HomeMy Public PortalAboutFishingRisinct Population Pressured
GROWING POPULATION PUT MOUNTING PRESSURES ON IDAHO'S LAKES AND 51 KhAm
... oldtimers, like those above, thought the supply of fish was limitless
Idaho's prehistoric and later In- "Fresh Fish! Fresh Fish! The un-
fish dersigned, having refitted their
dian peoples relied heavily on
as a staple. The area's lakes and
Payette and Boise fisheries, are
streams literally teemed with fish
now prepared to furnish the citizens
of Boise City and vicinity with the
in those long -ago, unspoiled days.
best fish that the waters of Idaho
Native human populations were
very
afford. We will have fresh fish for
never large enough to affect
much the abundant runs of salmon
in Idaho rivers, even though they
Idaho
harvested enough with nets, traps
and spears to last until the next
.�
Yesterdays
season. With the coming of white
men, fishing for sport and profit re-
By Arthur Hart
placed fishing for subsistence.
�,
The pages of The Idaho States-
�.
ally sprinkled with references to
fish and fishing, giving us clear his-
torical documentation of the mount-
ing pressures placed upon Idaho's
streams and lakes by the growing
population and its attitude toward a
resource that seemed limitless.
In October 1868, dried "red- tailed
salmon trout — from one to two
feet long" from Payette Lakes were
offered for sale in front of Hart's
Exchange Hotel at 7th and Idaho
streets. There are many mentions
in the years that follow of the large
numbers of fish brought to Boise
and sold out of wagons on the
street. In August 1871, the Kling -
bach brothers ran an ad in the
paper that read:
sale on Main street every Saturday
morning by 5 o'clock until further
notice."
Although the ,salmon run was
over, in mid - November \ 1871, fish
were still plentiful on Main Street.
"Salmon trout, mountain trout, and
a species called whitefish" were all
available. "The latter are excellent
at this time of the year, and many
pronounce them better eating than
trout" The Statesman said. The
Klingbach brothers were still bring-
ing in fish regularly in February
1872, with whitefish apparently the
favorite among Boise customers. By
the fall of 1872, rival fishermen At-
well & Smith were selling redfish
from Payette Lakes on the streets
of Boise.
An exotic touch was reported in
November 1872: "A wagon load of
fish arrived in twon Sunday morn-
ing, and met with ready sale. When
we last saw the peddler, however,
he still had about nineteen feet of
something that looked like a
skinned mule, though we are told
that the proper name for it is stur-
geon." Giant sturgeon continued to
make news from year to year, but
were rarely plentiful enough to be
sold commercially.
Fish by the wagonload are often
mentioned. In fact, one James
Hennity advertised in 1874 that he
was prepared to supply fish "by the
ton, load, or any other quantity" at
his place on Snake River. Most of
these fish were caught with nets,
but there were other methods:
"Fishing by concussion is becom-
ing quite a profitable as well as
amusing pastime," The Statesman
reported in March 1870. "One blast
of giant powder near the lower
crossing last week turned up over
fifty pounds of fine salmon trout."
The paper then printed in detail a.
guide for others who might want to
try this "amusing pastime."
northwest end of lake. Turn to lake from highway #72 west and
south of Nampa. Special motorboat regulations certain seasons of
the year. Perch, catfish, largemouth bass and crappies. Good water -
fowl hunting in specified sections of refuge.
FISH LAKE (MUD LAKE) —Adams county. In New Meadows re-
gion. About 25 acres when full. Turn south from highway #15 near
townsite of Old Meadows on gravel road first mile, then four miles
dirt. Slick when wet. No camping facilities. Motors prohibited.
Brook trout and rainbow.
HELLS CANYON RESERVOIR —Adams County. Located between
Oxbow Dam and Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River. Reservoir
about 23 miles long with 2500 surface acres when full. Access from
Idaho side via Cambridge on state highway #71.Also from Council
over Seven Devils Range and down narrow road on Kliensmidt Grade.
Excellent public camping area provided by Idaho Power Company, at
foot of grade with tables, toilets, boat ramp, docks and electric out-
lets. Bass, crappie and trout.
HERRICK RESERVOIR— Valley county. Also known as Skunk Creek
Reservoir. About 20 acres when full. Turn east at Clear Creek store
from highway #15 on Boise - McCall route. Four miles east and south
taking right turns at the two forks encountered. Private land open
to public use. Camping and sanitary facilities. Stocked yearly with
rainbow trout. Motors prohibited for'fishing. -
HORSESHOE BEND POND —Boise County. Approximately 12 sur-
face acres when full. Former mill pond developed for fishing. Lo-
cated about 1.5 miles north of Horseshoe Bend on Highway #15.
Turn right at bottom of slight grade before crossing Payette River.
Public parking area and toilets. Rainbow trout. ,
HORSETHIEF RESERVOIR — Valley County. Located approximately
nine miles east of Cascade. Turn right off Highway #15 at north
edge Cascade on Warm Lake road for about six miles. Turn right
at Horsethief Reservoir sign to lake. Lake area 275 acres when full.
Public boat ramp, parking and toilets on west side of reservoir. Rain-
bow trout. _
JENKINS RESERVOIR— Washington county. About 10 acres in size
this reservoir is reached by driving west from Weiser on the Pioneer
Road for one and one -half miles, then north on Jenkins Creek road
about six miles, then west through unmarked gate. Public access
permitted through private property until mid - summer when gate is
locked as fire prevention measure. Stocked with catchable rainbow
trout. Bank fishing. No facilities.
LOST VALLEY RESERVOIR —Adams county. Approximately 800
aeres when full. Forest Service campground on east entrance. Camp-
ing spots around lake but not improved. Boat ramp on south shore,
east of dam approximately 1/Z mile. Private docks on east end. Turn
west from highway #95 at Pine Ridge about 16 miles north of
Council. Forest road about six miles. Rainbow and brook trout.
—28—
LUCKY PEAK RESERVOIR —Ada county. East of Boise about seven
miles. Flood control project and is lowered in fall. Public access all
around. Several roads lead to lake, one across top of dam. Spring
Shores Marina on northeast side. Turn from Boise -Idaho City high-
way at high bridge. Ramps, boats, restaurant, etc. in summer months.
Bank fishing and trolling. Open year around to fishing, water skiing,
etc. Rainbow and kokanee.
MUD LAKE — Valley county. About six acres located east of Land-
mark in the mountain area. Take Pistol Creek Ridge road from Land-
mark which is about 40 miles east of Cascade. Turn left at first fork
about four miles from Landmark. No established camp grounds or
t boat launching facilities. Marsh perimeter makes bank fishing diffi-
cult. Elevation, 7000 feet. Brook trout.
OXBOW RESERVOIR —Adams county. Located on Snake River,
Hells Canyon area. About 12 miles long and 1500 surface acres.
Access from Cambridge on U.S. highway #95, west on state highway
#71 (oiled road) approximately 29 miles to upper end of reservoir;
41 miles to Idaho Power Company dam. Boat launching spots and
toilets along reservoir on Oregon side. Excellent public camp operated
by the Idaho Power at upper end on the-Idaho side. Other camping
and recreational sites available within a few minutes driving time
upstream along Brownlee Reservoir and Brownlee Creek. Small and
largemouth bass, crappie, some trout and whitefish, bullheads and
channel catfish.
PADDOCK VALLEY RESERVOIR— Washington county. About
17,000 acres when full. Turn from highway #52 at the Little Willow
Creek road about six miles south of city of Payette. Drive about 20
miles up Willow Creek to road's end. Poor road at upper end when
wet. No camping or public facilities. Bullhead catfish and largemouth
bass.
UPPER PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. About 200 acres when
full. Seventeen miles north of McCall on McCall - Burgdorf road.
Camp grounds on west side with tables, etc. Also on north end. No
boat launching facilities. Best spot to launch is at south end just
above the dam. Rainbow trout.
LOWER (MAIN) PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. Approximately
1000 acres located at McCall on State highway #15 about 100 miles
! north of Boise. Public access from state 15 and around most of the
lake. Beach for swimming west side of city. Ponderosa Camp, state
park on east side of lake with beach, sanitary facilities, boat ramp
just above. Access to north beach on east shore at upper end. Lake
Shore drive goes all the way around the lake. Boat launching for
both small and large craft from trailers at McCall city dock and
ramp. No charge. Rental boats at two marinas at north edge of
McCall. Motels, cabins, hotels at McCall and vicinity. Rainbow and
mackinaw trout, kokanee, perch and whitefish.
—29—
%WW -q
'LITTLE PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. About 300 acres located
three miles east of McCall golf course on Lick Creek road. Undevel-
oped parking and boat access. No other facilities. Rainbow, white-
] fish and kokanee. Popular for ice fishing. '
SAGEHEN RESERVOIR —Gem county. About 180 acres when full.
Take oiled road north from State highway #52 between Emmett and
Horseshoe Bend to Ola, then 18 miles graveled road to reservoir.
Forested area around lake with improved Forest Service camp-
grounds. Two boat ramps. Tables, sanitary facilities and water.
Stocked frequently with rainbow trout. Trolling and bank fishing.
SPANGLER RESERVOIR — Washington county. Normal capacity
280 surface acres. Conservation pool reserve for 2000 acre feet with
87 surface acres. Located on Mann's Creek. Turn west from U.S. High -
F- way #95 approximately 10 miles north of Weiser. Approximately one
mile to the dam. Two ramps on east side reservoir. Parking area and
sanitary facilities across dam on west side. Rainbow trout. Public
access around entire reservoir.
SUMMIT LAKE — Valley county. East of Warm Lake on the summit
between Warm Lake and Landmark. About three acres in size. Turn
left at top of summit to parking area and campgrounds. Walk one-
fourth mile northwest on trail. Brook trout.
TRIPOD RESERVOIR— Valley county. About eight acres. Turn west
from state highway 15 between Boise and McCall at Smith Ferry.
Climb on dirt road about two miles. Small parking area, toilet and
few tables. Motors prohibited. Stocked with rainbow trout during
season.
WARM LAKE — Valley county. About 640 acres in forested region
east of Cascade. 25 miles on part oiled and gravel road. Public camp
grounds and boat ramp near the lake outlet. Another camp grounds
just west of North Shore Lodge. Two lodges at the lake with cabins,
boat docking and facilities. Good brook trout fishery with rainbow
and kokanee. Best fishing by boat. Beach for swimming.
WET GULCH PONDS — Payette county. Two ponds, both less than
seven acres, 15 miles from city of Payette. Turn off the Willow Creek
road at Dodson Ranch. Private property, but permission to use may
be obtained. Bass, crappie, perch and catfish. No facilities.
cCALL PUBLIC LIBRARY.
T BOX "S L
d MCCALL, IDAHO 8638
1
—so—
R
NW
q1 7,0 CM
;:I> 1:r .
s Id
i-
a f
i
p f r i 1 �♦ 1_"� � t f^+�,� fk�i i; a •ti 0
1i6.. A�. �+i1a.�' :.0 iw' .. �. Jw.,�a.�. �.'► .:'�.a:+iY`la ISJ
LITTLE REDFISH LAKE
MOIR! WON
.-31•_
Awt
'V,
l
s Id
i-
a f
i
p f r i 1 �♦ 1_"� � t f^+�,� fk�i i; a •ti 0
1i6.. A�. �+i1a.�' :.0 iw' .. �. Jw.,�a.�. �.'► .:'�.a:+iY`la ISJ
LITTLE REDFISH LAKE
MOIR! WON
.-31•_
VISITOR INFORMATION MAP
'1 O r, ' -
,t
Vv�
ZA P 1 N h 1 G
REST
ROOMS
_i
ETI 7 8 9
i _
j 10 10
10 10
C L E A R W A ' E R
1. MAIN PUMP STATION
Supplies water from North Fork Clearwater River to all
outside production ponds. Piped water from Dworshak
Reservoir is used for egg incubation and inside nursery
rearing.
2. WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Has aeration capability if water becomes oxygen deficient
or supersaturated with nitrogen.
3. MECHANICAL BUILDINGS
Filters improve water quality and electric boilers adjust
temperatures of the three reuse systems.
4. WATER REUSE FILTERS
Recondition used water from rearing ponds; 10 percent
is then returned to river and replaced by an equal amount
of heated new water.
R I V E R
U
6. HOLDING PONDS
Receive adult fish and hold until mature and spawned.
7. HATCHERY BUILDING
Spawning room and incubators, displays, viewing
balcony, rest rooms, and administrative offices.
8. NURSERY BUILDING
Newly hatched fish are held in smaller tanks until
fingerling size, then transferred to the larger outside
ponds.
9. FISH HEALTH CENTER
10. STEELHEAD REARING PONDS
11. SPRING CHINOOK REARING PONDS
12. FOOD SERVICE BUILDING
Refrigerated storage for moist food and space for dry
food storage. Location of IDAHO FISHERY
RESOURCE OFFICE.
S. FISH LADDER 13. HATCHERY WASTEWATER TREATMENT
NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY
lMO..-
soon
s. u.
,Q
IJ
US Army Corps
of Engineers
FE
National Fish Hatchery
P.O. Box 18
Ahsahka, Idaho 83520
(208) 476 -4591
WELCOME TO DWORSHAK NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY
Dworshak National Fish
Hatchery is the largest combina-
tion producer of steelhead trout
and spring chinook salmon in the
world. The hatchery, located at
the confluence of the North Fork
and the main stem Clearwater,
three miles west of Orofino in
north central Idaho, is operated
by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ser-
vice and was designed and built
by the Walla Walla District, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
Steelhead and rainbow trout pro-
duction, begun in 1969, is in
conjunction with Dworshak Dam
which is the largest and highest
straight -axis, concrete - gravity
dam ever built in the United
States and second largest in the
world. Dworshak Dam blocks
migrating steelhead from natural
spawning grounds on the North
Fork of the Clearwater River.
dditional construction, completed in 1982 under the
Lower Snake River Compensation Plan, expanded
facilities to rear spring chinook salmon to offset losses caused
by dams on the lower Snake River.
Kooskia National Fish Hatchery, 35 miles upriver, became part
of the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery Complex in 1978.
The two hatcheries are managed closely together for the pro-
duction of salmon and steelhead.
The hatchery, dedicated in 1969, is the culmination of an
intensive cooperative effort by the Army
Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice and State of Idaho to perpetuate the
return of fish from the Pacific Ocean to
the Clearwater River.
he hatchery is unique in that water temperatures for the
outside steelhead ponds can be controlled through recir-
culation similar to an aquarium. There are 84 circulating water
-type ponds divided into three reuse or environmentally
controlled systems. In these systems, 10
percent of the water used in the ponds
is added as fresh water after being
filtered, supplemented with minerals
and heated. The water goes through
aerators for re- oxygenation before sup-
plying each pond with 600 gallons per
minute of flow. When water returns from
the ponds, it flows through biological
filters where ammonia is oxidized and
then reduced to harmless nitrates.
Ability to regulate temperatures and to
reuse the water enables the hatchery to
use warm water (54' F) in the winter
when water temperatures normally run
about 39 ° F Since growth rates are faster
in warmer water, the juvenile steelhead
are released the spring following egg hat-
ching at a length of 8 inches. It would
take an additional year in colder water
to reach the same size.
The hatchery's water system,
pumping at a total capacity
of 90,000 gallons per
minute, is comparable to
satisfying the daily drinking
needs of all the people
residing in the State of
Idaho.
VISITOR INFORMATION MAP
I. MAIN PUMP STATION
Supplies water from North Fork Clearwater River to all
outside production ponds. Piped water from Dworshak
Reservoir is used for egg incubation and inside nursery
rearing.
2. WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Has aeration capability if water becomes oxygen deficient
or supersaturated with nitrogen.
3. MECHANICAL BUILDINGS
Filters improve water quality and electric boilers adjust
temperatures of the three reuse systems.
4. WATER REUSE FILTERS
Recondition used water from rearing ponds; 10 percent
is then returned to river and replaced by an equal amount
of heated new water.
S. FISH LADDER
Adult fish move up the fish ladder to holding ponds.
R I V E R
Fm—
6. HOLDING PONDS
Receive adult fish and hold until mature and spawned.
7. HATCHERY BUILDING
Spawning room and incubators, displays, viewing
balcony, rest rooms, and administrative offices.
S. NURSERY BUILDING
Newly hatched fish are held in smaller tanks until
fingerling size, then transferred to the larger outside
ponds.
9. FISH HEALTH CENTER
10. STEELHEAD REARING PONDS
11. SPRING CHINOOK REARING PONDS
12. FOOD SERVICE BUILDING
Refrigerated storage for moist food and space for dry
food storage. Location of IDAHO FISHERY
RESOURCE OFFICE.
13. HATCHERY WASTE WATER TREATMENT
PONDS
Adult steelhead may spawn near the ocean or
many miles up stream. The famous Clearwater
"B" strain of steelhead, collected at the hatchery
from October until May, spawn from January
through April. The spring chinook brood fish return
to the river from May until September with egg
collection over a three -week period beginning in late
August. The returning adult fish move up the
hatchery fishway, or ladder, directly into large
holding ponds. These fish are three to five years in
age and weigh from 12 to 15 pounds.
Fifteen million eggs are collected annually from the
returning adult fish. Some of these eggs can be used
to supply the State of Idaho with fish to various
planting programs as well as to provide several
million smolts (juvenile fish ready to change from
fresh water to a salt water environment) for release
the following spring.
Fertilized eggs are placed
weeks until hatching occur
to feed. Baby fish are hatch(
to their bodies and draw
source before learning to
In a good year 6,500
eggs from one steel -
head spawner would
account for 55 adult
fish back to the Clear-
water River; 3,700
eggs collected from a
female spring chinook
returns 10 fish.
6.1
r
lin
ste
ch:
fro
to
pu
do
To
dai
mi
car
Mc
be,
Co
alk
war
returns 10 fish.
0nce the yolk sac is absorbed, the young fish
are moved to nursery tanks and are fed for the
first time. Their first food is very fine particles fed
several times daily. As they grow, food size as well
as the daily food intake increases.
Small fingerlings remain in the nursery rearing tanks
until they reach a size of 2 inches. The young fish
are then moved to the outside ponds and held until
ready for release as yearlings.
During the course of the incubation and rearing bel
periods, fish health and water quality are closely
monitored to help prevent any disease problems. Vii
Fish are periodically sample counted and measured to
for growth information and feeding change. act
At the time of
release, year-
ling salmon and
steelhead are dis-
charged directly
from the ponds
to the river, or
pumped onto trucks and transported to off -site loca-
tions to begin their downstream migration.
To aid the smolts in their journey through the eight
dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers, the
migrating young fish (both salmon and steelhead)
can be collected at Lower Granite, Little Goose and
McNary dams and barged or trucked downstream
beyond Bonneville, the last dam on the lower
Columbia.
A monitor instrument records water flow, tem-
peratures, oxygen levels, pH (acidity or
alkalinity of water) and turbidity, (sediment in the
During the course of the incubation and rearing
periods, fish health and water quality are closely
monitored to help prevent any disease problems.
Fish are periodically sample counted and measured
for growth information and feeding change.
A monitor instrument records water flow, tem-
peratures, oxygen levels, pH (acidity or
alkalinity of water) and turbidity, (sediment in the
water) of each of the different water system in the
hatchery.
Operational faults are flashed to an annunciator
board pinpointing the exact location of a problem.
An alarm sounds through the public address system
in the hatchery. If the alarm is not acknowledged
and reset by a hatchery employee, the telephones
begin ringing in employee's homes.
Visitors are welcome to tour the facilities 7:30 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. daily. Exhibits describing the hatchery
activities and a self - guided tour are available.
THE MCCALL HATCHERY
For new life
The Chinook Salmr��
CROWN JEWEL OF IDAHO'S WILDERNESS WATERWAY
aesar's legions, watching the salmon's acrobatic ten -foot leaps in its annual
spawning struggle, first named him "Salmo" — the jumper. More recently this
magnificent sport fish has been termed "the Crown Jewel of Idaho's Wilderness
Waterways."
In an ancient ritual as old as the glaciers the Chinook made its annual pilgrimage, in
staggering numbers, to its chosen spawning grounds in this lush wilderness. Growing
to five feet in length and 145 pounds, the chinook is the largest and most powerful swim-
mer of the salmon family.
Front cover insert,
the Corps. newest
193.5 foot long fish
transport barge
operationg on the
Snake and Colum-
bia Rivers. Smolts
are collected at the
Lower Granite Dam
and transported
through dams to the
mouth of the
Columbia River.
Above, the original
McCall Hatchery
building.
Right, the present
day McCall
Hatchery.
But in the 20th century man's intrusion into the
wilderness, however well intentioned, has posed an in-
creasing threat to the chinook. Hydroelectric dams,
ocean fisheries and development leading to habitat
alteration, combined with disease and predation pro-
blems, have had drastic effects on the salmon's increas-
ingly uncertain future. Clearly help is needed, and on
a large scale.
MAN'S ROLE
n 1976, Congress passed the Water
Resources Development Act. This
legislation provided funding for the
construction of hatcheries to preserve
the ever decreasing numbers of salmon and
steelhead. Of 23 facilities built under "The
Lower Snake River Compensation Plan" by
the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, the McCall
Hatchery was the first to be constructed and
to "go on line," and the only hatchery
dedicated to rehabilitation of Idaho's depleted
summer chinook runs.
In 1980, the McCall hatchery's first year of
operation, the adult return of summer
chinook to Idaho's South Fork of the Salmon
River fell to an all -time low. Only 150 adult
fish were trapped.
Challenging this disaster, dedicated hatchery
personnel spawned, hatched, raised and
released some 124,000 summer chinook
smolts in McCall's first year of operation. By
1985 the McCall Hatchery reached its full
capacity, producing and releasing about one
million summer chinook smolts. In 1987, 2,321
adults returned to the South Fork trap.
I The McCall, Idaho complex sits on 15 acres of land adjacent to the North Fork of the Payette River.
In a prestigious national competition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for construc-
tion of the facility, earned a silver medal in landscape architecture for the hatchery's unique design
and architectural conformity to its rural woodland setting.
Gravity -fed waters for the hatchery's daily operation come from nearby Payette Lake at 9,000 gallons per
one of two
minute. The quarter -mile, three -foot diameter pipe, carrying this water to the hatchery, splits at the lake,
24,000 cubic ft.
covered outdoor
one section gathering colder (38- degree) waters from a depth of 50 feet, while its counterpart collects warmer
ponds at McCall
waters near the surface.
Hatchery.
These two water sources are then mixed to
meet critical environmental temperatures.
Water piped to the hatchery's 352 incubation
trays is fed through an ultra - violet light
system which purifies 260 gallons of water per
minute without altering its temperature.
When all trays are being used, 2.5 million fer-
tilized eggs can be held until hatching, when
the emerging fish become sac fry.
In addition, 14 indoor "nursery vats" use
1,680 gallons per minute, creating an ideal en-
vironment for young fish prior to their release
to the larger outdoor ponds.
Since chinook salmon prefer to roam in
schools or groups rather than singly, two
32,000 cubic ft. ponds were designed for the
hatchery. Water flows at 4,500 gallons per
minute through each of these ponds.
