For most anglers and spearfishers, getting paid to fish sounds too good to be true. On Lake Pend Oreille, it can be a reality through the Angler Incentive Program.
Fish Lake Pend Oreille and earn cash through the Angler Incentive Program
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Anglers and spearfishers can earn cash rewards by turning in lake trout and walleye heads
The scoop
Anglers and spearfishers who catch and turn in the heads of any walleye or lake trout from the lake are eligible to win cash prizes, but the process is different for each species.
At any given time, roughly 60 walleye in Lake Pend Oreille carry tiny tags placed by Idaho Fish and Game biologists. Each tagged fish is worth $1,000 to the individual who catches it, representing a total of $60,000 in potential rewards swimming in the lake. In addition, for every walleye head turned in, an entry is earned into a monthly drawing for ten rewards worth $100 each. Think of it as a raffle, where each walleye head is a raffle ticket. The more tickets you have in the hat, the more likely you are to win. In addition, the more walleye heads you turn in, the better your chances of both winning a monthly drawing and landing one of the lake's $1,000 tagged fish.
Lake trout rewards are even simpler. Every lake trout head turned in earns a $15 reward—turn in 100 heads and you'll receive $1,500.
Why the AIP matters
The AIP helps Fish and Game manage Lake Pend Oreille's diverse fisheries, which includes trophy rainbow trout, kokanee, bull trout, lake trout, walleye and many other species.
Lake trout and walleye are effective predators, and without proper management, both species can reduce kokanee populations.
Kokanee are a critical part of Lake Pend Oreille's, because they support the lake's world-renowned trophy rainbow trout fishery while also providing popular fishing opportunities of their own. Anglers interested in learning more can watch:
- Managing Walleye and Lake Trout in Lake Pend Oreille
- Managing Fisheries in Lake Pend Oreille
- Lake Pend Oreille State of the Lake presentation
The AIP for lake trout began in 2006, and thirteen years later the incentive program was expanded to include walleye. Anglers have earned approximately $1.5 million in rewards from lake trout since 2006 and roughly $125,000 from walleye since 2019. Over the past year alone, lake trout anglers earned approximately $32,000 and walleye anglers around $23,000.
The AIP is funded by the Clark Fork Settlement Agreement through Avista. The overarching goals of the CFSA include the protection, mitigation and enhancement of fish and wildlife populations and associated habitat within the lower Clark Fork River-Lake Pend Oreille Basin.
Rob Ryan Mitigation Staff Biologist with Fish and Game said, “Anglers and spearfishers participating in the AIP have played and continue to play an instrumental role in Lake Pend Oreille kokanee recovery. Walleye are also a real challenge for maintaining balance in Lake Pend Oreille, and we hope walleye anglers and spearfishers will be just as influential in managing that species”.
Learn more
If you’re interested in learning more about fishing in Lake Pend Oreille, the AIP and general information about fisheries in the lake, Fish and Game has plenty of resources to help:
- Angler Incentive Program information and locations of freezers where heads can be turned in
- How lake trout and walleye fit into Lake Pend Oreille fisheries management
- Clark Fork Settlement Agreement
Visit the “Lake Pend Oreille fisheries” webpage to learn more about the world-class fisheries to which Lake Pend Oreille is home.
Please contact the Panhandle Regional office at (208) 769-1414 with any questions.
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