Rathdrum angler wins money

By T.J. Ross

Senior Fisheries Research Biologist

Three lucky anglers each won $1,000 during the month of July for turning in reward-tagged walleye from Lake Pend Oreille

It’s not often a hobby comes with a paycheck, but for three lucky walleye anglers in Lake Pend Oreille, recent fishing efforts put fish meat in the freezer and money in the bank. During July, each angler caught and turned in a reward-tagged walleye from the lake, which earned each of them a payout of $1,000. You read that right, a thousand bucks each!

James Vugrinec, an angler from Rathdrum, caught his lucky fish in the Pend Oreille River near the Highway 95 bridge.

“The reward system is awesome," he said. "My wife and I love to fish. Getting paid to fish is about as good as it gets.”

His winning walleye was 19 inches, and it was originally tagged in Morton Slough. The other two reward-tagged walleye were 19 inches and 24 inches, and they were both caught near Windy Point in the lake.

"Walleye fishing has been good lately, and it will likely only get better in the weeks ahead," a press release said. "More walleye heads were turned in during July than in any other month since the Lake Pend Oreille Angler Incentive Program for walleye started in March 2019."

The number of walleye heads turned in by anglers during July nearly surpassed the total number of heads turned in from January to June. In the past, the highest number of heads have been turned in during August.

Catching that lucky reward-tagged walleye isn’t the only way to win big. For every walleye head turned in, an entry is earned to a monthly drawing for 10 rewards worth $100 each. Each walleye head turned in is an entry into the drawing.

During the first year of the walleye incentive program, 40% of the reward-tagged walleye were caught in the northern portion of Lake Pend Oreille. During second year, over 60% were caught in the northern end.

So far in the third year, almost 70% have been caught in the northern end of the lake.

"So if you’re looking to get out and fish for walleye, consider spending some time in the northern end of the lake," the release said.