An angler claimed nearly $160,000 in less than six months this year, simply by catching loads of northern pikeminnows in the Pacific Northwest’s annual salmon-saving program.
The 2025 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program’s top angler netted 15,715 of these predatory fish.
Northern pikeminnow are a native species, but they were given the upper hand with construction of the Columbia and Snake rivers’ system of dams that slowed migration of young salmon to the sea. With that natural imbalance in place, larger pikeminnows gobble up millions of young salmon every year.
This year’s highest earner, who was not publicly identified, nearly doubled up the runner-up angler, who landed a little over 8,000 pikeminnow to claim $81,380. The next couple of finishers earned more than $60,000 each during the five-month season that opens on May 1 each year.
The all-time record was set last year, when a single angler claimed $164,260 by catching more than 16,000 northern pikeminnow.
Sport-Reward Program Details
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program currently pays out well over $1 million to participating anglers each season.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which operates the river system’s massive network of hydroelectric dams, pays for the program to help reduce the impact to the river’s famous salmon and steelhead runs, some of which are threatened.
Other agencies that help manage the program are the Pacific States Marine Fisheries, the Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife, and tribes.
The program began in 1991 to reduce predation on juvenile salmon and steelhead, known as smolts, which are vulnerable as they migrate downriver toward the ocean.
The sport-reward fishery operates annually from May 1 through September 30, with occasional extensions. Anglers must register daily at designated stations or via a mobile app and return fish fresh on the date of registration to be eligible for payments.
Catches of these native pikeminnow made outside of the program area are not eligible for payments.
The program pays up to $10 per qualifying fish. Anglers also can earn bonuses of $200 or more for specially tagged northern pikeminnow.
So far, anglers have removed in the neighborhood of 6 million northern pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers. Biologists say that has reduced predation by up to 40 percent.
Be sure to check out all requirements at the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program website, which is the primary source for this article.
How to Catch Northern Pikeminnow
Some of the best places to catch pikeminnows are along rocky shorelines, especially where structure breaks the current near dams, eddies and river bends.
They may move throughout the season but are most often in water between 7 and 25 feet deep in the Columbia and Snake mainstems.
Natural baits including anchovies, shrimp, salmon eggs and worms are go-to options. Soft plastic lures such as grubs can also be effective.
Try fishing in low-light or nighttime conditions when pikeminnow are most actively feeding and often move into shallower water near shore.