�.r+ -
wa ._
SOURCE OF NEW LIFE
e Salmon River has traditionally sup-
er summer chinook runs. Here, 50 miles
tchery and 720 miles from the ocean,
Aping Station remains the hatchery's
ult summer chinook for spawning.
station, highly - skilled biologists assist
survival and spawning. With dedica-
latest in aquaculture technology, the
McCall staff works diligently to
1 assure the future of this priceless
Idaho fishery.
Far left, the weir at the trapping
station located in the headwaters of
the South Fork of the Salmon River.
Left, returning adult summer chinook
in South Fork trapping station holding
pond.
Immediately after the
release from the fema
virtually all eggs are he
and fertilized with t!
milt of one randomly
selected male Chinook.
The eggs with milt are
held in water allowing for
even distribution of sperm.
Once well into the eye -up stage, the
entire egg lot will be electronicalh
counted and
Above, "flushing"
is one of the first
steps in the spawn-
ing process.
pon their arrival at the South Fork trap in June through
September, at least one of every three returning adults
is allowed to pass through the traps to spawn naturally
in the wild. If they are available, 500 - 600
healthy female Chinook, and as many males, are captured for
breeding. From these adults nearly 2.5 million eggs will be col-
lected and fertilized. Destined for a tremendous statistical boost
toward survival to the smolt stage, these
offspring will be under man's care for
the next 18 months.
INCUBATION
Below, at least one third of all
returning salmon are tagged
and released to the headwaters
for natural spawning.
REARING
nce the eggs are placed safely in hatchery incubation
trays, this new life form requires delicate care. Here,
during its 110 -day growth cycle, the embryo within the
egg will grow until it finally emerges from the egg
as a sac fry.
With predation greatly reduced, and reduced environmental stress
in the hatchery as compared to the wild, the sac fry matures to
its "swim -up" stage. Now about 2.3 million strong,
the young chinook have all their needs for
food and safety met by man.
Once held in individual family lots during
incubation, the fry now enter their first com-
munal environment. For the next five
months, they will be nurtured in one of 14
indoor nursery vats. During the last stages
of their 18 -month residence, the young
chinook will be raised in the hatchery's two
large outdoor rearing ponds, where they
will grow to smolt size, averaging 5.5 inches
in length.
FROM EGGS TO FRY
With first signs of new life, the retinal pigment and spine
become highly visable during the "eye -up" stage. Once
free from the egg, the tiny salmon lies helplessly in the
life sustaining environment
of their incubation trays.
are maintained to r
growth and health thl-
oW their reside"(-e.
S M 0 L T I N G
ear the end of the 18 month
rearing period, the chinook
begin to undergo complex
physiological changes known
as smolting. At least three conditions
must be present prior to smolting: pro-
per size, age, and an appropriate length
of photo period (sun location in the sky
and daylight hours) . The physio-
logical changes, which continue to take
place during its 720 -mile downstream
migration, will allow the salmon to sur-
vive when it finally exits the Columbia
River's fresh water and enters the salt
water of the Pacific Ocean.
The indelible memory process that will
compel the salmon to return to its
waters of origin is called imprinting and
begins before and during smolting. The
imprinting process is aided by the
salmon's sense of smell (olfactory
system) and possibly other factors
which are not yet understood.
When the perilous two -month journey
to the ocean begins, the chinook will
imprint the entire length of the river on
its memory, like a road map. The
salmon's sense of smell is so keen that
it will analyze water in parts per billion,
storing the river's changing chemistry
as it swims downstream.
A fish pump transfers smolts to tankers from
their final hatchery residence for transport.
nknown to the migrating fish, an intricate and enlightened human
network is also at work, analyzing and assisting the Chinook's journey
to the Pacific. Fisheries biologists consider this journey to be a
critical extension of the meticulous care given the fish to date.
From the smolt's first encounter with the Lower Granite Dam, where many
are collected for transport to its final drift into the salty mouth of the Columbia
River, the advanced technology of fishery management and aquaculture will
ease its path, assuring a safer journey for this monarch of the salmon.
Smolts, which are collected at Lower Granite Dam before entering the turbines,
are floated through Lower Snake and Columbia River reservoirs by barges,
carefully detoured around dam turbines. Those not collected at Lower
Granite or at one of the dams
farther downstream must
swim the gauntlet of the four
Snake and four Columbia
River dams and reservoirs on
their own.
One of six 25,000 gallon compaa.ments being filled with water.
This 193.5 foot long barge is one of the Corps. newest fish
transport barges used to assist the Chinook salmon in its
struggle "For New Life ".
D.s.
FISH & WILDLIFE
SERV ICE
US Army Corps
of Engineers
Walla Walla District
The king of salmon owes its
survival and future to the
enlightened and ever present
care that began so far away in
the headwaters of a distant
Idaho stream.
Chinook smolts are released i-
the headwaters of the South For;--
of the Salmon R*,--
The following is a listing of facilities constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
for the Lower Snake River Fish & Wildlife Compensation Plan in Idaho.
STEELHEAD
CLEARWATER FISH HATCHERY
(Steelhead and Chinook)
(Under Contruction)
Ahsahka, Idaho
(Near Orofino)
HAGERMAN NATIONAL
FISH HATCHERY
Rural Route 1, Box 256
Hagerman, Idaho 83332
(208) 837 -4896
MAGIC VALLEY
STEELHEAD HATCHERY
Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game
Route 1
Filer, ID 83328
(208) 326 -3230
CHINOOK
McCALL FISH HATCHERY
Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game
Box 1021
McCall, ID 83638
(208) 634 -2690
SAWTOOTH FISH HATCHERY
Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game
HC64, Box 9905
Stanley, ID 83278
(208) 774 -3684
DWORSHAK NATIONAL
FISH HATCHERY
P.O. Box 18
Ahsahka, ID 83520
(208) 476 -4591
(Near Orofino)
* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1991— 593 -274
Generally Good
For Weekend
Summer, 1939
Fishing in the McCall area
will be generally good this week
end, judging from reports re-
ceived from the Idaho National
Forest, the McCall Chamber of
Commerce and other sources,
said Harold R. Harvey, game
director, Thursday night.
The road to Goose and Hazard
Lakes is now open but not yet in
good condition. It will probably
be better toward the end of the
week. Payette River below La do
Bridge is still too high.
Other reports as preparec oy
the fish and game department
through co- operation of forest
officials and game department
field personnel, include:
Payette National Forest —
Deadwood River, good; Big
Creek, fair; Johnson Creek, fair.
Low and clear. Rainbow. Roads
good, accessible by car. Rior-
dan Lake, good; Pistol Lake,
good; low and clear. Rainbow
and Natives. Riordan Lake is
seven miles from the road. Caton
Lake, nine. Pistol Lake about
seven miles. Pack equipment
may be obtained at Cox's Dude
Ranch, Yellow Pine, for trips to
Riordan and Caton and Cy
Johnson at Snowshoe Summit
(Landmark) for trips to Pistol
Lake.
I 95 o
Idaho Department of Fish and Game has aggressive fish-planting program.
Payette Lake
The lake at McCall is big and
beautiful but not very good
fishing for all but a few old
timers who know the "hot
spots."
Each year Fish and Game
plants catchable rainbows near
Ponderosa State Park and it is
good sport until the water
—good
drive them into deep
water.
There are mackinaw in
Payette Lake over 20 pounds.
These "Big Macs" live in very
deep water, except for a brief
venture into the shallows at ice -
out and in late fall. Anglers
equipped with electronic fish
finders can locate them in deep
coves and along rocky drop -
offs.
Try lead- headed white
marabou jigs fished right off
the bottom. Lower the jig to the
lake's floor and then reel up a
foot or two, then jiggle the lure
up and down every few seconds.
Experienced "Mac" fishermen
say early morning is the - -best
time.
Little Lake
I love to float -tube this lake,
which sits just east of Payette
Lake, because one is working
around a forest of dead trees.
The trout are fond of this kind
of cover and ambush minnows
.and aquatic life around the
underwater trees.
This past year, however,
there has been an explosion of
stunted kokanee and squawfish,
and Fish and Game may
eradicate the fish population
this year and restock with game
fish.
X11 C yi/S
,he fishin's getting good at mountain lakes Mountain Lodge near Cascade. Fishing in other
hroughout Valley County. Lee Downum, Boise, lakes are also reported to be improving.
ries his luck at Haft Lake, three miles west of West
-Fh —S C1Y- I/ ? WS- � / /;Y/ rs
Big Mac
lino of Reno, Nev., display's a 32 -inch- in at 16 pounds and its girth measured 20 inches.
iw trout that he pulled from Payette Lagomarsino said he caught the lake trout in about
Inesday morning. The big mac weighed 35 feet of water along the west shore of the lake.
rc� Star Nero.
F &G reports steelhead return
in record numbers
A record upstream return of
more than 120,000 steelhead over
Lower Granite Dam has resulted
in excellent fishing in Idaho as
the fall season winds down, said
Steve Huffaker, anadromous
fisheries coordinator for the
Idaho Department of Fish and
Game.
The spring steelhead season
opens Jan. 1 on the heels of the
Dec. 31 fall closure. If the current
season is any measure of success,
fishing should continue to be
first -rate.
Late fall catch rates ranged
from 10 to 20 hours per fish. Ex-
perienced anglers often harvest a
daily limit when catch rates
average over 20 hour per fish,
while rates of below 20 hours per
fish can mean that novice
steelheaders will have good luck,
Huffaker said.
An unusually large thermal
block held the fish in the lower
Columbia River later than anon-
mal, but when r
temperatures finally improved I
run records were set daily at
Lower Granite, Huffaker said.
"The total run is the largest at
Lower Granite since it carne on
line in 1975," Huffaker said.
Hatchery fish were well
distributed . throughout the
Salmon, Snake and Clearwater
River systems by early
November, and catch rates
became more consistent, ranging
from 10 to 20 hours per fish from
the Washington State line to the
Lemhi River, Huffaker said.
"Data for the last half of
November have not been analyz-
ed, but good to excellent fishing
is still being reported and
steelhead are being taken as far
upstream as Challis on the
Salmon River," he said.
Huffaker predicted that
returns from plants of hatchery
steelhead on the Little Salmon
and Panther Creek would show
up in good numbers this winter
and next spring. is The stocking strategy
design-
ed to hold hatchery fish in ac-
cessible areas along the lower
and mid - Salmon to benefit winter
and spring anglers. Plants at
Pahsimeroi and Stanley should
assure spring success in the upper
Salmon, he said.
The fall season will end Dec.
31, and the spring season is
scheduled to open the next day,
Jan. 1, following action in early
December by Fish and Game
commissioners.
Spring seasons on the Salmon,
Snake, Clearwater and Boise
rivers are from Jan. 1 through
April 30 with one exception. The
Salmon, from its mouth up to
Long Tim Creek, has a Jan. 1 to
March 31 season, with an April
30 closure from Long Tom Creek
up to the mouth of Redfish Lake
Creek.
Fabulous falll fishing in McCall
Little Payette Lake may be low in the fall with snags sticking out of the water, but it's still an ideal spot for float-tube fisherman.
An avid angler can cast a line in plenty of lakes around the central Idaho town
A friend recently asked me why
I spend so much time in the Cas-
cade /McCall area.
"Why," he quizzed, "would you
prefer that overdeveloped tourist
trap over other more pristine ar-
eas in the state?
"Places," he went on, "like
Warm Lake and Stanley."
Since I had scheduled a four -
day trip to Ponderosa State Park
on Payette Lake, I decided to re-
search the fishing and list the
reasons i like to camp in the
McCall area, especially during
the autumn months. I'll admit it,
Stanley and Warm Lake are hard
to beat in the fall.
The McCall area is not noted
for its high - quality trout fishing.
Comparing it, for example, with
eastern Idaho and southwestern
Montana is unfair.
It doesn't get the national at-
tention and a high influx of
skilled anglers like those high -
profile trout fisheries, but that's
definitely a plus for the McCall
area.
