Any pike, muskellunge, pickerel around the Willamette Valley?

V
Vlad
Are there any snakehead, pike or pike related fish around where I live, (Salem)?

I'v wanted to catch them since I was a little kid.

Any information is great.
 
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GungasUncle
GungasUncle
Nope, very few waters in Oregon with pike or muskie. Washington has more pike waters, as does Idaho. You just have a bit of a drive if you want to catch the snakes.
 
B
BaldTexan
It's a bit of a drive but if you could make a weekend trip up to Lake Coeur d'Alene in the panhandle of Idaho for good Northern Pike fishing. There are lot of VERY large 30 + lb. snotty snakes in that lake. Fish for them like large mouth bass. Large plugs and large spoons cast into flooded weed beds. They explode on baits and lures aggressively. Boat loads of fun!
 
V
Vlad
Thank you! :worthy: I have family in Spokane,WA half hour from Coeur d'Alene i'll defiantly bring my gear and check it out next time I visit
 
B
BaldTexan
You'll love it. Use big lures or big baits. They are a ton of fun to catch. A lot of surface exploding acrobatics. Just thinking about it makes me want to plan a trip up there next summer.
 
K
kerrydaleherring
Vlad- over in the Phillips reservoir they have been putting a cross breed tiger muskie in that water to control yellow perch I believe that its catch and release for them now but in a couple years given if the population flourishes we will be able to keep them...
 
H
halibuthitman
silver lake west of Spokane has a very prolific population of Pike, and Newman lake east of Spokane has some unbelievable Tiger Muskie fishing. I fished for them several times, and found the Hype to be anticlimactic when I finally caught a couple, ive been told that the native Pike in Canada and the upper Midwest fight much better than planted muskies.
 
B
BaldTexan
halibuthitman said:
silver lake west of Spokane has a very prolific population of Pike, and Newman lake east of Spokane has some unbelievable Tiger Muskie fishing. I fished for them several times, and found the Hype to be anticlimactic when I finally caught a couple, ive been told that the native Pike in Canada and the upper Midwest fight much better than planted muskies.

I have never caught a tiger musky so I can't comment on the fighting antics or ability of those crossbreeds...I mean hybrids. I have caught large northern pike and can attest that they put up a tremendous acrobatic, tail walking, head shaking, absolute fit, not unlike a 3 year old in the grocery store!
 
M
muskieguide
I've guided on all 7 lakes in Washington with the tiger muskies and the above stated places are a blast. If you want something a little closer, Merwin and Mayfield have huge populations of very big fish. Merwin is east of Woodland and Mayfield is east of Chehalis. Lake Tapps is by far my favorite though. If any of you ever head up to fish em, PM me first and I'll tell you what you need to know to catch em.
 
S
Socaaron
Sounds like they could be fun fishing, my friend from minnesota goes on about how much fun they can be
 
B
BaldTexan
muskieguide said:
I've guided on all 7 lakes in Washington with the tiger muskies and the above stated places are a blast. If you want something a little closer, Merwin and Mayfield have huge populations of very big fish. Merwin is east of Woodland and Mayfield is east of Chehalis. Lake Tapps is by far my favorite though. If any of you ever head up to fish em, PM me first and I'll tell you what you need to know to catch em.

Sweet? Lake Tapps near Tacoma? That's not too far at all. I'll definitely plan a trip up there in the spring! I've only fished for Northern Pike in the summer with largemouth bass gear (mostly crank baits and very large spoons). Pretty much the same for tiger musky?
 
M
muskieguide
That's the one. Mid-late June is best time to start hitting them there. I actually use a lot of bass gear for em and in-line spinners. 7" rapalas, spinnerbaits, seinkos, and basically anything that looks like a perch or suckerfish will work. I've even caught em sight fishing with nightcrawlers
 
CARPCOMMANDER
CARPCOMMANDER
I own property with the longtom through it for about half a mile so i fish like 4-7times a week.. i dont have any pictures though
 

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