Please Help with Freshwater Fish ID :)

Hi fellow Kayakers! I caught this little guy today in lake Washington. I guess some kind of minnow or chub. Please help if you know exactly who is it Thank you in advance!

looks like a Northern Pikeminnow to me...

looks like a Northern Pikeminnow to me...

I think Rogerdodger is correct, it's a Northern Pikeminnow (formerly known as a Squawfish).  Identifying features besides the overall appearance are that it doesn't have an adipose fine, it has a deeply forked tail, and it has a pretty big mouth with no teeth. Although the mouth on your fish looks a bit small in the picture.

Just for yucks, cook one. They taste quite good, but they have hundreds of little bones.  Which is why you won't find any tasty recipes for Northern Pikeminnow in cookbooks, and is probably one of the reasons why they aren't classified as a game fish.  However, if you like pickled fish, they are great pickled.  All those hundreds of little bones disappear in the pickling process.

Thank you, Guys! I forgot to mention - it produces some weird sounds, I even do not know how to describe it.

They are worth lots of money from may-sept.  5.00/each for first 100 or so and goes up after that.  tagged ones I guess are worth 500.00.

 

They are worth lots of money from may-sept.  5.00/each for first 100 or so and goes up after that.  tagged ones I guess are worth 500.00.

Thank you, but I thought it works for Columbia river only?

Columbia and Snake rivers only

They are worth lots of money from may-sept.  5.00/each for first 100 or so and goes up after that.  tagged ones I guess are worth 500.00.

Thank you, but I thought it works for Columbia river only?

Buy the way what is the best tactics/strategy for the them from kayak? Any special baits/lures?

In the Fall dead shad smolt can be a killer.  Worms, chicken liver, crickets and fresh roe can be great anytime of year.

Bass plastics, crank baits and even kastmasters have been good artificials for me.

In the Fall dead shad smolt can be a killer.  Worms, chicken liver, crickets and fresh roe can be great anytime of year.

Bass plastics, crank baits and even kastmasters have been good artificials for me.

Snopro - thank you! What are the best colors for crank baits?

In the Fall dead shad smolt can be a killer.  Worms, chicken liver, crickets and fresh roe can be great anytime of year.

Bass plastics, crank baits and even kastmasters have been good artificials for me.

Snopro is dead on.  Up here I use dark colors or even black with flake for plastics.  Here is a good link to start:

http://www.pikeminnow.org/how-to/how-to-catch-northern-pikeminnow

Snopro - thank you! What are the best colors for crank baits?

I try to "match the hatch".
Crayfish colors work all year.
Silver with black or blue backs work well while salmon smolt are migrating.
Opaque silver can work well to imitate juvenile shad.

Thank you, guys! Sorry, I couldn't wait - so already ordered "bluegill" color. It is kinda new color for 2016. I hope it will work

It might be a peamouth. The head is rounder and the mouth is much smaller than a pikeminnow, plus there is red around the mouth

http://www.pikeminnow.org/how-to/how-to-identify-a-northern-pikeminnow/how-to-tell-a-northern-pikeminnow-from-a-peamouth

It might be a peamouth. The head is rounder and the mouth is much smaller than a pikeminnow, plus there is red around the mouth

http://www.pikeminnow.org/how-to/how-to-identify-a-northern-pikeminnow/how-to-tell-a-northern-pikeminnow-from-a-peamouth

Micahgee - thank you! It is definitelly peamouth! The head is different shape and a small mouth and it has light red shining along the body, plus as I said it produces sounds.