I suppose if we lived within 100
miles of West Yellowstone, most
of us would be spending our week-
ends on Henrys Lake or Hebgen
Reservoir -- or any one of a dozen
other blue- ribbon trout fisheries
in the area.
But as good as the fishing in
eastern Idaho and southwestern
Montana might be, and the 1989
season has been very good, the
McCall area offers advantages of
angling solitude that Henrys
Mary Taylor
Fishing
Lake and the Henrys Fork can't
provide.
On my recent trip to the
McCall area, I concentrated on
Little Payette Lake for three
days.
On my best day there were only
five other tubers and one boat on
the lake. I found a bunch of fish
along the snag - filled eastern
shore and enjoyed three hours of
superb trout fishing.
While I didn't land any legal -
sized fish (trout over 26 inches), I
caught and released 10 kamloops
(Canadian rainbow trout), six of
which were in the 17- to 19 -inch
range. I also broke off two fish
that took me deep into my
backing.
I had the group of fish all to
myself; the nearest tuber was
more than a half -mile away.
The weather was near perfect
— the air temperature 65 degrees,
water temperature 62 degrees,
and no wind. The fish were work-
ing the surface and, at times, at-
tacked my damsel nymph pattern
with great ferocity.
While the weather soured the
fishing the following day, that
one late August afternoon on Lit-
tle Payette Lake made the four -
day trip more than worthwhile. It
was comparable in every way
with our July fishing at Henrys
Lake.
Fall in McCall is an experience
every local trout fisherman
should schedule for late Septem-
ber and October. Anglers will find
both Little Pavette Lake and Cas-
cade Reservoii tug ping out,quali-
ty trout fishing.
The chain of lal �s from Brun-
dage Reservoir to Haz$rd Lakes
will certainly be worthy of inves-
tigation this fall. The fish won't
be as large as at Little Payette
Lake or Cascade Reservoir, but
the joy of fishing,, these high -
mountain lakes off., (As the lack of
trophy -sized fish.
Another plus in basing a camp
in the McCall area this fall, is the
possibility of fishing for steelhead
in the Riggins section of the
Salmon River (a one day side
trip).
The fall run over the lower
Snake River dams looks good :ind
the angler opting for a variety of
fishing experiences should pla i a
day on the Salmon Rivex .
My choice for a base of opera-
tions in the McCall area is Pon-
derosa State Park. In less than 10
Taylor's tips
Little Olive Leech
Hook: Mustad 79580; size 10. r
Thread: 6/0 Danville light olive. yF
Tail: Light olive marabou.
Body: Light to medium olive wool
yarn, tied thin. '
Hackle: Light to medium saddle
hackle, clipped short.
Head: Light olive.
Comments: While trout at Little Payette Lake spend most of the
summer deep and fishing is slow, cooler weather now has
improved fishing. The fish are moving into shallow areas. The
Little Olive Leech was my most successful pattern on a recent
trip. It should be fished slowly on a No. 1 slow- sinking line in
water 6 to 12 feet deep.
minutes I can launch my float
tube at Little Payette Lake; in 45
minutes I can be fishing Cascade
Reservoir; and in an hour or so I
can reach the Salmon River.
Camping at Ponderosa State
Park offers a number of amenities
to RV campers. The sites are neat
(with lots of tall pine trees), with
electrical and water hookups if
the camper chooses, and the park
offers shower facilities until
freeze -up. ,
While Vina and I enjoy barbe-
cuing in camp, we usually pro-
gram one evening meal in one of
the area's fine restaurants.
Another plus in planning a fall
in McCall outing is the high num-
ber of hunters in Idaho. Since
many in our outdoors community
are camped in more remote areas,
chasing antlered game, those of
us who choose to fish in the fall
will usually find little competi-
tion for the better fishing holes.
Mary Taylor is a fishing writer
from Boise. His column appears on
Wednesdays.
More lightnin
The Associated Press j 117
Fire bosses braced for more dry
lightning across central Idaho
Tuesday as air tankers continued
pounding a raging wilderness fire
with chemical retardant.
"There is a red flag warning
over much of Oregon and Idaho
for lightning storms, so that's a
big concern right now," Boise Na-
tional Forest spokesman Don
Smurthwaite said.
For the second consecutive day,
tankers strafed the 800 -acre Por-
ter Creek Fire just inside the
Frank Church -River of No Return
threatens as firefighters battle blaze in wilds
Wilderness about 110 miles north-
east of Boise. They concentrated
their retardant drops on the head
of the fire to the northeast and its
rear on the south.
"They're concerned about the
south side of the fire because the
terrain is more rugged and there
are more unburned fuels there,"
Smurthwaite said.
But firefighters' luck and skill
stayed the advance of the fire
during the day.
"Today (Tuesday) was filled
with good surprises," Smurth-
waite said. "We expected the fire
to make some major runs this
afternoon because the conditions
were so close to yesterday
(Monday)."
Instead the fire grew by no
more than 200 acres, and a trail or
line surrounded about 80 percent
of the blaze by nightfall.
"If all goes well, we are estimat-
ing containment of the fire Thurs-
day evening about 6 p.m.,"
Smurthwaite said.
Scores of firefighters massed on
the southern flank, carving fire-
break lines to block any move-
ment of the flames south.
After erupting on Sunday from
embers that had smoldered for
days after a storm last week, high
temperatures, low humidity and
moderate winds quadrupled the
fire to 200 acres on Monday and
then more than tripled its size by
Tuesday.
More than 300 firefighters and
other specialists were committed
to the blaze, and a special region-
al management team was direct-
ing the attack.
The fire was burning on both
sides of Porter Creek about 3
miles west of the Elk Creek Rang-
er Station.
Statesman reporter Anne Peter-
son contributed to this story.
�c'
C.4J�
F &G plants muskies in mountain lakes to reduce brook trout
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Fisheries managers believe
tiger muskies may be the answer
to eliminating overpopulated
brook trout in some area high
mountain lakes.
The Idaho Department of
Fish and Game stocked 2,901
of the predator fish into nine
high mountain lakes earlier this
month, regional fishery manager
Dale Allen said.
The F &G acquired the hybrid
fish from Pennsylvania last fall.
Tiger muskies are a sterile cross-
breed between northern pike and
muskellunge.
They were held at the Hager-
man Hatchery in southern Idaho,
where they first were fed commer-
cial feed pellets. Recently, their
diet was changed to brook trout.
The toothy predators eat what-
ever is available and could clear
out some overpopulated brook,
trout in area lakes, Allen said.
The fish are being stocked in
the lakes as a part of a research
,project that eventually will lead
to lakes that can again be stocked
with rainbow trout for anglers.
"They really change the size
structure of brook trout," Allen
said. "Or they can totally take
them out."
The Trout Research Program
is led by Martin Koenig in the
Nampa F &G Research Office.
Area lakes that received 40
tiger muskies per acre were Black
Lake, Granite Twin Lakes, Shirts
Lake, Upper Hazard Lake, Corral
Photo courtesy Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Fisheries managers hope tiger muskies, shown in photo, may be the answer to eliminating overpopulated
brook trout in some area high mountain lakes.
Lake, GrassyMountain lakes No.
1 and No. 2 in the Payette and
Boise national forests.
Merriam Lake and Spruce
Gulch Lake in the Salmon -Chal-
lis National Forest also received
tiger muskies.
The stocked fish averaged
12 inches and should double in
size by this fall, Allen said. They
could weigh up to three pounds
in a few months.
The fish were planted using a
fire bucket below a helicopter that
made several trips from the Hard
Creek Guard Station.
In a few years, after the brook
trout populations are monitored,
the predators will be removed
from the lakes and rainbow trout
will be stocked for anglers.
Fisheries biologists do not
think that the tiger muskies will
be hard to remove. After they
have decimated the brook trout
populations, they will be highly
susceptible to angling and gill-
netting techniques.
In the meantime, anglers
might want to ratchet up the
strengthof theirtackle when they
visit one of the high mountain
lakes with the tiger muskies.
The state record is 46 pounds and
the legal length limit is 40 inches
and a possession of two fish.
Brook trout were heavily
introduced into many area lakes
in the 1930s, Allen said. Many of
those populations have exploded
over the years, creating stunted
populations of small fish.
The department did not stock
the tiger muskies in lakes where
the brook trout populations were
healthy.
pip
Net pen signs
Signs recently were erected at the
entrance to the Payette Lake Fish
tearing Net Pens to help identify the
newest visitor feature on the lake.
i he dock to the pens were built this
ummer using volunteer labor and
onated materials. Visitors to the
n can see westslope cutthroat trout
erected
being raised in special pens oper-
ated by the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game. The trout are be.
ing raised and released into Pay-
ette Lake to enhance the fishing in
the lake. The docks are a project of
a variety of civic groups and gov-
ernment agencies.
F &G needs to improve fishing
holes in McCall area
What will it take to develop
some good trout fishing in the
McCall area?
I was button -holed by three
hard -core anglers who are con-
cerned that Idaho Fish and Game
doesn't seem to have a game plan
to provide decent fishing in the
McCall area.
Fishing at' Cascad� Reservoir
has been deteriorating badly for
the past two years; Lost Valley
Reservoir is fill of yellow perch;
Little Payette Lake has not lived
up to Fish and Game's predic-
tions; and Horsethief Reservoir is
still only a marginal fishery.
Here are some specific recom-
mendations, based on the opin-
ions of locals:
Cascade Reservoir — After
the water quality problem is
solved, Fish and Game should
concentrate on habitat improve-
Mary Taylor
Fishing
ment and studies to develop a
long -range program to provide
consistent trout - fishing success.
Little Payette Lake — Most
of the locals I've talked with be-
lieve Fish and Game has lost in-
terest in developing Little Lake
as a quality fishery. If the stock-
ing schedule for 1990 is any indi-
cation, I would agree. Let's see a
solid, well- thought -out 5- and 10-
year plan that will accomplish
the goals originally outlined for
Little Payette Lake.
Lost Valley Reservoir — Dur-
ing the mid -80's, this reservoir
provided excellent trout fishing.
Unfortunately, completely elimi-
nating the yellow perch in the
lake is impossible, so Fish and
Game's long -range plans must in-
clude periodic eradication.
Brundage Reservoir — After
the recent expansion of Brun-
dage, we were led to believe the
lake would be a much - improved
fishery. Although I haven't fished
the lake, my McCall sources are
disappointed in the fishing.
Horsethief Reservoir — The
lake has excellent habitat for
aquatic trout food and the ability
to turn fingerling trout into good -
sized fish. Let's reduce the har-
vest of trout in the lake with some
type of quality regulations, and
stock some very high quality fish
to bring the lake up to the level it
deserves.
Mary Taylor is a free -lance out-
door writer from Boise.
I[.%-, 4e!
Salmon
LIFE CYCLE
1x`W-
(SPAWNING: Following one to three years of
"locean life, the sockeye, now considered adults,
return to Redfish Lake to spawn. In May or
June, they enter the Columbia River and start
upstream. They enter Redfish Lake in late July
to early September. In October the female digs
a depression in the gravel and lays about 2,000
eggs. Males fertilize the eggs with milt. Their
mission complete, the adults burrow into the
creek bank and die.
�cr/mil 67 1agNt
q
Redfish Lake
Challis
Stanley 75 N
nan • 21 5iwtooth
Nattonal
Recreation
Area
Sun
Valley
eggs
0 1!
raa
Miles
21 EARLY DEVELOPMENT: The following spring, THE JOURNEY: After spending
young fry emerge from the nest and begin to one to two years in Redfish Lake, the
feed while birds and other fish prey on them. sockeye smolt begin their 897 -mile trip
Only 10 to 20 percent of the fry survive. bi to the Pacific Ocean. It Can take two
months or more to reach the ocean.
