Nearly 1,100 northern pike heads collected, anglers earn $10,000

Anglers turned in 1,095 northern pike heads as part of the Colville Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife northern pike reward program this year. Collectively those anglers earned roughly $10,000, according to the December newsletter of the Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department.

The reward program started in May, 2017 and is part of the effort to reduce the number of the nonnative predators moving into the Columbia River system. Anglers earned $10 for each pike head turned in.

Six anglers earned the maximum yearly payout of $590, according to the newsletter.

The program will continue Jan. 1 2018 and go until Dec. 31, 2018.

To qualify for the reward, the pike must have been caught in the main stem Columbia River from Grand Coulee Dam upstream to the U.S.-Canada border, the Spokane River upstream to Little Falls or the Kettle River. Anglers should visit cct-fnw.com for program details.