Pike, musky and pickerel
Muskellunge
Esox masquinongy. Also called musky or muskie.
Length to weight chart, typical size by age, and how to photograph a muskellunge so fishline measures it well.
- Typical top length
- 54 in
- about 43.9 lb
- A 41 inch fish
- 18.2 lb
- 18 lb 3 oz
- Age at 41 inches
- 9 to 10 years
- rough, varies by water
- Growth levels off
- about age 20
- gains slow to a crawl after
Muskellunge length to weight chart
Estimated weight for a muskellunge in average shape at each length, from the formula W = L^3.2 / 7,970 (W in pounds, L in inches). It is the same relationship fishline uses when it measures a muskellunge from a photo.
| Length | Weight | Rough age |
|---|---|---|
| 20 in | 1.8 lb | about 3 years |
| 24 in | 3.3 lb | about 4 years |
| 28 in | 5.4 lb | about 5 years |
| 32 in | 8.2 lb | about 6 years |
| 36 in | 12.0 lb | 7 to 8 years |
| 40 in | 16.8 lb | about 9 years |
| 44 in | 22.8 lb | 11 to 12 years |
| 48 in | 30.1 lb | 14 to 15 years |
| 52 in | 38.9 lb | 20+ years |
| 56 in | 49.3 lb | 20+ years |
| 60 in | 61.5 lb | 20+ years |
Total length, nose to the tip of the pinched tail. Weights are for a muskellunge in average shape. A fat fish, like a female before the spawn, weighs more and a thin one less, which a girth measurement picks up. Rows past 54 inches are bigger than typical for the species.
Size by age
fishline's growth model puts a typical muskellunge at around 54 inches when fully grown, with most of its growth done by about age 20. Younger fish add length fast; older fish mostly add weight.
Age from length is rough. Fish in warm water with plenty to eat grow faster than this, and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower. For a quick estimate from any length, use the fish age calculator.
| Age | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 7.5 in | 0.08 lb |
| 2 years | 14 in | 0.58 lb |
| 3 years | 19.6 in | 1.7 lb |
| 4 years | 24.4 in | 3.4 lb |
| 5 years | 28.5 in | 5.7 lb |
| 6 years | 32 in | 8.3 lb |
| 8 years | 37.7 in | 13.9 lb |
| 10 years | 42 in | 19.6 lb |
| 12 years | 45.1 in | 24.6 lb |
| 15 years | 48.3 in | 30.7 lb |
| 20 years | 51.3 in | 37.3 lb |
From a von Bertalanffy growth curve. Fish in warm, food-rich water grow faster than this and fish in cold or crowded water grow slower, so treat every row as a rough middle.
Weigh your muskellunge
Enter the length, and the girth if you taped it, for an estimate on your fish.
Photo tips for muskellunge
fishline reads length from the photo using whatever is in frame for scale, so a clean, side-on shot gives the tightest number.
- 1Support a long fish horizontally with both hands, one near the head and one under the belly toward the tail. A fish hanging from one hand curls up and photographs short.
- 2Step back far enough to get the whole fish, nose to tail. A cut-off tail is the most common reason a long fish measures short.
- 3Lay it on a bump board or a measuring mat when you can. On a long fish the marks give fishline a much better read than a hand.
- 4Keep the musky in the net in the water until the camera is ready, then lift, shoot and release.
More pike, musky and pickerel
Or skip the tape. Snap a photo and fishline measures it.
Species, length and weight from one photo. 5 free measurements every month.