Before dams were huilt the trin tnnk
=99
SURVIVING THE DAMS: At Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River,
0about 30 miles northwest of Clarkston, Wash., the smolts conf
first of eight federal dams blocking their route to the sea.
Here, about 50% of the salmon are collected by the U.S. A
Corps of Engineers for trucking or barging around the dams tc
Columbia River estuary.
The rest try to negotiate the dams. They getting shredded i
turbines, die from excess nitrogen at the bottom of spillways,
by predators or die from diseases harbored in slackwater rese
V...6
LIFE IN THE SEA: Approximately 5 percent of the
migrants survive and swim in the Columbia River
estuary. Here they make the transition to a salt wat
er
fish.
In the next 2 -3 years, the sockeye swim up the
Pacific Coast, some to the Gulf of Alaska, and feed
voraciously on zooplankton and small fish. They grow
to nearly five times their size.
In the sea, the salmon fall victim to huge driftnets.
The nets cover 30,000 to 40,000 square miles of deep
ocean on any given day, killing an unknown number of
L" tuna, porpoise, turtles, salmon and steelhead.
RETURN TO BIRTHPLACE: When their internal time
clock sends a signal to return home, the sockeye return
to the mouth of the Columbia in early May and June.
If they elude commercial, sport and tribal fishermen,
the fish, now on a complete fast, swim back to Idaho in
about 60 days, climbing over the dams via fish ladders.
About 5 -10% of the adults die in the process of
negotiating dams.
Patrick Davis/The Idaho Statesman
9�rs�S'3
Gebhards, Fish & Game supervisor, retires
Stacy Gebhards, 63, who has supervised all
Fish and Game activities in Southwest Idaho for
the past twelve years, has announced his retire-
ment. No replacement has been named.
In making his announcement, Gebhards cited
his recent move to the McCall area and its asso-
ciated commuting difficulties. "Besides, my mules
are getting fat and need some exercise," he joked.
Gebhards' career with the Idaho department
has spanned thirty -seven years. He has held
numerous positions across the state including
Fish Research Biologist, Regional Fisheries
Manager, Statewide Fisheries Management
Supervisor, Chief of the Fisheries Bureau and
Regional Manager of the largest of the seven Fish
and Game Regions.
Perhaps Gebhards' greatest legacy if the
Morrison - Knudsen Nature Center in Boise. The
concept of building a living stream with under-
water viewing windows was Gebhards' idea. He
did the design, worked to obtain funding to build
it and literally placed each stone in the stream
that wanders through the Center.
Gebhards was named the 1990 Fish & Game
"Employee of the Year" in the Image Enhancement
category for his involvement in the M -K Center.
He had previously been named by the Idaho
Wildlife Federation as their "Conservationist of
the Year" in 1971. In 1973, he was the recipient
of the national professional "Conservation Award"
given by American Motors Company.
Other accomplishments include being a cer-
tified backcountry lead ski guide, a profession-
al certified nordic ski instructor, a kayak instruc-
tor and an accomplished writer and photograph-
er. Over the years he has taught numerous class-
es in mule packing, winter survival and snow
shelter construction, wildlife cooking, and knot
Stacy Gebhards was photographed while tak-
ing part in a 1991 cleanup of Long Lake in Valley
County's backcountry.
tying. His articles and photographs have appeared reg-
ularly in both the Idaho Wildlife Review and its suc-
cessor, Idaho Wildlife magazine. He has been involved
in the production of many audio - visual presentations,
including writing the script for the 30 minute movie,
"Vanishing Stream' which was narrated by Rex Allen.
--r--/a %� /9�f
�p / -:� /-2,2 ps
Now 9 s the time to fish
Pete Zimowsky /The Idaho Statesman
Payette Lake in McCall has been stocked with 5,000 rainbow trout for the Memorial Day weekend.
Vf7PGC%r40 � ��5 !''?Ctf� 3/ �y y f�z��.2 �� f <' i°a�us
There should be
plenty of action for
the big weekend
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
If you're thinking about going
trout fishing, just do it.
The best fishing in some of
Idaho's reservoirs and streams
will be during Memorial Day
weekend and in early June, be-
fore water levels take a dive,
Fish and Game officials said
Wednesday.
In some areas, streamflows are
only 35 to 40 percent of normal
and reservoirs will be drained.
The key to fishing this season
will be first to hit the reservoirs
that are expected to go dry be-
cause of the drought, said Bill
Horton, Idaho Fish and Game
staff biologist.
Little Camas, Magic, Fish
Creek and Mormon reservoirs,
northeast of Mountain Home,
are a few of the fishing holes
expected to be drawn down dras-
tically by late June.
But other reservoirs that have
more stable water supplies will
take up the slack for fishing.
By the time Fish and Game
fish- tanker trucks are done roll-
ing across the state this season,
about two million frying -pan
size trout will be stocked.
"We're going to put extra fish
in reservoir's that have extra
water," said Horton.
About 10 percent of the total
stocking of pan -size trout will
not be going into waters that
will dry up. That means an addi-
tional 200,000 fish will be spread
around to reservoirs that are
expected to hold water a little
longer during the summer.
Lucky Peak Reservoir near
Boise is one of the lucky reser-
voirs. It got 16,000 catchable-
size (8- to 10 -inch) trout in April,
but also got 71,000 (7 -inch) trout
in February and March. The
smaller fish should be just the
right pan size for catching this
See Fishing fever /Page 4B
weekend, said Tom Frew, resi-
dent hatcheries supervisor for
Fish and Game.
Cascade Reservoir, which
should have enough water most
of the summer, got 300,000 trout
recently, and nearby Horsethief
Reservoir received 10,000 trout.
Although most of the state's
reservoirs and lakes are open to
year -round trout fishing, Memo-
rial Day weekend is when they
get hit the hardest. It's one of
the first big holiday weekends
for camping and fishing.
Saturday is the opening day of
trout fishing for many of the
state's rivers and streams.
Here's an update on trout -fish-
ing conditions from Fish and
Game biologists around the
state:
WESTERN IDAHO
Some alpine lakes (around
8,000 feet in elevation) in the
McCall area are free of ice. If
you're willing to trudge through
some snow and on muddy trails
you can get to them and drop a
line.
Loon Lake and Louie Lake
near McCall have been accessi-
ble for several weeks.
The fish truck has been trying
to get to Upper Payette Lake to
dump a load of fish, but hasn't
be able to because of a muddy
road. Fish and Game is going to
try again today.
Most lower reservoirs and
streams in the area have been
stocked.
Stream fishermen are getting
an early start on the fishing
season. Runoff is over and
streams are low and clear, mak-
ing fishing conditions good.
Normally, they're running too
high this time of the year.
Don't expect to get to Granite
or Hazard lakes around McCall.
Payette Lake received about
5,000 catchable rainbow trout
but the lake is known more for
its lake trout and cutthroat
trout.
Star News
Fish came the Yellowstone National Park fires
of 1988. There, fish not only sur-
vived, they thrived, he said.
through Increases in nutrient levels in wa-
terways following forest fires can last
up to five years. That could be a
forest fires concern for those attempting to pre-
vent Big Payette Lake from
experiencing the same nutrient -rich
quite well
BY SHARI HAMBLETON
The Stu -News
Although fires burned intensely
through many of the Payette National
Forest's drainages last summer, na-
tive fish species fared pretty well,
those attending a meeting last week
were told.
During a presentation at the
Smokejumper base in McCall, Pay-
ette fish biologist Dave Burns said
last summer's fires "were contained
without major impacts to fish."
Burns addressed both the effects
of fire and of firefighting efforts on
fish.
Even though fires torched thou-
sands of acres of forest land, most
riparian, or wildlife - friendly, areas
near streams escaped major damage,
Burns said. "Most riparian areas were
left intact."
"That's the reason fish survive
fires," he said. "Riparian areas near
streams seldom bum very hot."
Public reports of dead fish in forest
streams were not an indication of a
massive die -off due to heat, he said.
Those fish — in most cases post -
spawning Brook Trout —would have
died anyway.
"There's going to be no lack of
fish," he said. Nutrients leaching into
waterways as a result of fires last
season will likely mean an increase in
the overall food chain. That, Burns
said, will mean fat fish.
A similar situation existed after
conditions which plague Cascade Res-
ervoir.
But even with the added nutrient
levels resulting from the fires, "the
lake is probably at a nutrient deficit
right now," Burns said. With the large
populations of Sockeye salmon which
previously found their way into Pay-
ette Lake now gone, nutrients are
likely in much less concentration then
they once were.
The amount of nutrients ending up
in streams, rivers and Payette Lake
depend largely on the type of snow
and spring run -off the area experi-
ences, Burns said.
A large run -off which would
"scour" the South Fork of the Salmon
River could be beneficial, he said.
"That's really what the South Fork
needs right now."
Erosion and resulting sedimenta-
tion in streams will probably best be
controlled by organic matter on the
forest floor, including fallen trees,
Burns said. Native plant seed beds
which began to sprout before winter
snows started falling indicate natural
regeneration was taking place.
Even though sediment will find its
way into streams, some material is
needed for spawning beds, Bums said.
A certain amount of sloughing is natu-
ral and necessary.
"We don't necessarily perceive
landslides as being a bad thing," he
said. Some alluvial fans — perpetual
natural landslide areas — have been
moving for a few thousand years.
"This is inherently unstable coun-
try with or without fires," Burns said.
Jec g, 1q qti
Last week's column covered
the good and the bad about Cas-
cade /McCall area fishing. Un-
fortunately, it offered more bad
news than good. -
While several of the area's top
trout fishing spots are not fish-
ing up to par this season (Cas-
cade Reservoir, Little Payette
Lake and Lost Valley Reservoir
are examples), and others are
threatened with illegal, unwant-
ed yellow perch infestations,
there are some other popular
fisheries I can recommend for
the summer.
Brundage Reservoir
Located just off the Goose
Lake /Hazard Lakes road, Brun-
dage Reservoir is managed as a
trophy trout lake with fish in
the 12- to 20 -inch range protect-
ed. Although the lake has been
slow to develop as a trophy fish-
ery, it is producing some good
fish this summer.
Although there are no devel-
oped campgrounds on the lake,
anglers who prefer rustic camp-
ing can find some spots to park
their RVs or pitch their tents.
I recommend area anglers
looking for some place to fish in
the McCall area to consider
Brundage Reservoir.
Granite Lake
If the fishing at Brundage is
not satisfying, continue past the
lake to Granite Lake. While the
road is not classified as four -
wheel country, it is a bit bumpy
as you near the lake.
I've had reports this season of
rainbow trout in the three -
pound range coming out of
Granite Lake. Listed at 165
acres, the lake is small enough
to float tube and large enough
for car -top boats.
Both Granite and Brundage
can be fished as day trips.
Upper Payette Lake
Located about 17 miles north
of McCall on the McCall -Burg-
dorf Road, this neat little 200 -
acre lake is a good spot to float
tube fly fish. Populated with
rainbow trout, brook trout and
Splake (a mackinaw and brook
trout hybrid), the lake may not
produce trophy -sized fish, but it
does produce fun fishing.
Fly fishermen should fish the
lily pads at the upper end of the
lake.
There are campgrounds on the
west side of the lake and at the
north end. Small boats may be
launched at the south end just
above the dam.
t1u,2.tde&SAW 712119V
McCall area has fish,
but do your homework
Mary Taylor
Mud Lake
To reach this Valley County
lake, take the Pistol Creek
Ridge Road from Landmark,
about 40 miles east of Cascade.
'urn left at the first fork about
four miles south of Landmark..
Camping is primitive and the
marshy perimeter of the lake
makes bank fishing difficult.
Several anglers I talked with
last week described the fishing
for planted rainbows fairly fast.
The lake also contains popula-
tions of brook trout. It is defi-
nitely a float - tubing lake.
Blue Lake
A short % -mile hike from the
Snowbank Mountain Road, this
beautiful high mountain lake is
fun fishing. Carrying a float
tube in is simple (the trail from
the road is downhill), although
getting out is a bit bothersome.
The lake has stocked rainbow
trout and natural spawning
brookies. A great one -day trip.
C. Ben Ross Reservoir
Located near Indian Valley in
Adams County, the lake has ex-
cellent populations of crappies.
To reach the lake, turn off U.S.
95 at the bottom of Mesa Sum-
mit or at Alpine. The road forks
just south of Indian Valley —
take either fork to the lake.
There is a boat ramp near the
south end of the dam.
I've been told there are foot -
long crappie in the lake. While
July and August may not be the
most pleasant months to fish the
lake, there should be good
catches of crappie.
Corral Creek Reservoir
Located near Horsethief Res -
ervoir, Corral has been produc-
ing larger rainbow trout this
season than Horsethief.
Campers should locate their
RVs at Horsethief and drive
back and forth to the lake.
Payette Lake
(Lower main)
Most of the emphasis in the
big lake during recent years has
been on mackinaw (lake trout).
Fish up to 35 pounds have been
reported. It is deep trolling with
large lures during July and Au-
gust. If you have a good boat,
give it a try.
North Fork of the Payette
There are two sections to fish
in the Cascade /McCall area.
The river between Payette Lake
and Cascade Reservoir has lim-
ited access and is best fished via
some type of drift boat. The riv-
er between the main Payette
Lake and Upper Payette Lake
has a parallel road. It can be
fished with bait, lures or flies.
I recommend contacting one
of the area fishing shops about
recent conditions when plan-
ning a trip to any of the above
fisheries. With the drought of
'94 holding firm, reservoir levels
may drop dramatically.
Mary Taylor is a free -lance out-
door writer living in Boise.
uvn8` 11¢11,�y A4V0CQ1r
Ribbon cutting marks completion of Tamarack Fishing Bridge
DONNELLY — It's a special bridge and there
will be a special ceremony to mark completion of
the Tamarack Falls Handicapped Accessible Fishing
Bridge on June 9.
A planning group led by the West Central Highland
Resources Conservation and Development Council
began work in June of 1992 to restore the bridge,
which happens to be at a popular and very produc-
tive fishing spot.
The bridge had been condemned for many years
for safety reasons. Restoration involved redecking
the bridge, improving and paving the parking lot,
having an access trail from the kiosk/picnic area,
and improving the safety guard rails.
A variety of agency and organization grants
matched local funds, primarily from Valley County,
to do the project. Those costs were kept down by
the use of organized work groups and a work crew
from the North Idaho Correctional Institution, which
finished the project last summer.
A long list of businesses, and local, state and fed-
eral agencies took part in the project.
Toothman -Orton Engineers provided maps and
topographic surveys for the project; the Reed Gillespie
Chapter of Trout Unlimited provided funds and a
work crew; Idaho Fish and Game Department pro-
vided funding for handicapped access as did the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service; Valley County, the Boise
National Forest, and the Bureau of Reclamation pro-
vided funding and planning assistance; West Central
Highlands Resource Cconservation and Development
Council provided project planning leadership; Treasure
Valley PAWS helped with handicapped access plan-
ning and funds for a commemmorative plaque; Trus
Joist International provided the bridge engineering
design; and Lumberman's donated the materials for
the project.
The project is expected to contribute to the region's
tourism. New displays that are planned for the infor-
mation kiosk will center on water quality issues.
The ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for 11
a.m. June 9.
Some fishin' bridge, eh ?!
Lining the railing of the reconstructed Tamarack Falls Fishing Bridge nearly two years ago are
members of the crew from the Idaho Department of Corrections Facility at Cottonwood that pro-
vided the low -cost labor ;to rebuild the once - condemned bridge. The bridge was dedicated in cer-
emonies last Friday. The project involved numerous federal, state and local agencies, including
the Central Highlands Ruiral Community Development Council, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau
of Reclamation, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and Valley County.
BY p ii�5 end silk worm gut, all tied to the mandatory two
Thesmf -Ne" inch hook. It was the last fly he created for the contest,
We of Dave Bums' Atlantic salmon flies sits in `a and although it is based on traditional Atlantic salmon
vice looking every bit as exotic as the birds' feathers flies, he said the one -of -a -kind design "came on a
that elegantly dress the hook. The fly will never touch whim."
£.
the water or draw a strike from a fish, because it is more
The elaborate fly incorporated feathers from a variety
than a fishing fly, it's a creation and a piece of feathered of exotic birds (mostly #onlestically raised), including
art. several species of Asiatic pheasants, South American
Burns, of McCall, was recently named the world macaw, Asiatic kingfisher, Kenyan Guinea fowl, and
champion creative fly tier for the Federatiop Quebecoise North American ducks, such as wood duck, mallard and
Pour Le Sauman Atlantique, which roughly translates to gadwall. He estimates he spent about 10, hours tying it.
Federation for Atlantic Salmon of Quebec. The world championship award is a crowning
Bums entered five flies in the competition, and four achievement for Bums, a hie -long fly -tier and fisherman
of them placed, including the championship fly, "Jock who works as a fisheries biologist for the Payette
'Scott," which is named after a famous river conserva- National Forest.
tionist. Burns started entering fly tying contests in 1990 as a
The winning fly for Burns had more than 100 way to improve his fly tying skills, and he has since won
individual parts consisting of feathers, silklloss, metal numerous national and international
contests. His Atlantic salmon flies
are the flagships of his work.
"They are my favorite to tie
because they offer more challenge
than just about any other kind of
fly," Burns said.
Every fly created for competition
must adhere to strict specifications,
and feather sizes must be in propor-
tion with the hook size. The flies are
also judged on originality and use of
materials.
The concept of judging flies as art
pieces dates back to the 19th century
when English ships brought exotic
birds to England from around the
world, Burns said. Early fly -tiers cre-
ated extravagant flies as gifts to roy-
alty, and the ornamental fly tying tra-
dition continues today.
Bums's flies are featured in sev-
eral books on fly- tying, and several of
his winning creations are housed in
museums around the world that show-
case the finest flies created for con-
tests.
There is no prize money for fly -
tying contests, but Burns makes a
little money from his hobby by selling
individual flies or groups of flies en-
cased in decorative frames. They can
be seen at Heartline Gallery in McCall.
Tf1 �
Pete Zimowsky
Outdoors
Steelhead
too dear
to lose
HELLS CANYON — The
swirling waters of the Snake
River ripped along the ebony -
basalt cliffs of this rugged
canyon.
How fish could rest any-
where in these swift waters is
mind boggling, but Idaho's
tenacious steelhead do.
My drift boat bobbed like a
cork in the river that was
flowing as fast as surf waves
in Hurricane Andrew.
Rowing and dodging house -
size rocks and 15 -foot waves,
and trying to cast a spinner
against the cliffs, was like a
carnival ride.
Outdoor writer Ken Retallic
and I were floating Hells
Canyon during an October
fishing and chukar- hunting
ritual.
Leaky dory
Retallic co- authored the
book Fly Fisher's Guide to
Idaho. What I didn't know
was that he isn't too keen on
wooden dories being swal-
lowed by mountains of white-
water. The fact that my boat
leaked about two gallons
every 30 minutes, didn't help
ease his mind.
I With one hand on one oar
for pivoting around rocks, and
the other on my trusty spin -
rAng outfit, I made a cast. The
Blue Fox spinner landed an
inch from a cliff.
' BAM, FISH ON! I dropped
the oar, set the hook, and
started cranking. Line ripped
off the reel. Luckily, roaring
rapids were still far away.
T,he dory spun like a top. The
fish dived.
Bulldogging steelhead
"Gotta be a steelhead. It's
bulldogging to the bottom," I
yelled. Rapids were getting
closer. Ken thought, "Who's
going to steer the boat ?"
The spinning rod bent like a
bullwhip in a tornado. The
fish shot upstream as the cur-
rent pulled the boat down-
stream.
,I Ken got a glimpse of the sil-
very- rainbow color as the fish
siarfaced. "You have a net ?"
I thought, "No, I've got a
shotgun, shells, lures, cookies,
beer, coffee pot, sleeping bag,
tent, and longjohns; no net.
Heck, you can't remember
everything on a float trip."
The rapids got closer.
:The heavy - bodied, howitzer
shell- shaped fish took a dive
like something out of Red Oc-
tober. The sound of the rapids
gew louder and forboding.
Ken was still thinking, "Who's
going to steer ?"
I hated to give up the fight,
but had already had an expe-
rience of a lifetime. I handed
the rod to Ken and started
pulling on the oars to catch a
slow - moving pool.
,The fish came to the surface
twisting and rolling, and fi-
nally settling down. We re-
leased it, and as it dived,
could only think, "Wow, beau-
tiful, super."
That's all you can say when
you see one of Idaho's beauti-
ful steelies. You can catch
hundreds in a lifetime, but
you remember every one.
They migrate 500 to 700
miles to the ocean weighing
only ounces. They return one,
two or three years later,
weighing 6 to 20 pounds.
Steelhead fishing shouldn't
go the way of salmon fishing.
It could with problems at
dams and reservoirs down-
stream. Heck, adult steelhead
have to climb eight fish lad-
ders and swim up eight reser-
voirs to get home again.
There's a generation of an-
glers in Idaho who don't know
what it's like to catch a
salmon. Is there going to be a
generation that doesn't know
what it's like to catch a steel -
head? A hearing on the con-
cerns about steelhead is set in
Boise, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tues-
day, at the Interagency Fire
Center Auditorium at 3905
Vista Ave.
If you value steelhead fish-
ing, you should cast your con-
cerns. Steelhead are too pre-
cious to lose.
Pete Zimowsky is the States-
man's outdoor writer.
5ta eL - /U O-C-U s
�? t"Z' - Sl (q I?7
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Seol
Learning how fish live
About 185 McCall - Donnelly
School District fifth grade students
went on a recent all -day field trip
for Fish Habitat Day, sponsored
by the Cascade Reservoir Associa-
tion. Students studied a variety of
ecology subjects, including plant
and animal aquatic life, what fish
populations reveal about water
quality and how to monitor water
quality. Above, Central District
Health Department Senior Envi-
ronmental Health Specialist Jeff
Lappin teaches students about the
importance of water quality. The
trip was also sponsored by the
Idaho Department of Fish and
Game, the state Division of Envi-
ronmental Quality, Valley Soil
Conservation District, Boise Na-
tional Forest and Payette National
Forest.
'9tar Ne W -9 IT(4
Photo courtesy McCall Optimist Club
Optimists host annual fishing derby
Tyler Bryant looks over his catch during last year's McCall Optimist opportunity to win prizes for first fish of the day caught, the largest fish,
Club Fishing Derby. This year's derby will be held Saturday from 8 greatest total weight of fish caught, first one to catch the limit, plus other
a.m. to noon at Brown's Pond at the south end of the McCall Airport categories. Fishing equipment and guidance will be available if needed. For
runway. Young anglers ages 14 years and younger will have the information, call Dave at 634 -2086 or Mary at 634 -4151.
S t'a rl P v✓ S �/, z 7 r
Burns receives awards
for artistic fishing flies
Dave Burns of McCall recently
won several international awards for
artistic fishing flies in fly -tying com-
petitions in Quebec and Japan.
Bums won a gold medal and two
silver medals at the world Atlantic
fly -tying championships in Quebec,
Canada. Along with a silver medal, he
won a gold medal in the creation
Atlantic salmon feather wing flies
category for the second year in a row,
which is considered the most difficult
category, Burns said.
Burns' gold medal fly was titled
"Black Watch over Ste. Marguerite
River." It was created after the Scot-
tish Highlanders 42nd regiment tar-
tan colors to honor the conservation
and protection of the Ste. Marguerite
River.
