.........I caught one of these a while back...fought like heck.....but yuck......I disposed of it, heard later that there used to be a bounty on them....what info does anyone here have on these fish?

When I was down on the Columbia fishing for Springers we hooked into a couple of sqauw fish. My friend, who I was fishing with, who lives in Kelso said there is a bounty on them. I guess they are considered a pest because they eat the salmon smolt and eggs.
I had never seen one before. It was my first time fishing the mighty Columbia.

HEY! REEL
Did it fight all the way back to the boat?
Most of the time they hit hard Fight for a couple seconds then Give up and fight like a wet sock.
They are D A M N bait steelers.
So stuff those B a s t e r d s in the paper shreder

The squawfish (northern pikeminnow for the politically correct)is pretty common all over the northwest and, in Washington, is found in the Columbia drainage and coastal and Puget Sound streams as well as some lakes. There was (may still be) a bounty on them in some parts of the Columbia due to their heavy predation of young salmon in the impoundments behind the dams.

those things stink!

they're just scavengers

There is still a bounty on them in certain sections of the Columbia. Believe there's an update on the program in the press release section of WDFW's site, within last week or so. Some folks have made almost a career of fishing for them!

Northern Squawfish or Northern Pikeminnow as they are now called are native and have become very effective predators on smolts since we made some very suitable habitat for them with the dams.

The Sport-Reward Program is now in full swing. There are several registration stations along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. For more information on the program you can call (360) 306-6707.

:p

stace
WDFW

Chehalis river has a good supply of these fish as well. Made the wrong comment to a buddy of mine in another boat, and it suddenly started raining squaw fish. This was back in the days before the PC police started ruining everyone's fun. Chronologically challenged, my a**! They're just old. Andy

Ms Kelsie....................I have caught these fish in a lake............no reward for the I assume...........but is it the Dams and piers that are homes for these fish?? I assume they attack fish as they make their way through dams or seek refude under shady piers............

do they have to be hatchery clipped to get the bounty?

When the dams were built it provided excellent opportunity for squawfish to prey on the little guys (smolts) as they out-migrate.

The dams and mouths of the tributaries that enter into the Columbia are great places to target them. If you need more info on the project you can call: (800)858-9015 or (360) 906-6707.

:p