A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:11 am

Hey Don,
I say submit the "interim" rule right now as is since there are no objections or other ideas for slot limits. I just want to see something in place before another fishing season kicks off and some yahoo decides to keep 30 pike just because he can.

If you need any help Don, please let me know. I would be glad to help.

Lucius

muskyhunter · Post by **muskyhunter** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:25 pm

Hey guys,
Not trying to tweak anyone in the wrong way but here I go...Dont you all think it would be a better idea to have a list of people who are in favor of the rule that is supposedly "on the table". With no disrespect intended but it is one guy's proposal. It would look a hell of alot better having a group of folks signing for a rule addition rather than the 3 or 4 in this forum. I know when the size limit modification for the Tigers' was changed we had quite a few folks that were signing off on that issue. I know Don,that you are very effective on these rule changes. But it would look alot better with more backing on this. And besides I don't think the rule change could go in effect right now anyway. So I think we'd/you all would have time to do some homework on this item. Just one fisherman/outdoorsmans' opinion.

Don Wittenberger · Post by **Don Wittenberger** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:26 pm

You should discuss among yourselves what you want to do. It wouldn't hurt to put this issue on the agendas of the musky clubs' March meetings. In 2007, the deadline for submitting proposed rules was June 1, and it'll probably be the same this year. You don't want to wait until the last minute. It would be a good idea to firm up a proposal by early April to allow sufficient time for drafting and submission. I'm going out of town for a week and will see where things are with this issue when I get back.

muskyhunter · Post by **muskyhunter** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:37 pm

Uhm NO. Not in our group. Not right now anyway. We have plenty on our plate right now. Besides,the gent that started this thread could head up something. It was his idea. If we chose to do something in this area we and our membership would talk and vote on an issue before we brought this up to a public forum. And we would include him in this discussion.
Lucius has alot of man love for the Pike. He and you and eustace should head it up.
Buddy and I talked and discussed this situation so maybe you and he should talk..

Gone Fishin · Post by **Gone Fishin** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:10 pm

This is a great topic, I have been busy and have not been able to poke my head into this topic yet.

I do like the proposed interim rule. I would like to see all big pike released. As for the smaller pike, it would take some extreme circumstances to hurt their population. I think a daily bag limit of 4 or 5 below 30 inches is perfect. Will this stop the bass fisherman from throwing all of them on the bank, no, but it is a great start. Trust me when I say that there are enough pike in that river to sustain healthy populations even with moderate harvesting of them. I would like to see this happen so that they don't hit a point where they over populate and end up stunted. To sum it up.... I like the rule proposal. Bass fisherman will hate you for it, but they can get over it.

Now to the topic of the Columbia. In order for pike to make it to Bonneville they would have to travel and breed in the water from the PO river to that point. They can migrate a moderate distance but in order to breed they have to be near other pike. Theoretically like Don said, the pike have had access to the river the sloughs and any great breeding area in the columbia river. Problem is, if they can't breed in the Spokane river, they won't get very many fish into roosevelt. Even if they do get fish into roosevelt, they would not find success there either. Same reason they have never taken over long lake. The water fluctuation during their spawning period makes it difficult for them and there isn't the weedy, shallow structure filled water that pike thrive in. Where I am going with this is... Pike can migrate a moderate distance but if they don't have suitable breeding ground or enough fish to mate with, they won't thrive past that point. Pike can make it from CD'A to Long lake but not Long lake to roosevelt. What does this tell you? So if you are familiar with the Columbia from where the pike could enter it on down to even as far as roosevelt, how much suitable water is there for pike?

No matter how WDFW decides to manage it, it doesn't change the fact that the fish are in there and will eventually have access to other water. Whether it is a trophy fishery or a harvest them all fishery, they will still have access to those waters. Unless WDFW got real ratical and puts a large bounty on the pike, in an attempt to eliminate them, they are going to be there. If they are going to be there we might as well take advantage of the situation and have a little fun in the process. I work at a retail store that sells fishing gear, so I see first hand the affect this has already had on a large number of fisherman in the area. They are excited! This is becoming a very big deal for a lot of people. Interest in this fishery is soaring! This is another reason why I agree with the urgency of some sort of regulation up there. It doesn't have to be anything too radical but anything is better than nothing.

kevinb · Post by **kevinb** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:11 pm

I gots me sum serious "lovin" for pike too.

With what spare time I have,I'd be willing to donate sometime to this cause.

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:17 am

Gone Fishin wrote: I work at a retail store that sells fishing gear, so I see first hand the affect this has already had on a large number of fisherman in the area. They are excited! This is becoming a very big deal for a lot of people. Interest in this fishery is soaring! This is another reason why I agree with the urgency of some sort of regulation up there. It doesn't have to be anything too radical but anything is better than nothing.

