Angler Incentive Programs
Help Idaho Fish and Game remove fish that pose risks to fisheries and earn cash! Programs currently in place are for Lake Pend Oreille and portions of the Snake River.
Lake Trout: Lake Pend Oreille and tributaries
Lake trout in Lake Pend Oreille prey heavily upon kokanee, rainbow trout, and bull trout, reducing their numbers. This program hopes to reduce the number of lake trout to allow kokanee and bull trout populations to thrive in Lake Pend Oreille.
Reward
$15 for each lake trout
Drop-off Locations
Bring lake trout heads to the Idaho Fish and Game regional office in Coeur d'Alene or freezers placed at the following locations:
- North 40, Ponderay
- Arnie’s Conoco, Kootenai
- Peck Landscape Supplies & Farm Store, Sagle
- Garfield Bay Public Boat Launch, Sagle
- Hope Marine, Hope
- Holiday Shores, Hope
- Bonner Park West, Priest River
- MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort, Bayview
More information: Lake Pend Oreille Angler Incentive Program
Walleye: Lake Pend Oreille and tributaries
Although walleye are a popular sport fish, they pose a significant risk to sustaining the Lake Pend Oreille fishery. Walleye can cause excessive kokanee predation and compete with or reduce the abundance of highly-valued sport fish species, such as rainbow trout and bass, as well as native bull trout and cutthroat trout.
Reward
A number of walleye have been tagged with microscopic tags and released. Anglers will not be able to tell if fish are tagged until a head is submitted and later scanned by staff. All submitted heads will be scanned for these tags, and a $1,000 reward will be issued for each tagged head that an angler harvests and submits to the program.
There is also a random monthly drawing for 10 $100 rewards. Each walleye head submitted during a single month provides one chance in the drawing (i.e. 5 heads = 5 chances). If less than 10 heads are submitted during a particular month, the number of awards issued will be limited to the number of heads submitted.
Walleye implanted with radio or acoustic transmitters or external tags are not eligible for the $1,000 reward but can be entered for the monthly drawings. The return of this equipment is appreciated.
Drop-off Locations
Bring walleye to the Idaho Fish and Game regional office in Coeur d'Alene or freezers placed at the following locations:
- North 40, Ponderay
- Arnie’s Conoco, Kootenai
- Peck Landscape Supplies & Farm Store, Sagle
- Garfield Bay Public Boat Launch, Sagle
- Hope Marine, Hope
- Holiday Shores, Hope
- Bonner Park West, Priest River
- MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort, Bayview
More Information: Lake Pend Oreille Angler Incentive Program
Rainbow Trout: South Fork of the Snake River
Nonnative rainbow trout compete for limited resources and crossbreed with native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the South Fork of the Snake River. Increasing rainbow trout harvest will benefit Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
Reward
Rewards range anywhere from $50 to $1,000. Some rainbow and hybrid trout have microscopic tags that are not visible to the naked eye, so fish must be turned in to Fish and Game.
More Information: South Fork of the Snake River Harvest Incentive Program
Northern Pikeminnow: Snake River
This Sport-Reward Program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission to reduce Northern Pikeminnow abundance and increase salmon and steelhead survival as they migrate to the ocean.
Season
May 1 to September 30 in the lower Columbia River (mouth to Priest Rapids Dam) and the Snake River (mouth to Hells Canyon Dam)
Reward
Rewards range from $5 to $8 per fish, and special tagged fish are worth $500.
More Information: Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program
Program Incentives
Rules vary for each species, please review the details for each program or contact a Fish and Game regional office for more information.