Do you Love to fish for Pike on the PO River

[YJ Guide Service]

We as Pike fisherman need to do something to help protect our PO River Pike fishery. If the state gets it way then the Pike will be come a invasive species which is not what we need. We need to protect this fishery and get the state to realize its a viable and money making fishery. We need everyone to atleast if you agree with my next statement copy and paste it and please sign your name and info to it and send it to lori.preuss@dfw.wa.gov We need the state to hear us. If we dont do something we may lose a fishery we all enjoy.

Dear Ms. Preuss,

I read with interest the WDFW public meeting announcements regarding changing of fishing rules last week. I would like to go on record as adamantly against any proposal that delists the northern pike as a game fish. Outside of largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing, the northern pike provides the only other sport fishing “game fish” in the Washington’s portion of the Pend Oreille River (Box Canyon Reservoir). Since the advent of the dams on the river, the Pend Oreille River has become a warm water river and has an abundance of warm water species (i.e. Perch, sunfish, crappie, tench, suckers, etc.) inhabit the reservoir which provide a smorgasbord of forage fish for any of the predators in the river including largemouth and smallmouth black bass, pike minnows and northern pike.



With the migration of northern pike downstream into the Box Canyon Reservoir, we’ve been unknowingly provided a very popular recreational fishing opportunity. Fisherman are very excited about this relatively new "game fish" inhabiting the reservoir. Unfortunately, I believe the WDFW and the Kalispell Tribe are “crying wolf” for no apparent reason. This is somthing that nature did and will continue to do as we cant stop the influx of fish from Noxin MT so why not learn to manage these fish as MT has. Your dept has said it cant remove all the fish so why waste money doing something you cant remove and embrace the fishery as a game fish. I would suggest trying to figure out how to keep the fish in Box Canyon and no where else.



I recommend the WDFW manage the northern pike as they would other game fish and predators such as the black bass and Smallmouth bass in the river. I dont understand why the Smallmouth bass is not considered a invasive species since it is also not a native species and eats trout and is reproducing as fast as the Pike in the river.

Sign your name and info