Where did all the pike fishermen go?

[Larry3215]

No pike reports for 2021???

What happened to all the pike guys this year? Nothing bad I hope!

[harleypiker]

The tribal gill nets wiped us out from Roosevelt to Lake Pend Oreille, Id. Along with a lot of bass, walleyes, trout, etc etc.

[Larry3215]

That sucks! Ive got a trip to Coeur d'alene set for next month. Did they wipe it out too? Chain lakes? :(

[harleypiker]

There was news of netting pike in the south end of CDA lake and claimed to be releasing them on the north end.
I fished the chains this July and got only 4 in three days. It was pretty HOT so that probably was the slow bite. Perhaps better now?

[Larry3215]

Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.

[harleypiker]

Thank you. I'd appreciate that as I was thinking of one more trip to the chains yet this fall

[Larry3215]

We will be heading up Oct 13 for 4 days. We are not exactly the worlds best pike fishermen, so dont take our probable lack of catching as the final word. ;)

[harleypiker]

Not to worry. My moniker is "fishing is 98% luck and the rest is all skill".

[Hippocampus]

1 pike, Hayden Lake, May 28. 18". As it is the only posting I am on the leaderboard for 2021. Seriously though to answer some of the comments in 2021. They are Gill netting the south end of lake Coeur d'Alene in Indian reservation controlled waters. They are no longer transporting the fish to the North end of the lake to release, instead distributing the fish for consumption. Chain lakes have been slow for me this year for Pike. I met someone who, sadly, said he took 9 pike out of Killarney on Oct. 16. Judging by the gut piles in the water at the ramp someone has been doing their best to kill all the pike in Killarney. Hopefully the regular posters to this forum make a return next year, always enjoyed reading their posts.

[harleypiker]

I assumed they were no longer transporting the netted pike north. Typical pattern; mollify the fishermen by saying they are managing the fishery one way or another and then smooze into "full management".
I fished Killarney early Oct. and caught 7 pike in a half day of fishing. Got lucky and hit a rain event during that time and they were biting good.
2 to 4 pounds. I have caught 8 in Id. and one in Roosevelt this year. I don't even want to brag on 9 maybe being top number so far this year. And no muskies in 5 days of fishing this year for them.

[Fish-N-Fool]

So the reason I have not posted is I don't want the (_,_) holes at F&G to get any info on how or where to find more fish to kill. That being said, I have been catching a few fish, but I have had my worst year for Pike and Bass in the last 25 years. I have been Pike fishing Montana mostly, and I'm up over 50 fish on the year, but I will keep the exact number to myself. I must say it is a far cry from the quanity and quality that we had here in Idaho just 2 or 3 years ago. It is a sad state of affairs what we have let them do to our fishery. In the Pend Oreille system alone, they have killed over half a MILLION fish of all species in just Idaho!!!! That's not even counting the fish killed in The Washington part of the river, or the fish they are killing in other Idaho lakes!! They are killing both LM and SM Bass by the thousands as well as the Pike, Walleye, and Trout. I think the F&G are a lot like the Nazi's of WW2 that think they can kill anything they don't like, no matter what anyone else thinks. There is no science behind what they are doing, it is all fueled by the millions of dollars they are making by killing our fish. So like the Nazis of WW2, we need to do what ever it takes to stop them.

[harleypiker]

To All You Pike Haters,
I watched a 'Monster Fish" TV show two weeks ago wherein he was trying to catch monster catfish in France.
They would only bite at night but France outlawed night fishing to protect their precious PIKE POPULATION!!
Are you listening F &W Idaho and WA! He had to get special clearance from the local authorities to fish
at night. They obviously learned from WWII how to combat the nazi's!!

[harleypiker]

goodness, someone has to post a 2022 pike report. not one pike on roosevelt this year. just dozens of walleye. the gill nets are better fishermen than I. enjoyed idaho chain lakes last week netting 8 pike up to 5 lbs. in two days. wanted to go back but got shoulder surgery last week so everything is winterized. other pike news?

[farmer_aa]

I think Fish-n-Fool has a good point about being vague on details, and I think the gillnet project is why it's been quiet here. I did catch 15 on a recent fishing trip. That's all I have to say about that.

[harleypiker]

Can you say WA or ID?

[farmer_aa]

ID. Neither state is in my good graces for their policies towards pike management, but I haven't bought a WA license since the PO River first saw the gill nets. Now that the Salmon Recovery dollars have made their way upstream into Idaho, I don't have any nearby waters entirely free of gill net competition. But as they say on Fly vs. Jerk, "we keep fighting!"

[kevinb]

I "think" most of us are still around but keeping reports more limited due to the removal/netting. I would love to say more but I also expect an error message to pop up as it seems this website is having serious issues and no point it trying to be helpful when the post doesn't show up. If the problem gets fixed, many including myself will be more helpful.

[kevinb]

I "think" most of us are still around but keeping reports more limited due to the removal/netting. I would love to say more but I also expect an error message to pop up as it seems this website is having serious issues and no point it trying to be helpful when the post doesn't show up. If the problem gets fixed, many including myself will be more helpful.

[kevinb]

Okay, so now it doubled. The pike fishery is a hot topic, just look at previous posts from years ago. It's unfortunate but reality. Pike are still very much here but suppression efforts have certainly hurt or been successful depending on your point of view. I use to travel from Puyallup to the POR and CDA for northerns quite regularly but it's just not worth it for me and I'd be better going to Montana or Alberta, however, the folks much closer. It likely still has a lot of value. Ironically, my son says he wants to go back for pike in North Idaho and frankly, I would love to meet up with the folks from the North Idaho Pike Association. Of the few pike guys I talk to, they are networking more and keeping reports offline but that is a microcosm of northern pike anglers as a whole.