Burns was also awarded the Grand -
Prix in the "Mind Angler" competi-
tion in Japan for the summer 1997.
The Mind Angler is open to flies of all
types, and the competition is against a
standard of excellence rather than
against other competitors. No Grand -
Prix awards have been given in the
last two competitions, and Burns said
he believes the challenges presented
in the Mind Angler competition were
the toughest so far.
Burns won the Grand -Prix with an
original fly called the "Sunflower,"
and with a classic Atlantic fly pattern,
the "Popham." The Sunflower was
tied in classic Atlantic salmon fly
style, but after the colors of a sun-
flower.
Burns is a fisheries biologist for
the Payette National Forest and an
artistic fly -tyer. His flies will be on
display from June 20 through Aug. 3
as part of the "Angler Art" exhibit at
the McCall Arts and Humanities
Council Gallery in McCall. Burns'
flies can also be seen until the end of
June at the Heartline Gallery, and for
an indefinite time at T. Avery
Flyfishing Outfitters,both in McCall.
women get together
.o have fun fishing
Y ROGER PHILLIPS
e Star -News
After a recent flyfishing clinic with
Lop national female flycaster, abunch
f local women decided once wasn't
hough. The informal club of women
nglers are now making it a weekly
vent.
The group meets on Wednesdays
t 5:30 p.m. at T. Avery Flyfishing
)utfitters next to Shaver's and go
ishing.
The flyfishing shop recently spon-
ored a women -only clinic with Lori
wn'Murphy, an Orvis technical ad-
,isor and one of the top women fly
tnglers in the U.S. The clinic attracted
bout 20 local women, many who had
kever tried the sport.
"They had an absolute gas," said
Puck Miller, owner of T. Avery. "The
women have a blast doing it together;
hey have a really, really good time."
Feme Krumm, a license guide who
aas experience on both the middle
and south forks of the Salmon River,
will serve as trip leader. Krumm will
take the group to local waters so they
can fish for a couple hours in ;the.
"After the gals had their clinic, I
wanted to get them into some good
fishing to keep their enthusiasm up,"
Krumm said. "This is a way of getting
a group of us together and going and
doing it."
Miller said women enjoy learning
together and fishing together, so the
group setting and comradeship works
well for them. "Women are much
more gregarious than men are," he
said. He said his shop will help orga-
nize the trips, but after that, the women
are on their own.
Krumm said the outings will not
be clinics, but advice and tips will be
shared among all the anglers.
She added that women have largely
been ignored when it comes to fly
fishing, which has seen tremendous
growth in popularity in recent years,
"The gals have kind of been lef
out of it," Krumm said. "Now they've
come into their own and asked, `Why
can't IT "
But based on the favorable earl}
responses from the women who at
tended the clinic, Krumm believe
there may soon be a lot more wome
out flyfishing.
"I think we've got a whole neN
bunch of anglers," she said.
Photo courtesy T.Avery FKIshirn
Ferne Krumm, Janean Erlebach bag a trout from a local pond.
5-r,6 le n'C iu-s I,/ ,.z j 9 7
A fine kettle of fish
Proctor of
�qKevin
McCall shows the
results of his
participation in
the Idaho
Department of
Fish and Game's
Free Fishing Day
Saturday at Scout
"• `
Pond east of
McCall while his
father, Darrel,
keeps an eye on his
pole. F &G waived
"
license
srequirements
for
the day, which
allowed anglers of
all ages the
opportunity to try
their hand at
fishing or hone
their skills.
Star -News Photo by Roger
Phillips
T�,9 Idako 71 1'�II97
`Legal work' not
always, that-easy
Writing a weekly fishing col-
umn can be a very rewarding
experience. While I can legally
.,all it "work" for tax purposes,
it really isn't. Most of the time,
the columns come easy and are
fun to write.
This week's effort definitely
wasn't fun to write, and it didn't
°ome easily.
This marks the third straight
Year I've parked my travel trail-
er in a Donnelly campground.
In recent years, I've been able
to write fairly glowing reports
on fishing in the Cascade /Mc-
Call area. While there are a few
spots I can recommend in the
xxea, many of my favorite fish-
ing holes have not produced this
season.
Warm Lake
While we think of this jewel of
a lake (located about 26 miles
east of Cascade) as primarily
summer -home, water - skiing ter-
ritory, Warm Lake has been pro -
G'.ucing surprisingly good trout
fic;hing this season. Fish and
Game has stocked the lake with
c�atchable rainbow trout and ev-
erybody has been catching fish.
Probably the most exciting re-
port on Warm Lake's fishing
concer_,is the lake trout (Macki-
raws) being caught. Fish up to
10 pounds have been taken by
some of the float tubers I've
talked with.
I predict the fishing during
the month of July will be good
at Warm Lake. Definitely one of
the few bright spots in the Cas-
cade /McCall region.
Horsethief Reservoir
With the reintroduction of
yellow perch into my favorite
Valley County trout lake, I hesi-
tate to recommend the Fish and
Game - managed lake as good
fishing. But as poor as the fish-
ing seems to be at times, the
lake is still one of my favorite
places to launch my float tube,
and the persistent angler can
still catch fish.
I fished the lake four times in
June and caught trout each
time. While most of the rain-
bows were in the 10 -to -12 inch
range, I did take a few carryover
fish up to 16 inches. I also
caught three or four brow
trout up to 14 inches.
Mary Taylor
Louie Lake
A two -mile hike from the end
of the Boulder Lake Road often
rewards the angler with excel-
lent high -lake fishing.
Stpcked primarily with cut-
throat trout, the lake has a two-
fish-over-20-inch limit. Float tu-
bers willing to pack their tubes
the two miles will find the lake
very appealing.
Goose Lake/Hazard Lakes
Easy to reach (on Brundage
Mountain Road) and easy to
fish, these alpine lakes offer
handicapped anglers an oppor-
tunity to fish the high country.
Goose Lake is an excellent
trolling and float - tubing lake.
Bait fishermen will find access
to some of the larger rainbows
fishing near the dam, while tu-
bers generally fish the upper end
of the lake.
The three Hazard Lakes offer
something for everyone. There
is a campground on Middle Haz-
ard for the camper willing to
battle the ever - present hordes of
dive - bombing mosquitoes.
Cascade Reservoir
Although there are some nice
sized rainbows being taken, and
the perch fishing has been excel-
lent this year, for the most part
season '94 has been slow at the
Big C. I've talked with a dozen
trout trollers and to a person
received poor reviews.
Let's hope the dedicated con-
servationists who are lobbying
to clean up the Big C's water are
successful. Make no mistake
about it, the lake is well passed
middle -aged and while a death
notice may be premature, we'd
better get our acts together and
protect the water.
If we don't, and this column is
n still in existence 10 years from
now, I predict I will some day
write Cascade Reservoir's obit-
uary.
Little Payette Lake
Two years ago I spent the sum-
mer camped at Donnelly and
fished the Little Lake 46 days.
While the fishing wasn't on par
with places like Henry's Lake, I
had some extremely pleasurable
fishing.
Last summer was a very pale
shadow of '92, and this season
has gone completely downhill.
Most of the people I've talked
with believe the bulk of the
lake's larger-trout have migrat-
ed through the dam and on
down Lake Fork Creek.
Most believe the lake will
have to be rehabilitated of
squad fish and the `trophy trout
project" begun anew. Hopefully,
the dam will be screened next
time (to keep the trout in and
the squaw fish out.)
Lost Valley Reservoir
Too many perch, not enough
trout. If it sounds like yellow
perch is the dominant fish in the
Cascade /McCall area, it may
well be. Very few anglers will
argue that trout are better eat-
ing than yellow perch; they are
just more fun to catch.
.75 �-__ .,5tt« l_ - ) c -5 // / ,� �� 7
Steelheading an unexpected thrill
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
I recently broke a decade -long
vow of abstinence. I went steelhead
fishing.
To be honest, I surprised even
myself in doing this. October is nor-
mally reserved for deer hunting, and
everything else is way down on the
priority list.
But after hunting opening week-
end of deer season, I couldn't even
produce a decent "big one that got
away" story. Normally, this wouldn't
deter me, but midway through the
season, the total number of deer I saw
wouldn't constitute a decent herd.
Then I got a phone call from my
friend, Chuck Jones, who invited me
on a jet boat trip to his cabin at Mackay
Bar on the Salmon River. He and his
partners, Pete Smit and John King,
collectively known as the Tres
Amigos, have made annual steelhead
fishing trips for decades.
I felt honored to be invited, but I
had a twinge of guilt abandoning my
deer season midway through, but it
quickly passed. I came to my senses
and accepted his generous offer.
Back in my younger, formative
years on the Oregon coast, my best
friend Don Richcreek owned a drift
boat. He took me steelhead fishing on
the Siletz River on a frigid January
day. I sat in the bow of the drift boat
for hours watching the tip of my fish-
ing rod bobble as a gooey blob of
salmon roe bounced and skipped its
way across the bottom of the river and
remain untouched by any steelhead.
Meanwhile, my hands froze to the
point I could have broken off my
fingers and used them for bait, and
into the Outdoors
this was despite the fact there was a
propane boat heater sitting between
my legs. At one point, I looked down
and saw the legs of my rubber rain
pants melting, and I was still cold.
After several hours of this, I decided
I had enjoyed enough steelhead fish-
ing fun for one lifetime.
But time passes, and I couldn't
resist the chance to jet boat up the
Salmon River - something I had never
done - and give steelhead fishing an-
other go. Jones also told me to pack
my deer rifle, just in case, and throw
in a shotgun for chukars if we got the
urge.
We left the boat ramp at Vinegar
Creek in late afternoon and arrived at
Mackay Bar, about 20 miles upstream,
before dark. Jones piloted the jet boat
up river like a walk through the old
neighborhood. The boat slipped
through rapids nimble as an otter and
roared through calm stretches like a
runaway thoroughbred.
Saturday morning we hit the river
and started fishing. The crisp air, brick -
red manzanita on the canyon slopes
and snowcapped mountains above
formed an unmistakable fall scene.
About mid - morning, a silver -
scaled Polaris missile exploded from
the calm jade water and the cry of
"fish on!" awoke our psyches quicker
than a triple espresso.
King battled a five -pound steel-
head into the net, then promptly let it
go. It was a wild fish, identifiable by
its attached adipose fin, which is
clipped on hatchery fish. It went back
into the water to finish out its natural
life cycle rather than being fodder for
the barbecue.
My whole attitude changed at this
point. It's amazing how the actual
presence of steelhead brightens the
steelhead fishing experience.
I abandoned lures and went to bait.
My attention span lengthened and a
my concentration focused. It paid off.
My rod bowed and my line started
heading upstream. I yarded back and
felt a tug at the other end.
But something seemed amiss.
Steelhead have a well- deserved repu -,
tation as fighters, but this fish felt
listless, if not anemic. I reeled it in and
discovered a bull trout on the end of
my line. Back to the depths it swam.
At this point, I realized we had just
captured, and released unharmed,
mind you, two endangered species
found in the Salmon River system. If
we could have landed a chinook
salmon, we would have the dubious
honor of the angler's triple crown of
endangered species.
It wasn't to be. The best we could
do afterward was land one lowly
squawfish. The barbecue remained
stone cold for the weekend.
But that hardly dampened a won-
derful weekend. We chanced into nu-
merous big horn sheep along the river,
including several mature rams. The
fall scenery alone made the trip memo-
rable, not to mention the camaraderie.
LlP
Special to The Idaho Statesman
What a catch: Lisa Wood of McCall shows off the steelhead she caught
during Women With Bait -98, the annual women's steelhead derby.
Women-only steelhead
derby nets 45 keepers
By Karen Bossick
The Idaho Statesman
Next time you see Lisa Wood
spreading her hands apart, you can
bet she isn't getting ready to wind
yarn.