Hey Gone Fishin,
Do you think you could get your manager (or you if you are the manager) of the retail store you work for to submit a formal letter stating what you just said in regards that the upcoming pike fishery has increase business within the store? The reason I say this is because I think that if the WDFW sees that the pike fishery is helping out local businesses (as someone stated earlier in this post) they will be more inclined to support this cause.

And send us some sign in sheets already about your pike tourney will ya

And yes I do have man love for the pike:-" But they are the reason I love all Esox:salut:

zen leecher aka Bill W · Post by **zen leecher aka Bill W** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:45 am

I think special regs for pike is kind of misguided. I also think it's wrong for a special interest group to promote regs for an illegally introduced species.

Next thing you know we'll have special regs for northern pike minnows, carp and snakeheads.

Post by **KUP** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:44 pm

Don't get me wrong, I love to fish for pike.
Made a few fly-in trips, north of Fairbanks.
But Riverman and aka Bill, I hear what you are saying.
Caution is the key here. I don't know how F&W is planning to manage this fish, if at all.

I am a Northwest native and the salmon and trout are my heritage fish.

I don't know what the answer is, I would only caution any plan be based on scientific merit.
Salmon is king here in the great northwest, and as a multi-species angler, I respect that.

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:09 pm

Bad news guys. I just received an email from the WDFW that says due to budget cuts, they will not be performing the Pike study on the Pend Oreille River this year. Furthermore they have been checking in on this site (in particular this topic) and said that an interim rule will not be supported because there is no scientific backing to the regulation and they want to get the regulation right the first time around.

It looks like it is up to the anglers to help promote catch and release of the larger pike for at least 1 more year if not more.

Post by **AdsBot [Google]** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 8:40 pm

Don Wittenberger wrote:Okay, we have a proposal on the table:

Bag limit of 4 pike under 30" per day
Bag limit of 1 pike over 50" per day
Pike between 30" and 50" must be released

How do the rest of you feel about this? I suggest submitting it as an "interim rule" to be in effect during the time it takes WDFW to complete their study and decide how they want to manage the fishery on a long-term basis. The explanatory statement submitted with the proposed rule would say this. That will increase our chances of getting WDFW and the Commission to go along with it. I'm willing to submit something in this cycle. Feedback? Comments? Suggestions? Ideas?

Don,
I like the proposal but I would rather see a bag limit of two instead of four. To me that is a good number. What do you think about that?

Don Wittenberger · Post by **Don Wittenberger** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:50 am

If WDFW opposes any rulemaking at this time, then we probably should limit our objective to preventing harvest depletion of the trophy fish until WDFW decides on a long-term management plan -- the fish that constitute the core of the sport fishery and will take years or decades to replace if they're wiped out. We already see signs these fish are economically valuable to local businesses, so it may help if those businesses get vocal about protecting this resource. I'll attempt to negotiate with WDFW to see what's possible.

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:46 pm

thanks Don. Like I said before thank God your on our side.

Post by **AdsBot [Google]** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:48 pm

During the spawning period which can last from 4 to 6 weeks it is important to release the little ones too.

Look at this statistic:

Northern pike in the southern parts of its range spawn occasionally at one year of age, while the majority spawn initially at two years (McClane 1998). In Minnesota 1% were one year old, 84% were 2-5 years, and 15% were over 5 years of age at spawning. Spawning migrations are variable but pike have been reported to migrate up to 25 miles in streams.

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:04 pm

Just to add to tollefs, here is some average growth information I found for ontario pike:

and just think that the new idaho state record pike was 48.5" and 39lbs 13oz by 7 years of age. If POR is similar to that of Coeur D'Alene Lake, that would be a huge benefit to the state of Washington

Post by **bad esox** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:36 pm

esox lucius can get up to 20 years old, yes?
It is interesting that the chart does not go that far.
I am reading it correctly?

Lucius · Post by **Lucius** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:23 am

bad esox wrote:esox lucius can get up to 20 years old, yes?
It is interesting that the chart does not go that far.
I am reading it correctly?

I can only imagine that the specimens that were documented were estimated at 13 years of age, but they can live longer. I found this article on the web. http://www.goldenpike.com/northern_pike.htm

.....Another myth concerns its age. The famous Mannheim pike was supposed to have been 267 years old. Actually, their average life span is closer to 10 years, although the occasional individual will reach 25 years old. Females grow faster and live longer than males. At the age of 3 years a northern may reach 24" and grow to 45" weighing 22 pounds by the age of 25 years.

I am sure as everybody knows their live span is dependent upon their environment.

Northwest Fishing Reports

A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River

RE:A Campian to get a Size and Daily Limit on Northern Pike on the PO River