Northern Pike minnow

Caught this guy Sunday at New Melones. Chasing bait with bass & hit my jerk bait.

I think it’s a Northern Pike minnow? Lots of nick names, caused a stir on a face book fishing group. Couple guys were ready to fight over it lol..


Tight lines!

Also called a squawfish.

Caught this guy Sunday at New Melones. Chasing bait with bass & hit my jerk bait.

I think it’s a Northern Pike minnow? Lots of nick names, caused a stir on a face book fishing group. Couple guys were ready to fight over it lol..


Tight lines!

Caught this guy Sunday at New Melones. Chasing bait with bass & hit my jerk bait.

I think it’s a Northern Pike minnow? Lots of nick names, caused a stir on a face book fishing group. Couple guys were ready to fight over it lol..


Tight lines!

If you caught it in New Melones, it’s probably Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis).
Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a Columbia River basin speacies.
They’re pretty much same though...

If you caught it in New Melones, it’s probably Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis).
Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a Columbia River basin speacies.
They’re pretty much same though...

agree on a Sacramento Pike Minnow based on location....I use to catch a few every season on the Delta...they would gobble up a senko or drop shot bait

If you caught it in New Melones, it’s probably Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis).
Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a Columbia River basin speacies.
They’re pretty much same though...

agree on a Sacramento Pike Minnow based on location....I use to catch a few every season on the Delta...they would gobble up a senko or drop shot bait

Do you know if They Are also called split tails or is that another type?

Squawfish if you’re old. Pikeminnow if you are PC. Split tail is something different and I’ve never heard them called that. I get them all the time in the Russian River and eel river as well as all the northbay lakes.

For reference splittail have much smaller mouths compared to their head size which is a dead giveaway on your fish.

Another confirmation for Sacramento pikeminnow. I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty confident that all pikeminnow in CA are Sacramento pikeminnow. N. pikeminnow are located up in the Umpqua and Columbia River drainage.

- Max

A pikeminnow causing a stir in a facebook group ? Is it winter already ?

If you caught it in New Melones, it’s probably Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis).
Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a Columbia River basin speacies.
They’re pretty much same though...

agree on a Sacramento Pike Minnow based on location....I use to catch a few every season on the Delta...they would gobble up a senko or drop shot bait

Do you know if They Are also called split tails or is that another type?

Yeah Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) very different species. They’re in same minnow family (Cyprinidae) but mainly eat aquatic invertebrates compared to Pikeminnows eat insects & small fish.
Splittails are mainly in the Delta to Bay, you don’t see them too many in lakes & rivers, but you’ll see lots of Pikeminnow in lakes & rivers (not too much in bay).

A pikeminnow causing a stir in a facebook group ? Is it winter already ?

yea they were bout to meet up under the mossdale bridge under highway 120. One guy found a pic of other guys License plate and said "I'll have your address in a day"..Someone reported it and deleted it all, that was the end of that.. hopefully lol

Thanks for the info guys