(NEXSTAR) — You may not be getting an extra paycheck in August, but you could earn a little dough if you’re handy with a rod and reel.
In several states, anglers can be paid for catching certain species of fish. Payouts range from a few dollars to six-figures, depending on the type of fish and how many are caught.
In states along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, bounties have been placed on black carp.
Black carp, like the three other species found in the U.S., were brought from overseas to stock aquaculture ponds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture explains. Invasive carp — black, bighead, grass, and silver — are “fast-growing and prolific feeders that out-compete native fish and leave a trail of environmental destruction in their wake.”
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To help combat this, the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been offering a bounty on black carp caught in the Mississippi River basin and surrounding areas. The bounty, originally for carp caught in Illinois and neighboring states, was recently expanded to additional regions.
It’s all part of the “Keep, Cool, Call” initiative.
This 2008 photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows Jeremy Haley holding a 50-pound black carp at the USGS laboratory, in Columbia Mo. (Duane Chapman/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
Funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the $100 per fish bounty is available for qualifying black carp captures, with up to $1,000 available to each angler monthly. The carp must be caught in the Mississippi River or its tributaries in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Should you catch what you believe to be a black carp in any of those waters, wildlife officials ask that you keep the fish; note the location in which you caught it and details about the habitat in that area; take photos of its head, mouth, and its length; and record what gear and bait you used. The fish should be humanely killed and kept on ice or in a freezer, officials say, because it’s illegal to have a live carp in your possession. Once you’ve recorded the necessary information and stored the fish, you’ll want to call your local authorities to report the catch.
Though not part of that program, Utah has launched a similar effort to remove carp from its Utah Lake. The Great Carp Hunt contest runs through November of this year, offering teams of up to five anglers monthly two-day events to catch as many carp as possible, Nexstar’s KTVX explains.
For every carp caught, teams earn entries into a monthly raffle of $1,000 cash. The hunt’s rules also stipulate that the team that removes the most carp from Utah Lake each month will win equipment or gear. The team that catches the most carp throughout the entirety of the hunt receives a $10,000 cash prize.
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Based on the latest tally, roughly 3,500 carp have been caught as part of the hunt this year.
In nearby Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, anglers have received thousands of dollars in reward payments for catching one native fish species said to be harming another.
Officials launched the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program in 1990 to knock down the population of the fish, which are known to eat millions of young salmon and steelhead before they’re able to make it out to sea.
A pair of northern pikeminnows are shown in a measuring tray May 5, 2006, after being turned in for bounties at the receiving station outside the Chinook Landing, Ore., boat ramp on the Columbia River. (AP Photo by Jeff Barnard)
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, which administers the program, says the overall goal is to cull the larger, older Northern Pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Each Northern Pikeminnow that measures at least nine inches in length could be worth $6 to $10, depending on when it is caught during the five-month season. Fish found to have tags previously implanted in young salmon could be worth $200 or $500 a piece, depending on the specific tag.
In 2024 alone, one angler made over $164,000, according to officials. Among the top 20 anglers, the average number of fish caught was 4,677, totaling about $47,286 in reward payments per participant. Additional details can be found on the program’s website.
Anglers in Idaho are also able to cash in on incentive programs for lake trout and walleye caught in Lake Pend Oreille and its tributaries and rainbow trout caught in the South Fork of the Snake River.
Regardless of whether your invasive catch can be exchanged for cash, you should confirm with local wildlife officials whether you need to report it. They’ll likely also have tips on what to do with the fish, which, in most cases, should not be returned to the water.
