2024 Pikeminnow Bounty program

[Skillet]

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.

[RB]

WOW! 

Wonder how a person could get that many? Multiple rods? Hand Grenades? Sharks with Lasers on their heads? hahaha

[metlhead]

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

[Bareback]

Skillet, have u considered changing your target species?

[actionshooter]

I always wondered if there were multiple folks and only 1 person turned them in??

[wadu1]

Do you get extra for tagged fish?

[Skillet]

Skillet, have u considered changing your target species?

I think it would be pretty hard on my keel to work the pikeminnow drag   

[Buckhunter24]

That's a lot of fish, must have a big aquarium at home   

[slavenoid]

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.

[bear]

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.

[birdshooter1189]

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

[birdshooter1189]

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. 

[b23]

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. 

[Skillet]

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.

[Skillet]

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. 

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.