Native to Montana west of the Continental Divide, the northern pikeminnow prefer lakes and slower moving streams.
This fish features a long snout with a large mouth extending back to the eye. The body is dark green on its back and silvery or creamy white below. Its fins are clear
The northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a predacious fish with no teeth but commonly eat young trout fry. They are readily caught using nearly any method of fly fishing thanks to their varied diet of terrestrial and aquatic insects, other fish, and plant matter. A record fish of over 7 pounds was caught in Montana in 1991.
These fish reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years of age and spawn in the spring over gravelly areas in streams or lakes. They will move back and forth between lakes and rivers to spawn in the best available habitat.
These voracious fish are a common bycatch while fly fishing Montana rivers near Missoula, like the Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Blackfoot.