Post by: Sumpnneedskillin on July 22, 2011, 03:02:52 PM
"A fisherman on upper Lake Roosevelt today caught a northern pike, a species fishery managers worry will spread further down the Columbia River system."
Post by: klickman on July 22, 2011, 03:34:35 PM
KLICKMAN
Post by: bearpaw on July 22, 2011, 04:35:22 PM
If pike populate the lower Columbia they could have a significant impact on salmon and steelhead smolt. :(
Post by: BLUEBULLS on July 22, 2011, 10:03:57 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on July 22, 2011, 10:59:00 PM
Post by: HornHoarder on July 25, 2011, 11:34:32 PM
Post by: huntnnw on July 26, 2011, 12:59:16 AM
Post by: PA BEN on July 26, 2011, 05:36:56 AM
I'm actually guiding right now up on the stretch from Northport to the border. Another guide up here was telling me that he caught 2 pike this spring between Northport and the border and had heard of a few others as well. Thats all that this stretch needs is an apex predator in it eating all the wild trout. God forbid they find their way down to the Okanogan or Methow stretches...Hope they like toilet paper. :chuckle:
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on July 26, 2011, 07:17:16 AM
they knew that was coming. How about some public support for a bounty program on the Pend Orielle River. I'd be the first to sign up!+1...unfortunately there are a bunch of folks here that want them around. Bad idea...
Post by: 10Key on July 26, 2011, 09:30:45 AM
But anyways, they are a voracious predator and would ravage smolts and other juvenile anadromous fish I would think.
Post by: teal101 on July 26, 2011, 10:53:08 AM
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on July 26, 2011, 11:07:55 AM
We have found suckers, pikeminnows, crawdads, perch, bass, trout....in a pike belly. They eat anything that fits in their mouth.
Post by: jordano on July 26, 2011, 12:41:27 PM
Post by: teal101 on July 26, 2011, 12:58:38 PM
the pike up here seem to feed mostly on perch but there are TONS of perch in the system. They will eat any fish that gets close enough. Salmonids are pretty susceptable to pike predation because they cruise more open water and are easy to ambush, which is what pike do.
We have found suckers, pikeminnows, crawdads, perch, bass, trout....in a pike belly. They eat anything that fits in their mouth.
The Musky in Curlew feed mostly on squaw fish and the stunted Largemouth there. In the colder months when they feed less Rainbow Trout make up a good portion of their diet. I know Musky are different than Pike, but both Esox. It would be interesting to see how many squaws the pike eat compared to salmonoids. Not saying the pike would help the Columbia, but it may not be as big of an epidemic as its being made out to be.
Post by: Jburke on July 28, 2011, 01:53:47 AM
Could be good, could be bad. Look at what the Tiger Musky eat. Usually rough fish like carp, squawfish, etc. It would be interesting to see what the Pike are feeding on in the Pond Oreille.HUGE difference between the two. Tiger muskie are genetically sterile. Pike are not. Tiger muskie are planted by the state in an attempt to control other species(tench, carp, etc.) and eliminate a stunted population(perch,etc.). Pike will eat anything they can get ahold of. They are ambush predators. In the PO they eat just about everything. The largemouth fishery's decline has been blamed on the pike. I personally love fishing for pike, but if they reach the lower columbia they will put an end to salmon and steelhead fishing the way it is now.
Post by: MLBowhunting on July 28, 2011, 02:44:49 AM
Post by: teal101 on August 02, 2011, 03:44:35 PM
Could be good, could be bad. Look at what the Tiger Musky eat. Usually rough fish like carp, squawfish, etc. It would be interesting to see what the Pike are feeding on in the Pond Oreille.HUGE difference between the two. Tiger muskie are genetically sterile. Pike are not. Tiger muskie are planted by the state in an attempt to control other species(tench, carp, etc.) and eliminate a stunted population(perch,etc.). Pike will eat anything they can get ahold of. They are ambush predators. In the PO they eat just about everything. The largemouth fishery's decline has been blamed on the pike. I personally love fishing for pike, but if they reach the lower columbia they will put an end to salmon and steelhead fishing the way it is now.
Pike and Musky are both ambush predators and will both eat anything they can get ahold of. They are planted to remove problem fish because theres so many of the problem fish it presents a greater opportunity for the Musky to eat them. The Musky in Curlew eat both Largemouth and Rainbow Trout which are NOT target species.
Tiger Musky are sterile and that is why they are used to control problem fish, their populations can be managed. Pike obviously are not. The Columbia has very few areas in which Pike could successfully breed. It would be interesting to see if the Pike mainly feed on trash fish that are in the river in greater abundance most of the time, or the salmon.