Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Skillet on December 18, 2024, 03:15:17 PM

Title: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Skillet on December 18, 2024, 03:15:17 PM: Not sure if you guys have seen this - the top earner this year crushed the all-time high. I look at that in terms of - 5 months of solid effort, very low entry barrier to overcome, very low expenses to operate.

16,150 fish turned in
$164,260 in revenue

Should be a pretty attractive hustle for those who could dedicate half a year to it.
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: RB on December 18, 2024, 03:53:22 PM: WOW! :yike:

Wonder how a person could get that many? Multiple rods? Hand Grenades? Sharks with Lasers on their heads? hahaha
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: metlhead on December 18, 2024, 04:28:48 PM: Net. Fished with a top earner years back in the Snake. Hard work just finding them. Good spot would produce about 60 fish a night. Do the math
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Bareback on December 18, 2024, 04:45:01 PM: Skillet, have u considered changing your target species?
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: actionshooter on December 18, 2024, 04:52:22 PM: I always wondered if there were multiple folks and only 1 person turned them in??
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: wadu1 on December 18, 2024, 05:04:57 PM: Do you get extra for tagged fish?
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Skillet on December 18, 2024, 06:05:54 PM: Quote from: Bareback on December 18, 2024, 04:45:01 PM
Skillet, have u considered changing your target species?

I think it would be pretty hard on my keel to work the pikeminnow drag :chuckle:
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Buckhunter24 on December 18, 2024, 06:16:17 PM: That's a lot of fish, must have a big aquarium at home :fishin: :chuckle:
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: slavenoid on December 18, 2024, 07:19:36 PM: If it's the same top guy as years back it was explained to me that he basically lives on a boat and never stops fishing. His wife would drive to town for food and supplies to keep him going. Not a side gig but more of a lifestyle to make that much.
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: bear on December 19, 2024, 02:30:58 AM: Guys on the Columbia long line for them. Weight, long line with hooks spaced out, and a bouy. Catch whatever. I’m sure walleye are a nice by catch.
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: birdshooter1189 on December 19, 2024, 06:53:11 AM: Quote from: wadu1 on December 18, 2024, 05:04:57 PM
Do you get extra for tagged fish?

Yes.

https://www.pikeminnow.org/

Payout rates are:
$6 per fish for first 25
$8 per fish for numbers 26-200
$10 per fish beyond 201

Verified external tags are worth $500 each
Verified PIT tag only fish are worth $200 each
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: birdshooter1189 on December 19, 2024, 06:55:36 AM: I've never participated in this program but I'd like to try it sometime. Last summer I caught a few pikeminnow as by-catches when I was targetting trout. None of mine were caught within the region that qualifies for the program though.
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: b23 on December 19, 2024, 07:45:20 AM: Quote from: Skillet on December 18, 2024, 03:15:17 PM
16,150 fish turned in

As a salmon troller I bet you'd love to be able to catch 16,150 Kings. Even if they avg. 8lb that'd probably be a pretty good season. :tup:
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Skillet on December 19, 2024, 08:55:21 AM: Quote from: bear on December 19, 2024, 02:30:58 AM
Guys on the Columbia long line for them. Weight, long line with hooks spaced out, and a bouy. Catch whatever. I’m sure walleye are a nice by catch.

This would be illegal for a sport fisherman to do anywhere in the columbia system. There is a company called Columbia Research that is contracted by PUD's upstream of Priest Rapid Dam to remove pikeminnow with longline gear a you describe, but the annual reports I've read indicate they're pretty good at targeting pikeminnow over bycatch. Just like me, I want to get paid to catch the fish I can sell, not have worthless fish occupy one of the hooks instead.
Title: Re: 2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program
Post by: Skillet on December 19, 2024, 09:02:40 AM: Quote from: b23 on December 19, 2024, 07:45:20 AM
Quote from: Skillet on December 18, 2024, 03:15:17 PM
16,150 fish turned in

As a salmon troller I bet you'd love to be able to catch 16,150 Kings. Even if they avg. 8lb that'd probably be a pretty good season. :tup:

About 5% of that number would make a pretty good king year for me! I've never had an annual average of less than 11# dressed weight per fish though.