Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: huntwriter on April 20, 2008, 07:47:35 AM
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Last fall fishing for pinks on the Fraser River I reeled this fish in. What is it? I am not very knowledgeable about the fish species here in BC and looking it up in the fish species identifying book yielded no results.
So finally I thought that perhaps someone here could answer me what fish species this is. Thanks!
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g221/huntwriter/fraser_river_fish.jpg)
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Northern Pikeminnow
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Agreed.
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Thanks DragonSpeed.
These fish were very aggressive. Every time I reeled the spoon in these fish would follow it as the spoon came close to shore. Each cast I made would result in one f them getting hooked.
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One of my favorite species, soon to be the number one gamefish in the Fraser Valley. ;)
(http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profile/image/northern_pikeminnow.jpg)
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profile/northern_pikeminnow.html
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Thanks Rodney.
You write in the fish profile "The northern pikeminnow is not usually targeted by BC anglers due to its poor eating quality." I took two home and found that they taste not to bad but boy do they have a lot of very fine bones. :o It makes for some very slow and careful eating. As a child I once choked on a fish bone and ended up in the hospital, been paranoid about fish bones ever since.
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This is a picture I took of one of the boys I kept. It's almost identical of the one Rodney has in the fish profile. :)
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g221/huntwriter/pikemineow.jpg)
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why would you want to keep that! They taste like a dumpster!
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why would you want to keep that! They taste like a dumpster!
Some folks think bass taste like dogfood and I happen to like them too and so are many others.;) I guess tastes differ from one person to the next. The only reason I never want to eat another one is because of all the small bones. But since I took two pikeminnow's home I WILL eat the last one too, simply because whatever I catch or shoot will end up on the table.
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huntwriter, the taste of particular fish species is culturally dependent. Northern pikeminnow in fact, as you have mentioned, has fine white flesh that is perfectly edible and has its own unique flavour. There are two factors that draw people away from eating these. One is that we are spoiled with the availability of pacific salmon in this part of the world (our obsession/addiction to them will be or is driving them to extinction). The second one, as you have mentioned, the amount of fine bones in a northern pikeminnow. Those who grow up in an Asian background such as my parents do not mind eating northern pikeminnow, because these fish are relatives of what are commercially available in Asia (common carp, grass carp, etc). My parents used to make them into soup, while I have friends who prefer to make them into fish cakes by grinding both the flesh and fine bones.
Also, I just like to point out one thing. ;) It is not a good idea to retain a fish for eating when it is not identified for several reasons. One is that it might not be legal to retain it. Although it is not salmon, trout or sturgeon, there are in fact species in the minnow family that are protected in British Columbia. Native exclusively in the Fraser Valley, salish suckers are highly endangered. Although a salish sucker and a northern pikeminnow have distinct features that set them apart, their bodies look almost identical with one quick glance. Second is that eating an unknown species can be dangerous. One should find out what it is and whether it is edible or not before consuming.
poper, don't taste a dumpster.
Some folks think bass taste like dogfood and I happen to like them too and so are many others.;)
Love eating smallmouth bass, as long as they are kept early in the season before they retain the muddy taste, which is the same with rainbow trout in lakes. :)
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Personally I think it was a poor decision to retain two unidentified fish. If they were a protected species or a species your not allowed to keep you would probably feel pretty bad. In hunting that would be a huge no-no. The same rules should apply to fishing.
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Here is a link for a description of Salish Suckers maybe Rod could add the species to the fish profile section.
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~schluter/stickleback/Salish_sucker/Salish_Sucker.htm (http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~schluter/stickleback/Salish_sucker/Salish_Sucker.htm)
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After reading this post I'm wondering, are there pike(northern pike) in the fraser river? One would think so if there are pike minnows. if not why are there just pike minnows?
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Rodney – Having traveled extensively around the world, including lived and worked several years in China (what a beautiful historic country and nice people). I understand perfectly what you’re saying about cultural diet habits. I have eaten things from around the globe that we here not even know exist, let alone eat them. ;D
Dion JL – Appreciate your concern. I was pretty sure that I didn’t catch an endangered or protected species. Wherever I go fishing or hunting in the world my first task is to totally familiarize myself with the identification of protected species. I therefore knew that this fish was not a protected species because I could not find its image and description listed in the pocket booklet that I made of protected fish here in BC. As a traveling hunter and seminar speaker I cannot afford to make "mistakes" that could tarnish my name and reputation. ;)
To sumarise. I was fully convinced that it is not a protected fish but still didn't know what fish it is. This has now been answered here. 8)
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After reading this post I'm wondering, are there pike(northern pike) in the fraser river? One would think so if there are pike minnows. if not why are there just pike minnows?
Northern pikeminnow and northern pike are in two different families and not related to one another. NPM is not the juvenile stage of NP.
