Squawfish tournament

[muskieguide]

Hey all,

I was thinking about trying to put on a tournament this summer on the Willy. Maybe a weekend tourny or something. 100% payouts and prizes and such. It would do the river good and could be a lot of fun. Thought about this a while ago and never got around to bringing it up. I take the kids out in the summer here in town and we routinely catch 20 or 30 in a short period of time and even some giants up to 30 inches. Anyhow, what are your guys'/gals' thoughts on this? Figured this would be a great opportunity, especially for all those who can't make it up to the Columbia. Figured the tourny would be open to the Willy and all tributaries with a big bbq on the second day at a park in Corvallis or Albany

 

[Modest_Man]

Uh...what good will it do?

The pikeminnow bounty is only on the Columbia for a reason, and limited to pikeminnow over 9". Personally I think it's a terrible idea.

Pikeminnow are a native species that have just as much a right to be in the rivers as any salmon or steelhead. They only become an issue when dams turn a flowing river into stagnant pools, like on the Columbia.

Now, if you want to hold a tourney for carp, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill, golden shiner, walleye, mosquitofish, banded killifish, green sunfish, warmouth, black crappie, bullhead catfish, or yellow perch (all non-native invasive species found in the Willamette) I'd be all over it.

Sorry for raining on your parade but this is something I feel pretty strongly about. Pikeminnow have a very bad rap from the Columbia sport reward program, when in reality they and salmon have lived together for tens of thousands of years without issues until man came along and screwed it up. Removing them out of undammed tributaries does absolutely nothing to help out salmon and steelhead. I cringe everytime I see dead pikeminnow (and largescale suckers, and peamouth, and chiselmouth) tossed on the bank.

 

[OnTheDrop]

Very informative post MM.

Tis true. Even though the little punks are a menace.. They have their role.

 

[DrTheopolis]

Yeah, a tourney to slaughter native fish (whose offspring are food for salmon and steelhead smolts) sounds pretty evil.

 

[muskieguide]

Fair enough. Keep forgetting where I am. Sorry for offending you

 

[halibuthitman]

Well, it could be catch and release with biggest fish in a photo, sounds fun. Its a fish thats willing to bite, and i know there are certainly some anglers on this forum that could benefit from that trait.. Just sayin-

 

[jamisonace]

The wrestling team in Lowell does one on dexter res every year. Lots of fun and they catch tons of fish they turn into crab bait. If it's legal I'd be all for it. It might not be for everyone but I bet there are plenty of ppl on here that would do it.

 

[muskieguide]

A biologist agreed with the idea when I talked to him last summer. The only reason BTW that there's only a bounty on them in the Columbia is because it's put on by BPA and they have no vested interest in other rivers. The bounty is on them because they eat salmon and steelhead smolts. They are also not native. They are an invasive species. Do your homework before criticizing me. I think it would be a fun event for everyone either way if it's C&R or crab bait. If nothing else, I know a bunch of good ol boys who are willing to drink some beer and catch some squaw's with me.

 

[Modest_Man]

A biologist agreed with the idea when I talked to him last summer. The only reason BTW that there's only a bounty on them in the Columbia is because it's put on by BPA and they have no vested interest in other rivers. The bounty is on them because they eat salmon and steelhead smolts. They are also not native. They are an invasive species. Do your homework before criticizing me. I think it would be a fun event for everyone either way if it's C&R or crab bait. If nothing else, I know a bunch of good ol boys who are willing to drink some beer and catch some squaw's with me.

:worthy:

They're native. They even have the word "Oregon" in their scientific name. Ptychocheilus oregonensis

 

[troutmasta]

The wrestling team in Lowell does one on dexter res every year. Lots of fun and they catch tons of fish they turn into crab bait. If it's legal I'd be all for it. It might not be for everyone but I bet there are plenty of ppl on here that would do it.

If its legal, I'm in.

Beer and fishing sign me up!

 

[eugene1]

:worthy:

They're native. They even have the word "Oregon" in their scientific name. Ptychocheilus oregonensis

^this is correct. muskieguide, you should double check what that biologist told you.

