stuco Loc: Northern Utah - Salt Lake City

Is there a bounty for pikeminnow? How big do the get?

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Formerly known as the “squawfish”. They are a native species in the U.S.

Jeremy Loc: America

Thank You Catfish Hunter.

Jeremy Loc: America

There are a lot of MYTHS. There is a lot of people that don’t believe reality too

Jeremy Loc: America

I was mistaken about Pikeminnows not being native. We all (most of us) know why there is a bounty

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

Also known as Squaw fish, they grow to fit their environment. Usually found in swift moving streams and rivers, the pike minnow has proven to be a nuisance in rivers that have been dammed , slowing down the flow and allowing them to grow to abnormal sizes, giving them the ability to catch and consume prey that would normally be too large for them to eat. This is especially a problem for salmon smolt and the salmon industry as a whole.
Since the hydroelectric dams are to blame for the increased size of the pike minnow, there is a bounty on these fish, which makes them an excellent target for people that are retired/unemployed and enjoy fishing.
PS; can’t call them Squaw fish anymore as the term Squaw is derogatory towards native Americans.

Thefinder Loc: Western Massachusetts

All I fish for the last three years is carp,fighters PLUS,they do not give up.The Connecticut River is 1\4 mile away and I fish a LOT.Here's a fantail,common carp and mirror carp.

GOD Bless

Chris

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Welcome Rich, I don't know about R.I. but it CT they are in all the rivers. And the western lakes. Connecticut River is probably closest to you.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

Yes there is a bounty on them in certain places.
I'm not, exactly, sure how big they get. I caught the Washington state record last year and it was 29.25 inches inches long and weighed a little over 12 pounds. I just turned it in and got paid for it. Not so cool having my name in the book for a 12 pound pikeminnow. 🥴

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

I know right? I've done the sport reward fishery for 7 years and have fished the Columbia River for salmon, sturgeon, steelhead catfish, walleye and bass since 1998. Funny thing is the "native Americans" are the ones who named it "squawfish" and are more offended about the "politically correct" name that was given to the squawfish by the white man. Lol
The reason Bonneville power is responsible to pay depredation from May Through September, in their system, is because the process of transition through the dams disorients the smolt leaving them easy prey for the pikeminnow for a few minutes as they leave the smolt chutes. I've met lots of natives on the river system in the past 20 years. They swear there are more of them but they are smaller now. They used to get so big they'd get caught in their salmon nets. Hence the term "squawfish". Not being wasteful, back then, they'd have the "squaws" process them while the "bucks" took credit for providing salmon for the tribe's people. There were far more waterfalls back then than hydroelectric dams now and the problem is actually not as bad now as it was before the dams were installed back in the 50s. Smolt going over waterfalls did the same thing to them as the dams do now.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Thanks for the photos. Never seen a mirror carp before. Very cool.

volfman Loc: New Braunfels, Texas

Ridiculous. Ridiculous!!! What harm is getting rid of a few invasive fish going to do? Coyotes have to eat too. Whether they eat eggs is up for debate, but one thing is not up for debate. Too many carp and they will devastate the water plants, and while eating those same water plants they will, and DO, eat the eggs of other fish species.

Put them back if you like. Eat them if you like. But they can be and are harmful to our environment in this country, and other animals here can always use a free lunch.

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

Probably make good fertilizer too.

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Just last week, watched an episode of the great show we have in the PNW , out of Portland.... Outdoor GPS, on the NBCSportsNW channel. Big segment on Pikeminnow. All the above by Catfish Hunter...on the money facts. Native fish, but used to be smallish, with far less appetite, before the alteration of flow by mainly Bonneville Dam (or the way my buddy spells it..."B-ville Damn"). And yeah, the PC Police "re-named" it. (We have Big Squaw and Little Squaw lakes nearby, as well as Squaw Mtn..... even the Native Americans don't want the name changed !)
The show had the ODFW official in charge of the program on, giving a short history and the particulars of the program. The host, Owin Hayes, mused that he had thus far, failed to get the "champion" Pikeminnow fisherman on the show, and has asked him multiple times to appear or at least, give an interview electronically...no dice ! This is a guy who "works" (lol) at it 5 months a year. Regularly breaks $100,000/year, $119,000 one year!
While there are very few who actually make a living at it, as their only income, MANY make $10-20k. The payout is $5/fish for the first 25, it scales up to $8/fish after 200, cumulative. There are "tagged" ones worth $500 each ! (Looking at CH's pic above, that might be one of those).
The long-term goal is NOT the total elimination (they ARE a native fish), just management of the SIZE, since obviously, bigger fish eat LOTS of salmon smolts, smaller fish...fewer. "We are simply trying to give the smolts a better chance", was the Director's point of view. A truly interesting approach to try to "fix" what man created by putting in the dams. Apparently the "big-uns" just sit below the outflow and gorge themselves on smolts that have been dis-oriented after going through the same....easy pickings.

Now then... WHEN ARE WE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR FOR THE SEALS (who eat adult salmon), THE CORMORANTS, AND MERGANSERS, who pick off the smolts resting in slack water, in preparation for heading to the ocean ??!! At this point, with those four predators, our hatchery plants are merely "feeding" them, with half of the smolts never seeing saltwater. Aaah, trying to "manage" wildlife... seemingly, an exercise in futility, imo, but I suppose kudos for trying, I guess. Man creates a dilemma (the dams) and then scrambles to fix it. The "myth of Sisyphus" in real life, huh ? Oh well, at least some folks are doing their best to mitigate the problems, I'm just glad they aren't ignoring it altogether.... it's our west coast "Red Tide", lol.
My reply, regarding carp....I'm one of those kids who came home with carp hanging off the handlebars, as well,... only to have Mom say "get those nasty things out of here, put 'em out near the garden, I'm planting peas and beans tomorrow" !

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Should have been "after going through the dam", not through the "same"...effin phone !