Northern pikeminnow belongs in the minnow family, which consists of peamouth chub, various species of suckers, carp, etc.
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This particular species was also known in past times as the squaw fish but that's not politically correct anymore due to the fact that european cultures in North America used this word in a derogoratory/offensive fashion
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I agree with Huntwriter that the pikeminnows are very aggressive. My brother and I were fishing for pinks last season when something slammed his spoon hard. We were shocked that it was a pikeminnow.
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i caught a 3-4 lber on a really big bass spinnerbait, surprised the helll outta me, about 8' from my boat too!
ss abnik
That is in a nutshell what happened to me. As you can see in the picture I used a fairly large pink croc spoon. Each time I reeled in and the spoon came close to shore the fish would literally fall over themselves chasing the spoon. The one in the picture is by no means the biggest one I caught.
Each cast produced a hit, after about an hour of this I got bored with it. I was after pinks, but hey what an evening I had on that day.
Now that I know that Northern Pikeminnow are that readily available in the Fraser River and that aggressive I may just head to the river again soon.
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Good to see someone else who also has the same interest on northern pikeminnow. ;) This is in fact a favorite pastime of mine warm during summer evenings, especially July and August when water clarity improves after freshet. We usually like to head down to Steveston, which is only 5 to 10 minutes from my place to lure these predators. :) Obviously these guys do not fight like a 6lb salmon, so we like to downsize our tackle by using ultralight spinning rods, the smallest spinning reels, 4lb test line and 1/8oz spinners.
Unlike anadromous salmonids, northern pikeminnow are in fact long-living fish. The big ones that you catch are up to a couple of decades old. There seems to be a overwhelmingly large population of them simply because there isn't a commercial demand on this species.
Here are some photos from last year. I look forward to this just as much as the trout or coho season. :)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-1.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-2.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-3.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-4.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-5.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080420-6.jpg)
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why would you want to keep that! They taste like a dumpster!
Wrong! My youngest insisted that we eat the ones we caught on the Thom last summer. Although I had heard tales that they were palatable I had my doubts. But Kids are Kids and I do not discourage young anglers, mine or anyone else's. So I pan fried those pike minnows. My daughter tried the first one and said it was good. My wife tried the second and also said it was good. Then it was my turn, with my mind saying gross and my taste buds saying not bad, I managed to get one down. When you gets fast the negative programing you will find they taste every similar to cod but extremely Boney.
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Pikeminnow (AKA Squawfish) are edible and not even as bad as some trout and char I've eaten around here. Dion is being heat bag for saying you killed a fish that will suicidally take your bait or lure like a Pikeminnow will. The Pikeminnow will be on planet earth long after were all gone.
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Dion is being heat bag for saying you killed a fish that will suicidally take your bait or lure like a Pikeminnow will.
What Dion, and I, are pointing out and reminding all readers is that one should not retain a fish that is not identified, as specified in the regulations. Fortunately in this case, it was a northern pikeminnow, which is allowed to be retained (20 per day). Remembering this will prevent anglers from killing a unidentified fish species that actually cannot be retained and being fined by fisheries officers.
The Pikeminnow will be on planet earth long after were all gone.
European settlers also once said the same thing about atlantic cod and pacific salmon. :)
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:)
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not sure if its the same fish but the way people in Indonesia cooks it is by using pressure cooker to crush all the bones and make it into a nice dish , perhaps this will be applicable to this kind of fish
http://www.ncc-indonesia.com/imgncc/bandeng%20presto2.jpg
you can eat the whole thing if its cooked this way
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Couldn't tell the difference between northern pikeminnow and peamouth chub except the size,anybody knows?
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Couldn't tell the difference between northern pikeminnow and peamouth chub except the size,anybody knows?
Both are closely related and resemble each other, but there are features that set them apart. The best one would be the mouth. A northern pikeminnow has its jaw line extending to just below its eyes. Its a predatory mouth design. A peamouth chub has a mouth that is found on a carp or goldfish, it protudes when feeding. It is also significantly smaller than a northern pikeminnow's mouth. Here are two photos of peamouth chub.
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080421-1.jpg)
(http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/fishingwithrod/2008/080421-2.jpg)
Northern pikeminnow also grow much larger than peamouth chub. Peamouth chub rarely grow beyond 10 inches in length, while northern pikeminnow can reach several lb.
In case people have not seen them, these ID cards can be downloaded, printed and carried with you when fishing on the Tidal Fraser for these fish.
http://www.fishingwithrod.com/fish_profile/file/tidal_fraser_id_cards.pdf
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you get em on the fly too.
(http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/DSC00082-1.jpg)
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Rod, you might be on to something here. Perhaps a group could be formed to look into enhancing PM's thoughout the lower mainland, especially Cultus Lake. Gold Hammered Croc would make a good champion for this ....