Best,

 

[fish4life]

So, letme see if I have this right they are native to Oregon but not the Columbia river. In the Willamette river they provide food for salmon smolt but in the Columbia river the salmon smolt are food for them. not making much sense to me, not trying to cause trouble just saying. No limit on number of fish that can be takin, one would think there is plenty of them in the river to justify a bag like that?

 

[Modest_Man]

They're native to all of Oregon, and a lot more of the US. The Columbia used to actually be a river before all the dams were put in. Now it's more like a lot of large lakes. Pikeminnow do well in calm, stagnant water, while salmon do not. Salmon smolts evolved to be literally flushed out of the systems with the high spring flows, which no longer happen on the Columbia. So there is an over abundance of pikeminnow in the stagnant waters of the Columbia, who prey on smolts that back up behind dams.

There is no limit on them (and many other native species) because they're not considered a game species. Just because there is no limit on them does not mean it's morally justifiable to catch and kill them in systems where they're not doing any harm. The science behind the pikeminnow sport reward program is sketchy at best, but that's for a different discussion.

 

[bass]

They're native to all of Oregon, and a lot more of the US. The Columbia used to actually be a river before all the dams were put in. Now it's more like a lot of large lakes. Pikeminnow do well in calm, stagnant water, while salmon do not. Salmon smolts evolved to be literally flushed out of the systems with the high spring flows, which no longer happen on the Columbia. So there is an over abundance of pikeminnow in the stagnant waters of the Columbia, who prey on smolts that back up behind dams.

There is no limit on them (and many other native species) because they're not considered a game species. Just because there is no limit on them does not mean it's morally justifiable to catch and kill them in systems where they're not doing any harm. The science behind the pikeminnow sport reward program is sketchy at best, but that's for a different discussion.

+1

I think man has shown time and time again which orifice our collective heads are up when it comes to trying to manage species to "fix" the balance of nature.

 

[DrTheopolis]

In the Willamette river they provide food for salmon smolt but in the Columbia river the salmon smolt are food for them. not making much sense to me

It's because the trip down through a dam leaves smolts dazed and confused, and unable to defend themselves against predators. The dams have also tipped the scales in favors of the pikeminnow, and LARGE adult (14"+) pikeminnow take advantage and feast on salmon and steelhead smolts. In non-stagnated-by dams, free-flowing rivers, the pikeminnow smolts/juveniles provide way more food for young salmon than the negative effect the large adults have on eating salmon/steelhead smolts.

Hope that helps.

I used to be an ignorant "kill them all" barbarian, then I learned better. I (try to) safely release all pikeminnow, suckers, peamouth, and all native species unharmed, since that's what young salmon eat.

 

[B.W.SINNER]

it sounds fun to me lol its almost pointless to post,stuff like that on this site you alway end up in someones crosshairs! the durby they have at dexter every summer makes for a great weekend with the kids. dexter is so infested with squawfish its crazy you can stand on the bridge and look at the water below and see thousands of the damn things

 

[DrTheopolis]

dexter is so infested with squawfish its crazy you can stand on the bridge and look at the water below and see thousands of the damn things

A healthy native fish population is an "infestation"?

 

[muskieguide]

Again, I apologize for offending the hippies on here. I will save my ideas for people who stand when they piddle. Have a good day

 

[jamisonace]

I wouldn't call the population of squawfish in dexter "healthy". Overpopulation is a problem with many species. Dexter and probably other bodies of water are an example of squawfish overpopulation. Just because it's native doesn't mean one cannot describe it as an infestation.

A healthy native fish population is an "infestation"?

 

[Modest_Man]

Again, I apologize for offending the hippies on here. I will save my ideas for people who stand when they piddle. Have a good day

I handled over 21,000 fish from the Willamette this last season, and many of the invasives were "harvested" for parasite load analysis, stable isotope analysis, and genetic analysis. Nothing "hippie" about it. Kill all the invasives you want, let the natives go. Pretty simple.

Fun quiz, over 50% (11,500) of the fish handled were just two species, both native. Any guesses as to what two?