprehend what they see above the surface and relate it to where they are "oh, there's that yellow boathouse, I'll go see if there's any shiners hanging around there" the researcher that proposed the theory Roy posted, is in the wrong occupation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beagle dad Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 don't know why they do this seen it sat. with big musky looked like he was eating flies off the surface..mouth wide open whole head and part of body out of water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Mike, it's a very common occurrence. In certain sections, the Larry is not crystal clear so some fish with failing eyesight (especially pike, carp and sturgeon) must stick their head out to get their bearings...see where they are going. If that was the case every fish would be swimming this way in the Detroit river, you can't see 6" down most days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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