Gill Netting pike in Roosevelt

[Ridgeratt]

Just like the photo in the Colville paper of the ones High and dry at Kettle falls last spring all of a sudden they might have a problem.

Article from last year:

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/nov/17/northern-pike-control-columbia-likely-be-stepped/

[TommyH]

The by catch was not small at all on the PO River. There were tons of Largemouth bass and other fish caught in those nets. They killed a lot of 5lb and bigger bass. The same will result on Lake Roosevelt when they start doing it full time.

 

Craig, you had or have a fishing guide service on the p.o.  So I can see your objections the cull/reduction of a species that was making you money. I personally enjoyed fishing for pike in the p.o. They are great table fair and fun to target. I wish I would have learned about it sooner and got to fish it more before the attempted removal/controll of the pike in the pend oreille. I would of liked to fish it more. So don't get me wrong I was Sad to see a good fishery removed. But stoping/controlling this species advance threw the river system is important and is huge in the possible reintroduction of native species that should be here.

So, Which species are you worried about in the nets?  Bass? Wallygaters? Sturgeon? Planted rainbows? Predator species limits have increased recently in Roosevelt and possibly more liberal limits to come. I believe they know/should know areas that pike will use to spawn. So I don't think sturgeon or species of real concern will be affected.

 

[KFhunter]

Gill nets don't miss and when the Kalispells set nets they caught a ton of bass as well on the Pend Oreille. They normally set the net's in the shallows were the fish have gone to spawn, But since they are dropping Roosevelt like a rock. I wonder where they are setting nets myself.

I would hate to see these fresh water wolves show up in the fishery but they are there. I guess since they aren't classified as a game fish in Washington and there are no catch limits perhaps this spring I need to target them.

I might have to break out my favorite lure for pike, betcha can't guess what it is 

[KFhunter]

On the nets I wonder how they do with the grass carp

[Roosevelt walleye]

What are the Native fish in Roosevelt? It is not a free flowing river like it was at one time but is now a lake so the fish that will thrive in the new habitat will change over time.
I think it is funny that so many think we can change the habitat in an area so drastically and keep the native species at the same levels. I have been an avid outdoorsmen in Stevens an Ferry Counties for 30 years and at one time a moose and turkeys were a rare sight, now I expect to see both on any given hike.
I am not a biologist but I would have to guess that the moose numbers have shot through the roof due to logging and changing the habitat in much of the area.

[KFhunter]

What are the Native fish in Roosevelt? It is not a free flowing river like it was at one time but is now a lake so the fish that will thrive in the new habitat will change over time.
I think it is funny that so many think we can change the habitat in an area so drastically and keep the native species at the same levels. I have been an avid outdoorsmen in Stevens an Ferry Counties for 30 years and at one time a moose and turkeys were a rare sight, now I expect to see both on any given hike.
I am not a biologist but I would have to guess that the moose numbers have shot through the roof due to logging and changing the habitat in much of the area.

The moose numbers are being rectified, pretty soon expect to see wolves on any given hike.

http://ecology.pnnl.gov/Fishes_Columbia_River.asp

[WAcoyotehunter]

The by catch was not small at all on the PO River. There were tons of Largemouth bass and other fish caught in those nets. They killed a lot of 5lb and bigger bass. The same will result on Lake Roosevelt when they start doing it full time.

 

source?

[YJ Guide Service]

Actually I'm over the removal on the PO river and not really worried either way on the by catch on Lake Roosevelt. I was more wondering what species they consider ok to remove with the Pike. I don't want them in the Columbia system at all either. We don't guide for them anymore, just muskie. The source on the by catch of largemouth is myself. I guided up there on a daily basis and watched them remove so many big bass I couldn't even count from the "Pike only gill nets" I can only imagine how many others were removed that we dont see. I am all for keeping them from making it to the Okanagan river which is a perfect habitat for them. I fish Pike now where they embrace and love the Pike (Canada). The weird thing is you catch 30 plus inch walleye and 40 inch plus inch Pike on a regular and daily basis plus other species and they all live together, weird LOL. If anyone thinks the Pike will be controlled in a body of water as big as the Columbia river you will be sadly disappointed. They haven't been able to control them in the PO river or they wouldn't be down this far already. Don't get me wrong this whole thing is very troubling and I fear there will be nothing the state or tribe will be able to do to control this situation. Until its proven they will decimate a certain species in the Columbia we are jumping the gun. I'm sure there is a body of water comparable to the Columbia somewhere where they have dealt with this situation and we need to follow their lead.

