Northern+Pike

=The Northern Pike=

   The Northern Pike (also called the jackfish) gets its name from the from its resemblance to the pole-like weapon called a "pike" used mainly by footsoldiers in the middle ages. On average, they grow to a length of 28-47 inches and reach a weight of about 55lbs, feeding off of various species of forage fish and native fish and breeding excessively among eachother.

Northern Pike population spikes in Washington state are the result of illegal introduction and stock in Montana that migrated downstream by way of the Clark Fork River to Lake Pend Oreille, and from Lake Pend Oreille to the Pend Oreille River, then spreading throughout the river networks in Washington. Surveys conducted between 2004 and 2014 documented both a rapid increase of Northern Pike populations in Box River Canyon and a decline in the abundance of forage fish species such as native minnows and non-native sunfish, largemouth bass, and yellow perch. But over the course of three years, population reduction efforts have succeeded in removing over 16,000 pike with gillnets and 334 in Kalispel Tribe Natural Resources Department sponsored "Pike Palooza" fishing derbies.

In addition to these fishing derbies, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission has reclassified Northern Pike as a prohibited species everywhere in Washington state, legalizing the harvest of pike any size and with no daily quota or possession limit on the condition that the fish must be killed before leaving the body of water in which they were caught to ensure that their populations will not flourish further than they already have. Anglers find this invitation extremely appealing as these fish are not only fun on the rod and reel, but when filleted correctly, they make quite the table fare.