Get paid to fish the Columbia and Snake rivers. 2023 pikeminnow bounty season opens

Annette Cary
·3 min read
4

The 2023 season opened May 1 for pikeminnow, the fish that earns anglers a bounty if they register first and catch them in the Columbia or Snake rivers of Washington and Oregon.

“Catch cash, save salmon,” says the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program. Pikeminnow are voracious eaters, feeding on young salmon and steelhead in those rivers.

Last year the top angler in the bounty program earned nearly $70,000 for turning in northern pikeminnow from May through September.

The top 20 payouts in the program were $20,000 or more in 2022, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The program pays $6 each for the first 25 pikeminnow; $8 each for 26 to 200 pikeminnow; and $10 for each after 200 for the entire year. Amounts paid for fish increased in 2022.

In addition, specially tagged pikeminnow are worth $200 to $500.

In all, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program paid out $1.4 million for pikeminnow caught and turned in last year.

Register daily for the Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program and turn in pikeminnow caught for a cash reward.
Register daily for the Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program and turn in pikeminnow caught for a cash reward.

The mouth of the Yakima River is one of the best places in the Tri-Cities to fish for pikeminnow, particularly in May and early June, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A registration station for the program opened Monday from 2 to 6 p.m. at Columbia Point in Richland. Also opening Monday were the station at the Columbia River Vernita Bridge rest area from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and a new station at Hood Park in Burbank near the mouth of the Snake River from 3 to 6 p.m.

On June 1, the Windust Park station by the Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River will open. The Ringold station near Pasco will not open this year because of lack of angler interest there.

To participate, register before fishing each day with forms available at boxes 24 hours a day at registration stations. Fish caught must be returned to the same registration station during operating hours on the date stamped on the registration form.

When pikeminnow at least 9 inches long are turned in, a voucher is issued that can be mailed off for payment.

How to catch pikeminnow

The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program recommends fishing in rocky areas with fast current near dams, islands, stream mouths, points, eddies, rows of piles, and ledges or bars in the river.

Most fish are caught in 7 to 25 feet of water where they are feeding on smolts, freshwater clams and crayfish.

They move to find prey and if you don’t have good results in 30 minutes to an hour, the program recommends moving up or down stream.

The top angler in the 2022 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program was paid nearly $70,000 for their catch from May through September.
The top angler in the 2022 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program was paid nearly $70,000 for their catch from May through September.

Fishing usually is best during low-light conditions, such as sunrise and sunset.

Information on fishing for pikeminnow with bait, plastic grubs or lures is posted at bit.ly/3LlfpaL.

Since the Bonneville Power Administration began paying for the program in 1990, the number of young salmon and steelhead devoured by pikeminnow has decreased about 40%.

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife collaboratively manage the program.

Full details — including where to register, tips for identifying and catching pikeminnow and how to get a $10 bonus coupon — are posted at pikeminnow.org. Information also is available by calling 800-858-9015.