Northern pikeminnow sport-reward season extended through Oct. 11 at six stations

Washington is holding the 2026 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery open past the usual end of September at six registration stations. A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife news release dated Sept. 21, 2026, out of Ridgefield, lists Cathlamet, Washougal, Stevenson, The Dalles, Boyer Park, and Swallows Park as open through Oct. 11. Every other station still closes after Sept. 30, as originally planned.

Bonneville Power Administration funds the program, which pays anglers for northern pikeminnow — a native fish that eats juvenile salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake. Eric Winther, WDFW’s pikeminnow program manager, said the extra days give anglers more time to earn rewards in a productive part of the year. The point is not to wipe the species out. The annual target is to take up to 20 percent of the larger, predator-sized fish so the population shifts toward smaller fish that eat fewer smolts. If that 20 percent mark is reached, the season can shut at every station before Oct. 11.

Since the season opened May 1, anglers have turned in more than 116,000 qualifying fish. The leading angler has earned $132,960 on 13,062 fish. The pay ladder is $6 for each of the first 25 fish, $8 for fish 26 through 200, and $10 for every fish after 200. A tagged fish can pay as much as $500. Anglers must register each day they fish, either at a station or in the Pikeminnow Registration app. A qualifying fish is at least 9 inches, caught inside program boundaries, and turned in fresh the same day at the station on the registration. Only a personal catch counts. A valid license and state rules still apply. The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission handles payments. WDFW runs registration, the check stations, and tagging, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife supports the research. Station hours, maps, and catch data are at pikeminnow.org or 800-858-9015.

Photo: WDFW.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: WDFW — 2026 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery season extended at select locations (Sept. 21, 2026).