alfafish
12/4/2018 8:09:03 AMI was out in my kayak yesterday trolling for Cutts near the launch, only got one after a couple hours so my buddy and I decided to have a go jigging for perch up the eastern shoreline. Got quite a few then I also got a nice 12.5" Crappie, followed by a couple more perch and then a nice 2 lb Smallmouth. The perch, crappie and SMB were all at the bottom in 50-55 feet of water.
JoshH
12/4/2018 8:49:36 AMYea the bottom fish is a pikeminnow. I've heard from a few folks that the past week Sammamish has been fishing tough. Great report!
ElginFishing
12/4/2018 9:48:27 AMThanks for giving the God's Tooth some work! I too have understood the fishing has been tough recently. Thought I would share a few options. The perch, 50/50 blue, pink, orange and silver shiner also work very well at Sammamish. You can also fish using the spoons without a dodger and do very well. Lastly, you can use the normal God's Tooth rigging (choosing fast or slow setting) with a 14" leader and attach to a dodger. Sometimes, I have to use these different approaches when the fish are finicky. Thanks for the great report!
rmrauscher
12/4/2018 10:58:51 AMHow long were your leaders? Cutties really seem to like shorter leaders, 12" range.
FishingTenor
12/4/2018 12:36:40 PMHey rmauuscher, I learned last summer to shorten my leaders on Sammamish. I was using 8-12”. Maybe they were too short.
FishingTenor
12/4/2018 12:50:23 PMYes without doubt it was a northern pike minnow. Thanks guys.
Jake: The pikeminnow was very tasty. I thought it was kinda sweet and moist, but it had branches of small bones throughout that made it treacherous to eat. My dad told me to take the leftovers away. It was just too labor intensive to separate the meat. Someone said you could boil the pike and those bones would soften up to nothing...The Crappie was soft and smooth as butter without the small bones. I would do it all again to enjoy the calm serene water and chase down some nice fish for dinner.
Jake: The pikeminnow was very tasty. I thought it was kinda sweet and moist, but it had branches of small bones throughout that made it treacherous to eat. My dad told me to take the leftovers away. It was just too labor intensive to separate the meat. Someone said you could boil the pike and those bones would soften up to nothing...The Crappie was soft and smooth as butter without the small bones. I would do it all again to enjoy the calm serene water and chase down some nice fish for dinner.
robert53a
12/4/2018 4:01:05 PMHi, not a white fish. It's a creek chub and considered a trash fish, but fun to catch none the less.
FishingTenor
12/4/2018 9:18:47 PMThanks robert53a for your input. To my eye, that fish matches exactly to the norhern pike minnow, but I will admit that the creek chub does have a similar look. Except for the treaturous branch-like bones it was a tasty fish. One I would not throw in the trash. I am just wondering where these fish are coming from. Growing Up in the area we caught perch, bass and Kokanee. Never saw a cutthroat or crappie or northern pike minnow or creek chub.
hewesfisher
12/5/2018 7:30:26 AMIt's a pikeminnow, see this link for definitive identification - http://www.pikeminnow.org/how-to/how-to-identify-a-northern-pikeminnow/how-to-tell-a-northern-pikeminnow-from-a-peamouth
kennthhz
12/7/2018 5:47:32 PMisn't pikeminnow too poisonous to eat? I remember seeing reports of pikeminnow containing too much toxin.
FishingTenor
12/7/2018 7:54:33 PMHey kennthhz, We survived eating the pike minnow, but that might explain the falling out of my hair and the excessive digestive issues.
Just kidding. Maybe you are referring to the northern pike in Lake Superior...?
Just kidding. Maybe you are referring to the northern pike in Lake Superior...?
stevertd2010
12/8/2018 3:20:49 PMThis is from the Department of Health in Washington State.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/MercuryAdvisories
"Women who are or might become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children:
Don't eat Northern Pikeminnow."
There isn't a specific recommendation on Pikeminnow for Sammamish. However they do not recommend eating any out of Lake Washington due to PCB's.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/MercuryAdvisories
"Women who are or might become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children:
Don't eat Northern Pikeminnow."
There isn't a specific recommendation on Pikeminnow for Sammamish. However they do not recommend eating any out of Lake Washington due to PCB's.
FastActionGS
12/16/2018 3:44:09 PMcongrats on the great day Larry! here is some background on why pikeminnow is not supposed to be eaten.
pike minnow, like perch, eat literally everything. I mean like everything. I've caught them on bare hooks, they've bit my split shot, a bunch of different things. the reason they say not to eat them is because they divulge on things that contain toxic stuff like mercury and such. the fish wont kill you, but eating a ton may be tough from places like Lake Washington where more toxins are present.
tight lines!
pike minnow, like perch, eat literally everything. I mean like everything. I've caught them on bare hooks, they've bit my split shot, a bunch of different things. the reason they say not to eat them is because they divulge on things that contain toxic stuff like mercury and such. the fish wont kill you, but eating a ton may be tough from places like Lake Washington where more toxins are present.
tight lines!
FishingTenor
12/7/2018 7:55:08 PMHey kennthhz, We survived eating the pike minnow, but that might explain the falling out of my hair and the excessive digestive issues.
Just kidding. Maybe you are referring to the northern pike in Lake Superior...?
Just kidding. Maybe you are referring to the northern pike in Lake Superior...?