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[tumbleweed]

Hi, I live in Abbotsford and am looking to take my 3 year old and five year old out fishing. Is there anywhere close by that we can catch some pikeminnows. We caught some in Vernon on a recent holiday and they had a blast.

[Rodney]

They are abundant anywhere along the Fraser River. From Abbotsford, the closest area where you can access from shore is most likely underneath the bridges in Mission/Abbotsford. Just be aware of which bridge you are fishing under/nearby. If you are fishing downstream from the CP Rail bridge, you need a tidal fishing licence. If you are fishing upstream from it, you need a freshwater fishing licence.

[tumbleweed]

Thanks for the reply. I live about 10 minutes from the bridge so that is perfect. What should I be using to catch them. We were using cheese in Vernon. I just set them up with a bobber a hook and some cheese and it was non stop action.

[HOOK]

basically anything with scent will catch pike minnows LOL they are annoying that way  I would say roe, worms, single eggs and anything else would work. I have even caught them alot on lures (Rodney does also ALOT) but i havent targetted these things since i was a little kid and they sure filled the gap waiting for my bell to ring 

[Rodney]

You can basically use the same bait (cheese) to target these fish. Keep in mind that there is fair amount of current in the Fraser River, even at Mission/Abbotsford so using a bobber may not be so practical unless you can find a little shallow bay that lacks the current. A cheaper bait would be small pieces of bread. I like to make up a dough from water and flour. Some flavour, such as curry, added into the dough makes it work even better. Dew worms may cost you a bit more, but they stay on the hook better in the current.

[tumbleweed]

So can I rig them up with a weight and a hook and just let the bait sit on the bottom? How big do these fish get? Thanks for the replies.

[Rodney]

Yep, a single bottom rig would be a sliding weight on the main line, swivel and a leader. Personally I prefer a bar rig, with the weight on the bottom and a leader tied onto the main line about 1ft above the weight. This anchors the weight and bait better on the bottom.

The fish size varies, from 6 inches to 20 inches. Most of the fish that you will encounter are most likely in the 6 to 10 inches category. The odd bigger fish will emerge at times.

These are filmed near the Fraser mouth, but it gives you an idea on how big or small they are:

Big: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Qcl4V5-z4

Small: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOJVIiY_ybk

You'll also find some peamouth chub mixed in between the pikeminnows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNx3R-WEwoM

[BwiBwi]

Another way of rigging up is float 3 way swivel one to hook one to weight.  You'll need to adjust float depth but most of the near shore area of the Fraser is about the same depth.

[tumbleweed]

Went out tonight with my five year old son and we caught 4 pikeminnows and one bullhead. He had a great time.

[stlucio]

Went out tonight with my five year old son and we caught 4 pikeminnows and one bullhead. He had a great time.

hello tumbleweed, where about did you fish? i live in mission so i guess i could do some pikeminnow fishing too.
what tackle, bait, method, did you use? 

[tumbleweed]

Hi Stlucio, we went at the end of walters road just above the bridges on the abbotsford side. We were using dew worms and weight on the bottom. Good luck.

[stlucio]

Hi Stlucio, we went at the end of walters road just above the bridges on the abbotsford side. We were using dew worms and weight on the bottom. Good luck.

few more questions tumbleweed,

what time of the day did you fish? and how long did you fish for?

how big were they? how heavy?

thanks.

[tumbleweed]

We went for about two hours. The fish where about 10 inches. I don't know the weight. But it is was fun for me and my son.

[stlucio]

We went for about two hours. The fish where about 10 inches. I don't know the weight. But it is was fun for me and my son.

awesome. thanks a lot.

[oni_kage]

there were literally 100's of them at the laidlaw exit. I was cleaning a salmon and they swarmed the guts downstream in 4" OF WATER!!! I left the salmon for 2 minutes and I came back and they were ACTUALLY INSIDE THE BELLY! IT was insane! While waiting for a friend I would fish for them using salmon innards. When they became less frequent, i would dip some of the liver in the water and create a blood trail. Within a minute they would come rushing back.