NORTHERN PIKE, MUSKELLUNGE, AND PICKEREL- PERCH(Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum) is a freshwater perciform fish NATIVE TO CANADA.

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A "WALLEYE" IS SOMETHING- 

OTHER THAN FOR THE HORSE,

NOBODY IS QUITE SURE WHAT.

Pike Perch 

(PIKE PERCH  (SOURCE: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/460315/pike-perch)Any of several freshwater food and game fishes of the family Percidae (order Perciformes), found in Europe and North America. Although more elongated and slender than perches, pike perches have the two dorsal fins characteristic of the family. They are, like perches, carnivorous, and as adults they feed largely on other fishes.

The European pike perch, or zander (Stizostedion, or Lucioperca, lucioperca; see

photograph), is found in lakes and rivers of eastern, central, and (where introduced) Western Europe. It is greenish or greyish, usually with darker markings, and generally attains a length of 50–66 cm (20–26 inches) and a weight of 3 kg (6.6 pounds).

The North American pike perches include the USA Walleye (S. vitreum), found in clear, cool lakes and rivers, and the sauger (S. canadense), found in lakes and rather silty rivers.)

are still found in Europe.

And, Pickerel Perch are still found in most of ENGLISH speaking and Western Canada east of the continental divide.

Pickerel vs.Walleye  

The pickerel perch (Sander vitreus) is the largest North American species in the perch family and one of the most sought-after of sport and food fishes. As in all members of the perch family, pickerel perch have two distinct dorsal fins with the first being spiny-rayed and the second soft-rayed. They are distributed across most of western Canada.

Pickrel Perch- image is Public Domain

The Pickerel perch (Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum) is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States of the Americas. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch. The pickerel perch is sometimes called the yellow pickerel perch to distinguish it from the blue pickerel perch, which is a subspecies that can be found in the southern Ontario and Quebec regions of Canada.

While pickerel perch were known as such by most true Canadians for close to two hundred years; In some of the more United States of the Americasifide (Americafictation) parts of its range, the pickerel perch has, fairly recently, become known as the walleyed pike, coloured pike, yellow pike, Wall eye, or walled pike although the fish is not related to other species of pikes which are members of the family Esocidae.

Shown above is an image of a CANADIAN Pickerel (pickerel perch) and a recently purchased  commercial product there of.

Pickrel perch do show a fair amount of variation across watersheds. In general, fish within a watershed are quite similar and are genetically distinct from those of nearby watersheds. The species has been artificially propagated for over a century and has been planted(where they did not and do not belong) on top of existing populations or introduced into waters naturally devoid of the species, sometimes reducing the overall genetic distinctiveness and diversity of wild native populations the “wild and free “natives then become extinct.

Meaning of the United States of the Americasified Name Walleye.

The USified name, "walleye", supposedly comes from the fact that the fish's eyes have a glassy look (like a wall eyed horse, another, mostly US, term) or that they point outward, as if looking at the walls.

Actually, in medicine, the term "walleyed" (as opposed to "cross-eyed") is used to refer to lateral strabismus, where the pupil deviates outward. This externally facing orientation of the eyes gives anglers an advantage in the dark; because there is a certain eyeshine given off by the eye of the pickerel perch in the dark; similar to that of lions and other night dwelling animals. This "eyeshine" is the result of a light-gathering layer in the eyes called the tapetum lucidum, which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. In fact, many anglers look for pickerel at night since this is when major feeding patterns occur. The fish's eyes also allow them to see well in turbid waters (stained or rough, breaking waters), which gives them an advantage over their prey. Thus, pickerel anglers will commonly look for days and locations where there is a good "pickerel chop" (i.e., rough water). This excellent vision also allows the fish to populate the deeper regions in a lake, and they can often be found in deeper water, particularly during the warmest part of the summer.[citation

