The Pike fishery that was Pend Oreille River

[Shooter McBobcat]

About 14 years ago I used to catch awesome big pike in that river.  Many 5 pounders.  Several over 9 pounds.  I met a man from Tennessee who traveled all the way up here to catch big pike.  Then WDFW said they were going to pay the tribe millions to kill all the pike and establish the river for redband trout.  The river is warm and slow and weedy which makes it terrible habitat for redband trout.  You know what fish love warm, slow water with lots of weeds?  Northern pike.  I attended WDFW public hearings where they claimed to listen to our concerns.  Regardless, the decision was made to pay the tribe millions of dollars to gill net all the pike including what would have been the new state record pike. 

Today all the pike are dead and I drive past the river often and no one is fishing.  There are no tourist dollars coming to the desperate towns along the river.  I feel it's a tremendous example of government waste and mismanagement.  When I have tried fishing it, I never see or catch any redband trout.  I've caught a few bass and a few small yellow perch.  I can only dream about the big pike that we once caught there.  I feel that an amazing pike fishery that brought revenue and visitors to NE Washington was ruined for no reason other than a government boondoggle and bureaucratic failures. 

I would love it if one of you could explain to me how I'm wrong.  Someone tell me how it was still the right thing to do.  I'd love to not be angry and bitter and frustrated about that river.

Cheers. 

[MtnMuley]

Thanks for the story. I'd forgotten about that one. It wasn't a fishery I fished, but remember the attack on another warm water species. Just one of the countless million dollar decisions made I shake my head at. Seems to be more and more these days. It's actually hard to pay attention with so much drama throughout the entire fish and wildlife program these days.

[Bunny Thumper]

It’s pretty simple. Pike are voracious predators of salmon and steelhead smolts. The Columbia River and tributaries have numerous runs that are endangered. The last thing they need is another invasive predator.

[Henrydog]

I fished it a fair amount, it was fun.  But carrying capacity issues would have wrecked the population anyway.  There were simplify too many pike.  I look at pike like wolves. 

[HUNTIN4SIX]

I didnt see the point either, now i do  They even killed alot of bass.  Bass fishing is still great.  Pike have actually moved into the Columbia now which was the fear.  I also think it had to do with the bull trout population.  The funny side note is the tribe has a bass hatchery on the river.

[Wetwoodshunter]

I understand that you are morning the loss of a fishery that you participated in. As a person with a fisheries biologist background and seen the introduction of Northern Pike firsthand in Ak. Introduction is one of the worst invasive species that could possibly be introduced in a river system. Generally they decimate fry populations as the fry try to shelter in covered areas with mild river flows which is optimum for pike to thrive in. As fry in any other stretch in the rivers move through those areas during outmigration they are heavily predated on.

One of the leading causes to Alaska’s current salmon chinook problems is Northern Pike. Lots of people over the years have planted the pike in non-native areas for extra fishing opportunities. Give them 30 years and they crash the salmon runs.

They have similar impacts on other salmonids and trout species in unconnected systems. E.g., lack of fish ladder at Chief Joseph Dam

[metlhead]

Above those dams, let the pike be. Until the watershed is returned to it's natural state, salmon and trout are on the losing side of survival anyway. Billions$ wasted for em. If they spread downriver, even better. I just wanna fish and pike seem a lot better that short ultra restricted fisheries that are crowded where everyone fights for the last salmon. Spoiler, the sea lion eats it. Now to start dumping in stripers!