One angler made a record-breaking $164,000 for turning in a northern pikeminnow caught in the Columbia or Snake rivers.
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Report Program seeks to reduce the number of pikeminnow that prey on juvenile salmon and steelhead by paying anglers for pikeminnow that they catch and report to the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife.
The 2024 program’s top earner surpassed the $107,800 earned by a single angler in 2023, as well as the 2016 annual earning record of just over $119,000.
For the first time in its 34-year history, the program closed early because the Bonneville Power Administration’s $1.7 million reward fund was depleted five days before the season’s end.
Fishing conditions were excellent this year, particularly in the lower Columbia River, and participation in the program increased slightly, according to John Hone, a fish biologist at the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Office in Pasco.
“Obviously it was a great season,” he informed me. “We have never had to close early.”
A popular new app that allows anglers to register for the program daily without having to drive to one of the registration stations, such as the one at Columbia Point in Richland, may also have contributed to increased participation.
Anglers who register for the reward program can earn up to $10 for each pikeminnow they catch and return, as well as a $500 bonus if they catch a specially tagged fish.
Between May and September 25, 2024, the top angler caught 16,150 pikeminnow. The second highest earner submitted 9,034 pikeminnow and earned $91,300.
According to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the top 20 earners received an average payout of $45,405.
Pikeminnow in Eastern WA
Pikeminnow are voracious eaters of juvenile salmon and steelhead, consuming millions annually.
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program seeks to reduce predator-sized northern pikeminnows between the mouth of the Columbia River and Priest Rapids Dam in eastern Washington, as well as the Snake River in Washington.
These stretches of water make up a significant portion of the juvenile salmon and steelhead migration corridor in the Columbia River Basin.
Northern pikeminnow are native to the Northwest, and the program’s goal is not to eradicate them, but rather to reduce their average size in the Columbia River system.
The program pays for fish caught that are longer than 9 inches, because larger pikeminnows consume more juveniles than smaller ones.
According to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the reward program aimed to reduce northern pikeminnow populations in the Columbia River by 10% to 20%, and it achieved that goal in 2024.
Since the program’s inception in 1991, more than 5.2 million northern pikeminnow have been caught as rewards, reducing pikeminnow predation on juvenile salmon by up to 40%.
The reward program has been more popular in the lower Columbia River than in the Tri-Cities area, but there are plenty of pikeminnow to be found upriver near the Tri-Cities, according to Fish and Wildlife officials.
Anglers have had success near the Tri-Cities in areas such as just south and north of Columbia Point Park in Richland, including Bateman Island; the Columbia River near the mouth of the Snake River; just downstream from the Vernita Bridge across the Columbia River; and the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.
The mouth of the Umatilla River, across the Columbia River from Plymouth in Benton County, was the best spot near the Tri-Cities for catching pikeminnow in 2024, according to Hone.
According to Washington Fish and Wildlife, any area just downstream of a dam can be a good place to fish, especially for those who do not own a boat.
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, in collaboration with the Oregon and Washington State Departments of Fish and Wildlife, administers the reward program. The BPA funds the program to help offset the impact of the Federal Columbia River Hydroelectric System on salmon and steelhead.
