The Fishin' Magician: Northern Pike on the Pend Oreille

I got a news release regarding northern pike on the Pend Oreille River, which is in the far northeast corner of the state. It seems that these fish, which migrated from rivers in Montana and are now showing up in the Columbia River near the Canadian border. The fish have been in the system since 2004 and have impacted populations of other species in the Pend Oreille.

As most of you know, northern pike are very predatory fish and there is real concern of them growing in population in the Columbia River. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposes to take some steps to curb their populations. They want to allow anglers on the Pend Oreille to use two rods and also demote northern pike from a game fish status to prohibited species, which specifies that they cannot be transported to state waters. I would assume that this change in status would remove any size and bag limits on pike, too.

These fish average 2 to 3 pounds in the Pend Oreille right now, but can get as large as 30 pounds. You can get the details on this release on the department's web site and I'll keep you posted on any other developments as I get word.