Attention Anglers: The Northern Pikeminnow Management Program Sport-Reward Fishery 2024 season has ended. Thanks for an amazing year!

Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program

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Fishing With Lures

Angler with fishing pole and pikeminnow

An angler holding a fishing pole with a Northern Pikeminnow on the hook in the river, 2016. Photo by Isaac Lane Koval.

Any lure that can be fished near the bottom is a good choice for catching Northern Pikeminnow. Lipless crank baits containing rattles or diving crank baits with big lips are the most popular. Because Northern Pikeminnow are color-specific, try lures with blue, green, or black backs to find what works best.

How To Catch Them

From shore, cast upstream, or straight out. When fishing from a boat, anchor and cast, or drift and cast. If you’re using a sinking lure, count down to reach the proper depth. When using diving plugs, choose one that will at least dive close to the bottom. Actually bouncing the lip on the bottom is the most effective, because it is so easy to lose lures this way, it’s not highly recommended. Vary retrieval speeds to find what triggers the most strikes.

To troll, use the same techniques and fish the same structure as you would for walleye. Use a lure that dives close to the bottom. Look for bars or ridges in the river bottom, and ledges by islands. Troll at 2-3 miles per hour and downstream, but experiment to find what works best for a particular location or day. Many anglers have better results with higher speeds and sometimes with trolling upstream.

Contact Us

Pikeminnow Hotline

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
800-858-9015 Toll Free
360-906-6707
pikeminnow@dfw.wa.gov

Reward Voucher Information Line

800-769-9362 Toll Free
503-595-3297
vouchers@pikeminnow.org

Bonneville Power Administration 
Fish & Wildlife Department

503-230-3862
800-622-4520 Visitor Center

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THE PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION