I have never caught one of these before until earlier today.  I caught it in the San Joaquin Delta near Stockton.   
 

Pikeminnow? 

I agree with @Finessegenics, probably a sacramento pikeminnow.  It is native to California.

I was surprised when I pulled it up on a 3 inch paddle tail which I have been throwing in the same water for 4 years.  This is the first one I have seen. 

 

Pike minnow, formerly known as a squawfish @Happybeerbuzz. One of their primary food sources is salmon/steelhead smolts and Washington, Oregon and Idaho have a bounty program to reduce their numbers...

On 12/4/2020 at 5:03 PM, J._Bricker said:

Washington, Oregon and Idaho have a bounty program to reduce their numbers...

I have fished lakes where you catch 10 pikeminnow before any other species, their kind of cool but really slimy. 

23 hours ago, Bluegillslayer said:

I have fished lakes where you catch 10 pikeminnow before any other species, their kind of cool but really slimy. 

I read where one guy made over $120k when Oregon/Washington started their pikeminnow program. I’ve caught them in the delta and a couple different lakes. A few times they’ve found there way into my garden as fertilizer ?

14 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

 A few times they’ve found there way into my garden as fertilizer ?

Yeah most of the people I saw catch them would just throw em on the bank.

Like others have said, that looks like a Pikeminnow, either Sacramento Pikeminnow or a Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) to me.

Is there an obligation to KOS in CA on these just in case I run into another one?

@Happybeerbuzz

Do not kill on sight.  There is nothing written on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website regarding this.  The regulations only mention three fish that should be killed immediately: Northern Pike, White Bass, Grass Carp (in certain areas).  See sections 5.51 (Northern Pike), 5.9 (White Bass), and 5.37 (Grass Carp) for details. 

Colorado pikeminnow is a protected species.  (but probably no longer present in California, unless one ventures down the Colorado River)

 

@TheBasslayer

Northern pikeminnow is not in the area of California he is fishing. 

 

17 hours ago, BASS302 said:

@Happybeerbuzz

Do not kill on sight.  There is nothing written on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website regarding this.  The regulations only mention three fish that should be killed immediately: Northern Pike, White Bass, Grass Carp (in certain areas).  See sections 5.51 (Northern Pike), 5.9 (White Bass), and 5.37 (Grass Carp) for details. 

Colorado pikeminnow is a protected species.  (but probably no longer present in California, unless one ventures down the Colorado River)

 

@TheBasslayer

Northern pikeminnow is not in the area of California he is fishing. 

 

Oh ok. I live in Michigan so I wouldn’t have known. 

6 hours ago, TheBasslayer said:

Oh ok. I live in Michigan so I wouldn’t have known. 

Sorry, I wasn't trying to criticize, not trying to discourage anybody from replying.