Freshwater

Northern pikeminnow

Carpita norteña (pikeminnow)

Ptychocheilus oregonensis

Freshwater

At a glance

Typical size

1–3 lb.

Depth

5–40 ft.

Best time

Evening and night.

Found in

3 areas

Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.

Identification: Big minnow with a long, slim, greenish-silver body, a long pointed head, a big toothless mouth reaching to the eye, and a deeply forked tail; spawning fish get orange fins.
Typical size: 1–3 lb.
Maximum size: About 2 ft and over 7 lb.
Diet: Fish, including young salmon and steelhead, plus crayfish and insects.
Behavior: Gathers below dams and at the mouths of hatcheries to eat young salmon heading to sea.

Where, when and how deep to look.

Where to find it: Found from Pacific Northwest Rivers & Lakes, British Columbia and Rocky Mountain Trout Rivers. Rivers and lakes of the Columbia and Fraser basins in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.
Habitat: Rivers and lakes of the Columbia and Fraser basins in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.
Depth: 5–40 ft.
Fishing depth: Current edges and eddies, 5–20 ft.
Best season: May to September, during the reward program season.
Best time: Evening and night.
Best tides: No tide — in rivers, falling water after the rainy season is best.
Best weather / conditions: Warm summer evenings.

What to tie on and what to throw.

The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.

Also at Bass Pro Shops: Rod Reel Line Jigs Spinners Pliers

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Step by step, from first cast to landing.

Go where it lives: Rivers and lakes of the Columbia and Fraser basins in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.
Rig up: Medium spinning rod. Not needed.
Pick your bait: Nightcrawlers, salmon smolt imitations and cut bait. Lures: Spinners, small crankbaits and plastic grubs.
Fish it: Fish worms or small lures near rocky current edges and dam tailraces in the evening.
Time it: Evening and night. No tide — in rivers, falling water after the rainy season is best.

Fishing techniques: Fish worms or small lures near rocky current edges and dam tailraces in the evening.
BigJoe's tip: Serious 'pikeminnow pros' earn thousands of dollars a season from the reward program.
Catch and release: Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.

Edibility: Edible but not prized — strong or bony; many anglers release it.
Cleaning: Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.
Cooking suggestions: Bony; most are turned in for the reward rather than eaten.

Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.

Safety warnings: Strong currents below dams — wear a life jacket.
Regulations: The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program pays registered anglers cash for each pikeminnow 9 inches or longer caught in the lower Columbia and Snake rivers during the season (usually May to September), to protect young salmon. Check the program's current rules and stations. Licenses, limits and seasons are set by each province, territory or state, and many lakes and rivers have special size limits, slot limits or closed spawning seasons — check the current regulations for the water you fish.
Conservation: Native, but dams made it easier for pikeminnow to eat young salmon, so its numbers are being reduced.

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Sources & photo credits