It has taken me many years to come to grips with my love of history and language. I have learned that both are subject to change over time. Our English is a living language, and history, too, seems to have a beating heart.

Some words, like trout, and love and adoration, are beautiful, while other words are utilitarian; other words are crass or ugly. Our attitudes toward certain words change and a word that connoted one thing, for some people, begins to connote another.

That is how we ended up with the new names Whychus Creek (formerly Squaw Creek) and Mount Washington (which has a colorful historical nickname), and that is how we got northern pikeminnow, even though we have had pikeminnow with us for time out of mind under their former appellation, squawfish.

Bounty is another word with multiple meanings and countless connotations. It speaks to fullness or abundance, but it also means reward.

Today’s cultural awareness has bestowed a perhaps unintended aura of respectability to an otherwise familiar fish. But this creature of Columbia, this predator of inland waterways remains an eater of baby salmon and steelhead and, as such, we must control it. That is why there is a bounty on the pikeminnow.

The Bonneville Power Administration, in cooperation with the Washington and Oregon fish management agencies and tribal administrations, sponsors a sport reward program designed to thin pikeminnow populations in the Columbia. For each of the first 100 fish an angler catches, a $4 bounty is paid. After that, the BPA pays up to $8 per fish depending upon how many fish are turned in. Tagged fish are worth up to $500. In fact, every Columbia River pikeminnow over 9-inches long will pay off in pocket money.

To learn more about season dates and how-to and where-to, call 800-769-9362 or visit www.pikeminnow.org.

These fish are a problem in the Deschutes watershed as well.

They congregate near dams, islands, jetties, river mouths, riprap, and rocky ledges. Their principal foods are salmon and steelhead smolts, crayfish, baby lamprey eels and freshwater clams. Since salmon and steelhead smolts are disoriented after coming through dams, pikeminnow make short work of them. Northern pikeminnow have thrived in the slower water since the dams were introduced.

For this reason, pikeminnow should not be returned to the water. If you want to keep them, they make good crab bait and fertilizer for flower gardens.

One of the most effective techniques is fishing with plastic grubs and worms up to 6-inches long. Try smoke-chartreuse, white, red, purple, orange-brown and black.

Worms, chicken liver, cluster salmon eggs, and strips of fish are good baits. Tie a swivel to the leader and slide another swivel over the main line. Use a bead to protect the knot. Tie a 4-inch section of line to the sliding swivel and attach a piece of hollow-core pencil lead or a bullet sinker.

Spinners and spoons are effective. Additional weight can be added in the form of split shot. Quarter-ounce and heavier spinners are best.

On the opening day of trout season, I took my 16-year-old Mikayla Lewis and our 14-year-old friend, Chase Lettenmaier, up past Madras to Lake Simtustus where we rented a boat and prowled the lower end of the reservoir.

Toward the end of the morning, Chase hooked a fish that put up a good battle on his light tackle. When we got it in the net, we laid eyes on our nemesis, the pikeminnow.

We’re going back and hoping to catch some more.

On June 15, both resorts on Lake Simtustus are sponsoring their annual event they call the Squawfish Derby. Fishing starts at 6 a.m. and fish must be turned in by 2 p.m. The longest pikeminnow wins. First prize is $300, second place pays $200, third is good for $100 and all kids win a prize. The entry fee is $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

Sign up at Lake Simtustus Store or the Pelton Park Store. For more information, visit www.peltonpark.com or www .lakesimtustusrvpark.com.