Pend Oreille River pike issue: updates, background, correction

FISHERIES — I’ve received several phone calls and messages following today’s update on the Pend Oreille pike fishery in my Outdoors column .

I’ve enjoyed catchign northern pike as much as many of you, but several pike enthusiasts say I’m a spokesman for the tribes who are actively controlling walleye and northern pike.

Well, I’m not. I’m merely reporting the numbers and facts as I get them. I’ve also reported the opposition to the efforts and the rates of fishing interest based on pike increases.  It’s there and more will come.

What my critics really mean is that I’m not ranting on their behalf.

These are the same people who are telling me that angry pike anglers are out there moving northern pike into all sorts of trout waters.  “There are pike everywhere now,” one man told me today.

Great.

Pike have been moved illegally to infest about 100 waters in Montana and people have been moving them illegally for years in Idaho.

Maybe the top question is this: If these selfish pitiful excuses for sportsmen have illegally moved northern pike into every water imaginable, what more do they want?

I’ll keep reporting the facts and I’m keen to share different opinions, but don’t ask me to respect anglers of that ilk.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

The newspaper print version of my Thursday outdoors column has a confusing error as updated the current effort to reduce the number of northern pike in the Pend Oreille River behind Box Canyon Dam.

I’ve corrected the error in my column as it’s posted on the web .

In giving the number for the bycatch of non-target species, I substituted “northern pike” for “yellow perch.”  Pike, of course, are the targt species.

Here are links to some of the previous stories and background I’ve compiled about the northern pike issue in the Pend Oreille River:

April 12 : Anglers encouraged to fish for pike .  (Includes public boat launch guide for Box Canyon Reservoir)

April 8 : Gillnets set to remove 5,700 pike from Pend Oreille River .

March 29 : Officials take stance against northern pike, ask for angler help .

Feb. 12: Northern pike forecast: fewer, farther between .

April 17, 2011: Biologist ponder options for PDO River pike boom .

April 17, 2011: Pike prompt three surveys on Pend Oreille River .

June 6, 2012: Pike boom in Pend Oreille River .

June 22, 2008: Pike explosion lures anglers, researchers .