Fly Fishers of Idaho

Click here to check out the visually stunning Catch Magazine.  Another wonderful issue!

Click on the picture above to check out issue #20 of This is Fly.

Below are a couple of new press releases from Idaho Fish & Game department.

Fish and Game to Stock Steelhead in the Boise River (10/26/09)

Forget the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner this year; fresh, smoked steelhead might be on the menu after the big fish are released into the Boise River over the next few weeks.

If steelhead return to Oxbow Hatchery on the Snake River as forecast, Fish and Game anticipates stocking 300 or more of the big fish in the Boise River from Glenwood Bridge to Barber Park the afternoon of Thursday October 29.

Should the run remain strong, additional fish may be released in subsequent weeks.

“We’re hopeful that this year’s hatchery steelhead run will easily allow Oxbow Hatchery personnel to fill their brood stock needs,” said Sam Sharr, Fish and Game anadromous fish coordinator. “Any additional hatchery fish collected at the fish trap will be divided among Idaho Fish and Game, the Nez Perce Indian Tribe and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.”

Besides a fishing license, anglers hoping to tangle with one of the 4- to 10-pound hatchery steelhead need a $12.75 steelhead permit, good for 40 fish.

Though required in other steelhead waters, barbless hooks are not required for Boise River steelhead angling.

All steelhead stocked in the Boise River will lack an adipose fin – the small fin normally found immediately behind the dorsal fin. Boise River anglers catching a rainbow trout longer than 20 inches that lacks an adipose fin should consider the fish a steelhead. Any steelhead caught by an angler not holding a steelhead permit must immediately be returned to the water.

Steelhead limits on the Boise River are three fish per day, nine in possession, and 40 for the fall season.

The fish are A-run hatchery steelhead, returning to the Idaho Power Co.-owned Oxbow Hatchery fish trap below Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River. Many of the returning steelhead will become part of the ongoing steelhead hatchery program at Oxbow Hatchery as part of Idaho Power’s mitigation.

“We are happy to collaborate with Idaho Fish and Game this year to bring steelhead to Treasure Valley anglers,” said Paul Abbott, Idaho Power biologist. “The best thing about this program is that it eliminates the need for folks to travel to the Snake or Salmon rivers to catch steelhead. Boise anglers will have the opportunity to test their skills right in their own backyard.”

For information about the Boise River steelhead release, contact the Fish and Game in Nampa at 208-465-8465 or check the Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Fall Chinook Harvest Season Closed (10/26/09)

Salmon fishing in Idaho will be over for the year when the fall Chinook harvest season on the Snake River ends Saturday, October 31.

The season opened September 1 on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam. As of October 18, anglers had caught 105 marked adult and 514 jack fall Chinook in the Snake River, for a total of 619 fish. Hatchery-origin fish are marked with a clipped adipose fin.

This year more than 15,000 adult fall Chinook and more than 40,000 jacks crossed Lower Granite Dam, most of them returning to the Snake River upstream of Lewiston. The adult return is lower that the pre-season forecast, but the jack return is the largest ever counted at Lower Granite Dam.

The fall Chinook run in the Snake River was protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1992.

Courtesy:  The Trout Underground

“It is not a ditch; it’s not a delivery system for water.  It’s a wild living place, full of wildlife.” –Michael Whitfield, Conservation Biologist – Diggs, ID

“This river is a hidden jewel for many of the residents of Idaho.  The Teton River and the tributaries to the Teton River were found eligible for inclusion in the Wild & Scenic River System.  This is a strong hold for Yellowstone cutthroat trout…” –Monica Zimmerman, BLM Recreation Planner

“There is a huge amount of water, most years, that flows right down the river and on down to the ocean.  We don’t need any more water in the ocean, it’s full.” -Dell Raybould, Idaho State Representative, District 34.

Rep. Raybould serves as the Chairperson on the Environment, Energy, & Technology committee as well as a member of the Resources & Conservation committee in the Idaho State House.

The current issue of The Osprey is now available (click here).  The Osprey is a journal published by the Steelhead Committee of the Federation of Fly Fishers and is dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead.  This is a great resource covering the latest news on wild steelhead issues in the northwest.

Rise, the new film from Confluence Films (the makers of Drift); will be showing in Boise at the Egyptian Theater on November 17^th.  Details are still being worked out, but check their site for updates (http://riseontour.blogspot.com/).

If you just can’t wait until the 17^th to see the movie you can purchase it on the Confluence Films website (http://www.confluencefilms.tv/).

The October issue of The Flyline is now available.  Click here to be directed to the current issue as well as an archive of past issues.  The Flyline is the official publication of the Fly Fishers of Idaho.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission Wednesday, September 30, raised the bag, possession and season limit for the fall 2009 and spring 2010 steelhead seasons in the Snake, Salmon and Little Salmon rivers.

The daily limits, effective October 2 until further notice, for steelhead trout is five, of which no more than three may be 32 or more inches in total length. The possession limit is 15, no more than nine may be 32 or more inches long.

The statewide limits in the fall and spring seasons is 40 steelhead in each, but no more than 20 of those may be caught in the Clearwater River drainage in each season. Anglers who have a permit with reported harvest from the spring 2009 season may purchase a second permit to catch their fall season limit of 40 fish.

Fishery managers estimate the return of steelhead over Lower Granite Dam this fall will be considerably larger than the previous high return of about 250,000 fish in 2001. More than 155,000 fish in this large return will return are A-run hatchery fish destined for the Snake River, the Little Salmon River and in the Upper Salmon River.

Affected waters are:

Snake River
o        Washington-Idaho border to the Salmon River
o        Salmon River to Hells Canyon Dam

Salmon River
o        Downstream from Whitebird Creek
o        Whitebird Creek to Little Salmon River
o        Little Salmon River to Vinegar Creek
o        Vinegar Creek to South Fork Salmon River
o        South Fork Salmon River to Middle Fork Salmon River
o        Middle Fork Salmon River to North Fork Salmon River
o        North Fork Salmon River to Lemhi River
o        Lemhi River to Pahsimeroi River
o        Pahsimeroi River to East Fork Salmon River
o        East Fork Salmon to Sawtooth Weir

Little Salmon River

In contrast to the abundant A-run returns, B-run steelhead returns to Idaho are lower than forecasted. Most of the harvestable hatchery B-run fish are destined for the Clearwater River drainage. The fall season limit in the Clearwater drainage will remain at 20 fish. The daily bag limit is two fish and the possession limit six.

All anglers must have a valid 2009 Idaho fishing license and steelhead permit. Steelhead anglers may use only barbless hooks, and may keep only hatchery steelhead marked with a clipped adipose fin, as evidenced by a healed scar. All other steelhead must be released unharmed immediately.

Anglers should check the 2008-2009 fishing rules book for details on steelhead fishing. For more information on steelhead fishing in Idaho, check the Fish and Game Website http://fishandgame.idaho.gov