Most Canadians refer to the pickerel perch simply as a pickerel. It is as common a name for the species as jack is for the northern pike. In order to further exert US dictatorship/ andimperialist ambitions, USified TV fishing programs, sports magazines, and US owned or sponsored private fishing resorts  try to discourage the use of pickerel when referring to pickerel because of the following two pike species(which people in the United States of the Americas like to refer to as pickerel):

The Chain Pike (Esox niger) that is an especially popular sport fish in the (USA) winter when large numbers are caught through the ice. The chain pickerel is a member of the pike family and has the long snout with concave profile and sides with chain like markings. Though it looks somewhat like the northern pike, the mostly found in the United States of the Americas, chain pike has only four pores on the underside of the jaw, while the much larger, Canadian, Northern Pike has five. In Canada the chain pike can only be found in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec.

The Redfin Pike (Esox americanus) that is the smallest member of the pike family and the only one not considered an

important sport fish. Its long head has a short snout with sides that have greenish-yellow to brown wavy bars. Unlike the chain pike, the dark bar under its eye slopes down and back. In Canada it is found in the St Lawrence River, and south

west through the Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario).

Neither of these pike species are found within Manitoba,Saskatchewan, or Alberta the present “modern” “globally thinking” USified governments of these provinces makes every attempt to refer to the pickerel only as the Americanised “walleye” (just as. in British Columbia, the government and fisheries make every attempt to refer to larger, farmed and dyed, rainbow trout as Americanised “Steelhead salmon/trout. Both then, claim to recognise that since fishing is passed down from generation to generation, whatever name, government and fisheries now choose to call then—walleye, pickerel, rainbow trout. Chinook Salmon of British Columbia or “Alaska- “King” Salmon—most Canadians, just as their fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers-- the people who taught them to fish; will use the long standing, traditional and common name when referring to fish species, or anything else that is Canadian. However, we the Canadian Governments utilize the common United States of the Americas common name walleye to avoid confusion within the USification we, here, call Globalisation.

THE NORTHERN PIKE AND MUSKELLUNGE


THE NORTHERN PIKE
 (Esox lucius, often known as a jack fish in Canada;  simply as a pike in Britain, Ireland, and Russia or as a pickerel in the U.S.A. is a species of omnivorous fish of the genus Esox (the Pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern hemisphere(i.e. holarctic in distribution). After Lake White Fish, and Arctic Char, the Northern Pike, was the fish most commonly smoked in Canada. Sometimes measuring over four feet in length, they are not small; removing the Y-bones, from these large pike, is not a problem, for anyone experienced at filleting. Next in line came Salmon, and then Pickerel-Perch(the Pickerel were often netted along with White Fish. 


GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
The Northern pike is found in freshwater throughout the northern hemisphere, including Russia, Europe and North America. It  is even found in brackish water of the Baltic Sea. However pike are confined to the low salinity water at the surface. 
They are found in most of Canada, particularly the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. But in no country, outside of the United States, would an Northern pike or Muskellunge ever be called a pickerel.
Northern pike are rare in British Columbia and East Coast Provinces and there are few Northern Pike populations in the U.S.A.. Perhaps that is why they persist is calling a Pickerel -Perch(Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum) of the Family Perciae, Order Perciformes a Walleye,  and a pike, a pickerel.
Muskellunge and Northern Pike both members of Esocidae family. Both are fantastic game fish in Canada. How do we tell a pike and muskellunge apart? Well, at first glance and to the untrained eye, they are easy to mix up. Take a look at the information below to help determine which fish is which the next time you are out on the water.
The Northern Pike is a fish that is much longer than it is deep. Typical markings on a pike are light spots on a dark background.
They are capable of growing more than five feet long and weighing beyond one hundred pounds.
Northern Pike have a range far greater than any other freshwater game fish in North America. Pike can be found throughout the upper half of North America stretching from nearly coast to coast. Pike prefer clear, shallow, vegetated areas of lakes and larger rivers. Pike are rarely found in areas lacking stumps, aquatic vegetation, or other cover.
Spawning takes place soon after ice-out in shallow waters. Up to a half a million eggs from a large female can be produced during spawning. A young pike will usually attain a length of six inches by the fall. The fish can live as long as twenty five years or more.
The pike is a fun fish to catch simply based on its size, strength, and fighting spirit.
 Ranked with Arctic Char, a good Northern Pike, caught in the cold Canadian waters of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan , the North West, Or Yukon territories; is one of North America's  "Best Eating" fish.The meat of the northern pike is white, great in flavour, and has a flaky texture, but it does have a lot of disconnected Y-shaped bones. They can easily be removed, however,  and (except for young children) do not create a problem-if you take your time.


