Pike living large in Handle

Northern pike still attract a following at Panhandle waters, with potential state record fish still lurking in several waters, including Lake Coeur d’Alene, biologist Jim Fredericks said.

Asked why Idaho lakes don’t seem to have the overpopulation of “hammer handle” pike that plague Montana waters, Fredericks said: “We have fairly high harvest rates on pike – we have anglers who like to eat them. They keep them thinned out and that’s why there’s always somebody catching one in excess of 20 pounds.”

Idaho anglers can put more pressure on their pike waters than anglers in Washington’s stretch of the Pend Oreille River behind Box Canyon Dam, he said.

“We have a population center around our pike waters and a lot of interest in winter fishing,” Fredericks said. “Pike are quite vulnerable to ice fishing. That helps keep the densities down. You can’t do that in the Pend Oreille River.”

The Panhandle’s highest pike densities are in the lower Coeur d’Alene chain lakes, topped by Killarney Lake. Lake Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Lake produce nice northerns, and Twin Lakes produced a state record two years ago.