Ran up to Arrowrock yesterday to see if anyone was doing well up there. Talked to two fishermen, neither of whom had caught a single trout or kokanee. They had trolled all the way up the South Fork and back. Caught more pikeminnows than they could count. The reports are true: they have taken over a previously terrific fishery. A few years ago it was one of Idaho's best fisheries. I sure hope the F & G addresses this issue. Mike
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I hope F&G does too.
I wonder if a tournament with $$ for largest fish by weight and most fish caught would even put a dent in the squaw population up there?
I'm afraid Lucky Peak will be next.
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Sorry to hear about the pikeminnow takeover. I caught my first one when I was fishing oxbow for the first time. I think oregon pays a bounty for pikeminnows. Anyone know more about that?
Windriver
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Actually it is the BPA (Bonneville Power) that pays for the pikeminnow bounty. They pay for pikeminnows caught in the Columbia and the Snake up as far as Hells Canyon. They pay $4 for the first 100 you catch, then it jumps up to $5, and then $8. If you catch a tagged one, it will pay $500.00. Don't think you will get rich doing this, however. Lots of people have tried, but only a few can make a living doing it, and they work hard at it, and know the river well. By the way, the fish have to be at least 9" long. I think it is a good program considering how many salmon they devour. They are native, but the little guys could evade them when the river was running free, but they have targets on their backs when they are trying to work their way down dead water behind the dams.
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Is that $4 each? Thanks for the info very interesting.
I wounder if similar programs would be useful for removing trash fish from other reservoirs instead of killing the whole lake off.
Windriver
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Yes; $4-8 each. If they instituted this at Arrowrock, I would suddenly become independently wealthy! I think the most economical method--and least harmful--is to do what they have been doing at Cascade Res. They placed traps in the river feeding it (North F. of the Payette) and remove them on their spawning run. It has been very effective in getting rid of them.
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It would seem that somebody could make $100 pretty easy in a morning. I'm curious, has anybody targeted these fish just for the bounty? If so, what is the most someone has made in a day?
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hey BMURR here is a little something that i found for you hope this works.
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Regarding your question, BMURR, as you can see by the recent posting of a poster, some people try to make a living off of the bounties. The two best, according to the Bonneville people, make about 40,000 a year. Before you get excited, these two guys fish it from dawn to dusk 7 days a week. So it is not easy money, and of course there are costs involved. Mike
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