MUSKELLUNGE OR "MUSKIE"
As mentioned the “Muskie” looks quite similar to its cousin, the Northern Pike. It too has a long, laterally compressed body with a long head and large mouth. The body colour’s highlight dark markings on a light background – opposite of the Northern Pike. The muskellunge is found in the fresh waters of eastern North America. In Canada, the muskellunge can be found in rivers and lakes from New Brunswick, through the lower Great Lakes and into Manitoba.
The preferred habitat of the muskellunge is warm, heavily vegetated lakes. They can be often found in stumpy, weedy bays. The also flourish in slow vegetated rivers.
Muskellunge are solitary fish nearly all the time. The only time it seeks companionship is briefly at spawning time. As it prefers cover, it is rarely found far from the protection of sub-emergent plants.
Similar to its cousin, the muskellunge spawns in the spring immediately after the ice melts. Spawning takes place in shallow, heavily vegetated areas. Within two weeks of hatching, young muskies begin active feeding.
Fish, such as perch, suckers, larger minnows and sunfishes, form the largest part of the musky diet.


PIKE AND MUSKELLUNGE-LETS' COMPARE

http://recordpikefishing.com/northern-pike-fishing/muskellunge-northern-pike-identification-chart/

The quickest way to tell a northern pike from a muskie is to note that the northern has light markings on a dark body background. Muskies generally have dark markings on a light background.
A foolproof method to tell the difference between pike and muskellunge is to count the pores on the underside of the jaw. The northern has six or fewer; the muskie has six or more.
Northerns also have rounded tail fins, compared to the pointy tail fins of a muskie. Paired fins under the body of the Northern Pike are more rounded than the Muskie, which has slightly more pointed fins. Likewise the tail of the musky has more pointed features when compared to the Northern Pike’s more rounded tail.
Looking at the face of a Northern Pike you see scales that are prominent above the cheek, behind the eye and toward the jaw. The Muskie has scales on its face that are primarily above the cheek and behind the eye.
The bottom line is these fish are quite similar, yet have distinctive markings. Pike and Muskellunge are among the best freshwater game-fish you will catch in your life.


DESCRIPTION

Muskellunge closely resemble other Esocids such as the Northern Pike and U.S.A. style Pickerel (remember they like to call a dog's tail a leg; but, the dog still has only four legs) in both appearance and behaviour. Like other pikes, the body plan is typical of ambush predators with an elongate body, flat head and dorsal, pelvic and anal fins set far back on the body
Like Northern Pike, Muskellunge attain lengths of 2.0-4.9 ft and weights of over 66 lbs, though some have reached up to 7 ft long^] and 100 lbs.
The fish are a light silver, brown or green with dark vertical stripes on the flank, which may tend to break up into spots. In some cases, markings may be absent altogether, especially in fish from turbid waters. 
This is in contrast to northern pike which have dark bodies with light markings. A reliable method to distinguish the two similar species is by counting the sensory pores on the underside of the mandible. A "Muskie" will have seven or more per side while the northern pike never has more than six. The lobes of the caudal (tail) fin in muskellunge come to a sharper point while those of northern pike are more generally rounded. In addition, unlike Northern Pike, Muskies have no scales on the lower half of the operculum.© Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan. All rights reserved.