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Hey Rodney I checked your fish ID cards out. Great job you did. When I cam to Canada I searched for all the fish that were endangered or protected, then I searched for pictures and descriptions. Once I had all that information together I made similar cards as yours. Each time I catch a fish that I did not know I just had to look through the cards to see if it is a endangered/protected fish.
That was the reason that I knew the Northern Pikeminnow was a legal fish even if I at the time did not know its name.
Rodney- "Good to see someone else who also has the same interest on northern pikeminnow".
I am not that avid a fisher as many of the fine members here. My forte is hunting. So when I go fishing I like action, otherwise I quickly get bored with it. Lol.
Hence my love of bass fishing, pinks during the run and now Northern Pikeminnows. I am sure as time goes on and I learn more about BC fish species I will find more action fishing.
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Great photos!
I didn't realize they got quite so big - so far I have only caught little ones on the Fraser North Arm with a bait setup. It would be great to go after them with a fly but I guess the water clarity on the Fraser is not good enough for that - any opinions on fly fishing for these guys? Even though I am a still a relative newbie at fly fishing with limited success, I really enjoy fishing this way and I would like to target more species closer to home using this technique.
(Yes, I know - the question is best asked in the fly fishing section but since this is part of this thread...).
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Water clarity is not so much an issue in September, August, or even July sometimes after freshet ends. In fact, we have done fishing with artificial lures in June for bull trout at North Arm with good success. Bait fishing has a tendency to hook up smaller fish and you'll find that just about all the fish you connect with on big lures and flies are big.
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Rod, in Steveston do you get any of those NPM's in the brackish/saltwater? Just curious
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Rod, in Steveston do you get any of those NPM's in the brackish/saltwater? Just curious
Why? You need more fish to tag? ;D
There are many, especially between July and September. If the water isn't so plugged with peamouth chub, you would be getting them on every cast.
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This has been a great thread. I will definetly have a go at targeting them with a lure or a fly in the summer months. Its a very nice alternative to trout because the Fraser North Arm is so close to home.
Last year I was fishing for chubs and I sometimes noticed larger fish slamming my float from time to time. It always happened just as the sun was going down so I guess they are more bold at that time of day. It must be these Pike Minnows if they get so big . Next time that happens I might even try to put a dry fly out - just to see what happens.
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Why? You need more fish to tag? ;D
Would be interesting if you did get one of my tagged ones down there.
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You know it is early in the fishing season and everyone is "chomping at the bit" to get out there when a pikeminnow generates 3 pages of discussion ;D ;D ;D
I just wanted to to add that Northern Pikeminnow makes for a GREAT sturgeon bait in the Lower Fraser. My thought is that since many of the traditional sturgeon food such as Euchelon and salmon are in great decline they are forced to find alternative food. Perhaps they always feasted on these rather offensive smelling fish....who knows, but last year I did extremely well using them. I would fish for them in the early morning using worms, quickly kill them and use them fresh as bait. They worked like a charm when nothing else seemed to.
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Last year I was fishing for chubs and I sometimes noticed larger fish slamming my float from time to time. It always happened just as the sun was going down so I guess they are more bold at that time of day. It must be these Pike Minnows if they get so big . Next time that happens I might even try to put a dry fly out - just to see what happens.
Some of these larger fish slamming on the surface are definitely northern pikeminnow, but depending on the time of the year, they are very likely to be large bull trout. Heading down to North, Middle and South Arms in June, you'll often see these large boils on the surface during an outgoing tide. They're feeding on outmigrating salmon smolts, eulachons and whatever small minnows they can find.
Usually the water clarity isn't great in June because of freshet, but somehow we have had outings when we would connect with a dozen bull trout on lures. The water visibility would only be around 6 inches, but the vibration on the spinner has done the trick so far.
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In Germany we called this fish "Barbe". In English "Barbel or Barb". In Latinum "Baurbus Barbus".
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Rod, you might be on to something here. Perhaps a group could be formed to look into enhancing PM's thoughout the lower mainland, especially Cultus Lake. Gold Hammered Croc would make a good champion for this ....
Good idea Dave,
I'd need someone to spearhead the project so I could use your guidance. ;)
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Northern Pike are rare in BC , but can be caught in most lakes in Canada. Growing up in the prairies I have caught my share of northern pike or Jacks as they are also called. Most are around 2 to 3 pounds although it is not uncommon to catch a monster 20 pounder. Whether they are 2 or 20 pounds they put up a pretty good fight. They also taste great fried in butter - especially if deboned.
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Pike definitely aren't bad table fair. If you have someone who knows the native method of deboning them all the better. Pike minnow previously known as the Sqawfish isn't quite as good. Germans probably would eat any fish drenched in sour cream and say it was wunderbar.