[Russ McDonald]

Actually I'm over the removal on the PO river and not really worried either way on the by catch on Lake Roosevelt. I was more wondering what species they consider ok to remove with the Pike. I don't want them in the Columbia system at all either. We don't guide for them anymore, just muskie. The source on the by catch of largemouth is myself. I guided up there on a daily basis and watched them remove so many big bass I couldn't even count from the "Pike only gill nets" I can only imagine how many others were removed that we dont see. I am all for keeping them from making it to the Okanagan river which is a perfect habitat for them. I fish Pike now where they embrace and love the Pike (Canada). The weird thing is you catch 30 plus inch walleye and 40 inch plus inch Pike on a regular and daily basis plus other species and they all live together, weird LOL. If anyone thinks the Pike will be controlled in a body of water as big as the Columbia river you will be sadly disappointed. They haven't been able to control them in the PO river or they wouldn't be down this far already. Don't get me wrong this whole thing is very troubling and I fear there will be nothing the state or tribe will be able to do to control this situation. Until its proven they will decimate a certain species in the Columbia we are jumping the gun. I'm sure there is a body of water comparable to the Columbia somewhere where they have dealt with this situation and we need to follow their lead.

This has come up some many times of the years.  I grew up in Minnesota.  There is Salmon in the great lakes we also have land locked salmon too, trout too, along with walleye, pike musky, perch almost anything you can imagine and they all live together.  In the 5 years that I have lived here the pike has been there same with walleye.  The ecosystem will balance it self out.  Plus that are mean suckers sometimes. https://www.facebook.com/606522146040659/videos/1314758595217007/

[Huntin Hounds]

There is no doubt in my mind that pike can live with other species without wiping them out.The problem I have is the other species will live at a smaller density. Myself and I believe the majority of Washington residents and tribal members would prefer not to have the other species reduced to make room for a fish that doesn't belong here.

Lets look at wolves as an example in Yellowstone. Wolves did exist there but were killed off because of competition and lack of social acceptance. Elk herds were rebuilt and those elk basically lived generations without a predator like wolves. They did have other predators cats and bears, but none that could reduce a population like wolves(pike). When the wolves were brought back in the elk had to learn how to coexist with them again after decades of evolving without them. It took years for the elk to learn new habits of evading and living with this new to them predator. The wolves did not kill off all the elk but they do keep the elk pop at lower densities than it would be without them.

Its not a perfect analogy but I think you get what I am saying. While wolves were actually a native animal to the region pike are not and they have no business being in Washington waters. On a side note though if we decide we need to have pike then I say we get some snakeheads too cause I hear they taste great and are a blast to catch. 

[WAcoyotehunter]

I wouldn't mind having pike and walleye in some lakes and available for anglers.  I enjoy fishing for them and prefer them over trout to eat. 

The Columbia salmon runs are just too valuable to mess around with a non native predator

[YJ Guide Service]

smaller density's don't always happen just cause the pike are in a body of water. Pike don't like deep cold, clean waters like trout and kokanee do. They prefer shallow, weedy, dirtier water. The Pike will feed more on the perch, walleye, smallmouth, and garbage fish in Roosevelt. The don't prefer to eat trout, and salmon and don't eat salmon eggs unlike the pike minnow which is not a Pike. Pike like slow, fatty fish. I'm not saying they don't eat them they just don't prefer those type of fish. That's why they have chosen certain areas on the PO river and Columbia. When the stomach content studies were done on the PO River on all 755 of them there was a handful of trout in the stomachs. Mostly perch, crappie, blue gill, suckers, tinch, smallmouth and others.The pike were blamed for the decline of trout in the river even though they weren't the ones responsible for it. No one ever considers the impact the smallmouth bass has on a ecosystem. The reason is because they don't have teeth like a Pike or Walleye. The biggest problem people have is they think pike just devour everything in the system, wrong or those lakes that have multiple species would only have one species Pike. 

[Huntin Hounds]

Here's a god read on pike from the great lakes. It sounds like they utilize lots of different habitat so could be difficult to know how they will do in Roosevelt. Maybe they didn't get many trout from those 755 cause there weren't many left. 

http://www.in-fisherman.com/pike-muskie/northern-pike/great-lakes-pike/

[Roosevelt walleye]

No need to worry about trout populations in Roosevelt, we pay to dump millions of them in the lake every year.

[MooseZ25]

Last year the pike that were being caught around the mouth of the Kettle River where full of the net pen raised trout.  I believe they released the trout around June or before and the pike loved them.  One pike a friend caught had seven trout in it's gut, like wolves they will eat what ever comes there way.