How to determine Muskie Sex
Recently a new "muskie nut" friend of mine asked me how to tell if a muskie is a male or female. The best way to show him was to pull out my copy of A compendium of Muskie Angling History, authored by my grandfather Larry Ramsell. To purchase a copy of his published works, please visit his website by clicking here.
On page 697, Volume II of the Compendiums it is discussed about possible "selective harvest" of male muskies and the following picture (page 698) was included in his book courtesy of Dr. Bernard Lebeau. This picture shows the anal pores of the female and male muskies respectively.
Pear or 8 shaped anal pore at left is a female muskie. Keyhole shaped anal pore at right is a male muskie
This photograph makes it easy to determine muskie sex and allows the angler to know what he/she has caught if selective harvest is allowed, or the angler wishes to know out of curiosity or for their own record keeping. I generally take note of the sex of my catch just for my own records and non scientific research.
I hope this picture helps you on your next outing and gives you more muskie knowledge. Fall will be here before you know it and the big girls will be putting on weight! Happy hunting!
Keep that lure in the water!
-Muskie Kid
