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The Northern Pikeminnow

Northern Pikeminnow is a large western North American minnow with a varied animal diet. Adults use deeper parts of lakes and rivers as well as feeding areas closer to shore.

Range and Identity

Ptychocheilus oregonensis occurs in western systems including the Columbia and neighboring northern drainages. It is distinct from other pikeminnow species in the western United States. The river basin is useful context when interpreting a record labeled only with the general pikeminnow name.

Habitat and Behavior

Lakes, river pools and runs provide recorded habitat. Larger fish can occupy deeper water, while feeding observations may come from shoreward areas. A capture near the bank does not establish that an adult spends its entire life in that narrow shoreline strip.

Size and Life-History Records

Recorded foods include fishes and aquatic invertebrates, with differences among habitats and life stages. Eggs settle among gravel during reproduction. The compiled upper length is sixty-three centimeters total length. An inadequately supported mass is omitted rather than treated as a verified species or angling record.

Field Note

Keep the fish’s actual measurement and drainage with the record. A large-minnow label alone can conceal both species differences and uncertainty in reported size.

All Lakes With Northern Pikeminnow

Browse lakes and reservoirs with documented Northern Pikeminnow records, listed alphabetically. Records do not establish current abundance or public access. Check the evidence and managing authority for the water you choose.

Showing 1–24 of 956 lakes · Page 1 of 40

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