She's got a big fish tale to tell.
Wood, of McCall, caught a steel-
head half her size during the Third
Annual Women with Bait -98 held on
the Salmon River over Presidents
Day weekend. And she wasn't in the
minority.
Forty -one women participated in
the three -day derby, landing 45 keep-
ers, including one 34 -inch fish and
two 32 1/2 -inch fish.
The event, believed to be the
largest steelhead derby for women
only, was begun three years ago as a
lark but has turned into much more.
"It's a wonderful, wonderful event
that's turned into one of the most
talked -about events we do here in the
mountains all year," said David
Eaton, one of the derby's organizers.
"It gives women an opportunity to ex-
perience the Salmon River -River of
No Return Wilderness and to see
what their significant others see in
steelhead fishing.
"And we have guides who give
casting lessons and explain why a
pole looks the way it does and why a
reel is designed like it is. So women
get a good introduction to the sport,"
said Eaton, station manager of
KMCL- FM/AM.
All told, the 41 anglers hooked 63
fish and landed 48. Donayle Nelson,
of California, landed the most fish
even though she'd never held a fish-
ing pole in her hands before. She took
home a Shore Lodge getaway week-
end for her efforts.
McCall residents Holly George
and Janet Moss both caught the
biggest hatchery -run fish — each 32
1/2- inches. They won gift certificates
from Mountain Regatta Clothing Co.
in McCall for their catches. And
Mary Cocus of Riggins won a new
steelhead rod and reel for the 34-
inch native she caught. Her fish was
measured, photographed and re-
leased.
Don't feel bad if you missed out on
this year's derby. You can try to hook
a place for yourself in next year's,
which will be held for three or four
days over Presidents Day weekend
— provided a big fish doesn't swal-
low Idaho in the meantime.
Cost is $100 for a full day of fishing
with a professional guide from River
Adventures and includes dinner at
Summervilles restaurant in Riggins.
You'll also get a Women With Bait
sweatshirt.
Normally, a day of fishing with a
guide would cost about $150, Eaton
said.
Mountain Regatta Clothing Co. of
McCall probably will handle registra-
tion next year, as it has for the past
few years, Eaton said.
Wanna -be fisherwomen should
check with the store for details in No-
vember or December.
Alpine lakes
offer a variety
of fish and a
backcountry
experience
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
CALL — Lorrieann
Garner took a cast in
Boulder Lake near Mc-
Call hoping to catch one
f the alpine lake's fight-
ing cutthroat trout.
Lorrieann and her husband, James,
sat on a boulder and watched the
blue -green glassy waters of the lake
for any hint of fish.
over head was an osprey catching
the air currents and hoping to catch
some fish from the lake. In back of the
Garners was a granite cliff that is so
characteristic of the scenery sur-
rounding alpine lakes. Many of the
lakes were carved from the rock by
glaciers ions ago.
the
�J
On the cover: Lorrieann and
James Gamer of Boise fish
Boulder Lake near McCall.
Flowing line: Mike Mont-
"' ' gomery's fly line flows as he
�- casts a fly on Boulder Lake in
,. hopes of catching a trout.
"I love it," Montgomery said
A - .mss -- � ,� of fishing mountain lakes.
Photos, including cover,
Today, Idaho's alpine lakes are
some of the most popular places for
fishing.
It's no wonder. A high- mountain
lakes fishing trip combines fishing,
breathtaking scenery, and hiking,
backpacking or picnicking. August
and September are prime months for
exploring Idaho's mountain lakes.
"It's beautiful up here," said Lor-
neann Garner, flipping a lure and
hoping for a bite. The Garners hiked
two miles to the lake to spend a day in
the high country.
Alpine lakes attract anglers be-
cause they have a variety of fish - rain-
bow, cutthroat and brook trout,
grayling and even California golden
trout.
They take a lot of effort to reach be-
cause many can only be accessed by
trail, eliminating anglers who want to
drive to their fishing holes.
The lakes also are popular because
A , ,
by Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
some contain exotic fish like the gold-
stocking Westslope and Yellowstone
en trout or grayling.
cutthroats and hoping to get rid of
Alpine lakes are unique because
some of the overpopulated brook
most of them didn't have fish in the
trout in high - mountain lakes.
first place. They were fishless until
"We are trying to look at more na-
headstrong game wardens back-
packed and horsepacked fish into the
tive species," said Bill Hutchinson,
fish
lakes in a massive stocking program
state manager.
The purpose of stocking cutthroats
more than 40 years ago.
Whatever type of trout that was
is to make sure only native species mi-
handy was was put in the lakes to cre-
grate downstream in streams that
empty from alpine lakes. In many cas-
ate new fishing holes for Idahoans.
es those streams lead to cutthroat
That was well and fine back then.
trout habitat.
But Idaho Fish and Game is changing
It's a change in management be-
direction in management of the
mountain jewels to improve fishin
cause many of the lakes were stocked
with brook trout, a transplant from
and also make sure only nativ�
species are stocked in the lakes.
the East and rainbow trout, which
It's a major move from the old days,
was plentiful at hatcheries in the
when brook trout or rainbow trout
West, even though those species were
were scattered into the lakes.
not native to the drainage.
The agency is concentrating on
"Fifty to 60 years ago we started
stocking brook trout in every puddle
we could find," said Hutchinson,
"What we tried to do in the last eight
years is shift the emphasis from brook
trout.,,
Brook trout were stocked in high
lakes because they are a hardy fish
and very prolific. They are self -sus-
taining in many lakes, said Hutchin-
son. But that characteristic also made
them a biological nightmare because
they overpopulate. That results in fish
that are stunted in size because of lack
of food.
"The message is brook trout are
plentiful, but people don't want to
catch them," said Hutchinson.
Not all exotic species will be discon-
tinued. A few lakes are continually
stocked with California golden when
eggs are available for Idaho's hatch-
eries. "We get them very rarely," said
Hutchinson. "Anglers really like to
have a place to go to catch golden
trout."
There is a smattering of lakes with
Arctic grayling.
High lakes are popular but not
without controversy. Some conserva-
tionists believe that no stocking
should occur in wilderness lakes be-
cause they were fishless in the first
place.
In its plan, Fish and Game has
agreed not to stock lakes that have not
been stocked in the past. Of the 2,000
lakes in Idaho's mountains, a little
more than 600 are stocked.
Another bit of controversy is the
theory that stocking wilderness lakes
with trout has caused a decline in the
amphibian population, such as frogs
and salamanders. "We are working
on looking at the competition with na-
tive amphibian like spotted frogs and
salamanders," said Hutchinson,
"From our standpoint there is very lit-
tle competition with amphibians in
stocked lakes."
Whatever the management plan is,
anglers love Idaho's alpine lakes.
Just ask Mike Montgomery, of
Caldwell.. He was fly casting at Boul-
der Lake trying to entice some cutts
into biting. "I love it," he said, about
exploring high- mountain lakes. His
favorite area is the Trinities.
"They are one of our most popular
fishing waters and probably one of
the most under utilized," said
Hutchinson.
Alpine lakes notes
> Idaho has about 2,000 alpine
lakes at elevations of 6,000 to 10,000
feet.
> About 600 are stocked, either on
a one -, two-, or three -year rotation, de-
pending on their popularity,
> Lakes are mainly stocked by
fixed -wing planes. Some stocking is
done by backpacking and helicopters.
> Usually about 500 to 1,000 fry (1
to 11/2 inch fish) are dropped from the
plane in a bombing run over the lake.
The fish and water are sprayed from
the plane.
hey ( e lakes)
one of our most
pular fishing waters
d probably one
the most under
BILL HUrCHINSON
state fish manager
yP x�
-fie.. .. - ,.�'•t .r
> About 200 lakes each summer
are stocked by air in August and Sep-
tember.
> Surprisingly, even though the
growing season at high lakes is short
from mid -July to October, a trout can
grow to 20 inches in 6 to 7 years.
That's because many of the lakes
have a lot of food for trout, such as in-
sects and freshwater shrimp.
Getting to a lake
Fishing or backpacking to alpine
lakes takes a lot of planning.
Get a Boise, Payette, Challis or
Sawtooth national forest map. Scan
around the lake. `— ..–�
Local book sh s have several
good hiking gui&77to Idaho alpine
Iljj
Map out your trip, xplore the trails
and hope you find`the lake you're
looking for. That's what makes ex-
ploring high lakes fun. The mystery in
Hauling all the a
getting there and the mystery in what
gear: Some an
kind of fish you'll find when you get
glers haul a float
there.
tube, waders g° 4
Getting info
and fins to
mountain lakes
The Idaho Fish and Game's Wet)
to get the edge
;.
page has information on what kind of
on fishing. It's
fish have been stocked in certain
pretty heavy
w
alpine lakes and when the last date of
gear for a 2- to 3-
stocking occurred.
mile hike.
The page is current through 1996
but will be updated to 1998 soon.
Here's how to find the page:
Get on
www.state-id.us/fishicrame/fishgame.h
tml. Go
to Fisheries. Then Historical
Stocking Database. Hit Fish Species.
Click on a fish tike golden trout. You'll
see what lakes have been stocked
J ,�s
with golden trout and in what years.
the maps ana looK ror idKeh uldt die at
'
high elevations.
Look for roads leadin to trail -
�he
::
heads and trails leading to lakes.
z
Get more detailed topo m�ps to get
more information about` the land
-fie.. .. - ,.�'•t .r
> About 200 lakes each summer
are stocked by air in August and Sep-
tember.
> Surprisingly, even though the
growing season at high lakes is short
from mid -July to October, a trout can
grow to 20 inches in 6 to 7 years.
That's because many of the lakes
have a lot of food for trout, such as in-
sects and freshwater shrimp.
Getting to a lake
Fishing or backpacking to alpine
lakes takes a lot of planning.
Get a Boise, Payette, Challis or
Sawtooth national forest map. Scan
Seventh sockeye
returns to Idaho
A seventh sockeye salmon
has returned to the Stanley
Basin.
Fisheries biologists have
not determined its gender.
Six males made it back to
the Sawtooth Hatchery by
the end of August. Some had
not yet developed the obvi-
ous characteristics of salmon
ready to spawn.
All of them are among the
first ever to return after be-
ing reared in the captive
breeding program.
All the salmon have a
coded tag that identifies
them as among the 40,000
juvenile sockeye released
below the hatchery and
20,000 in Redfish Lake
Creek last year.
One sockeye, a wild male,
returned last year.
The adult fish will remain
at the hatchery as biologists
wait to see how many more
arrive.
The captive broodstocks
are reared at Eagle Hatchery
in Idaho and a federal hatch-
ery in Washington state.
EXPERT TO SPEAK ABOUT LAKE CASCADE PERCH
The Ada County Fish and Game
League will hear about the case
of missing perch in Lake Cas-
cade at the league's monthly meeting
Wednesday.
The meeting will take place at
7 p.m. at the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game's trophy room at the
headquarters building at 600 S. Wal-
nut St. in Boise.
Paul Janssen, an F &G research bi-
ologist at McCall, will present an
overview of the department's re-
search efforts and findings in the dis-
appearance of yellow perch, which
nearly disappeared in Lake Cascade
in the mid 1990s.
Before the fisheries decline, the
lake was known as a top perch fish-
ery, and anglers dedicated up to
400,000 hours per year fishing for
them.
Janssen believes the lake's squaw -
fish population has exploded and is
now responsible for the crash in the
perch population.
He came to that conclusion after
undertaking a three -year study that
looked at water quality, fish para-
sites, lake levels, water releases and
predators.
Research now points to pike min-
now as the primary culprit, based on
computer models of their likely pre-
pj
-'n
couraged to attend the meeting. For
more information call club president
Bob Minter at 345 -3434.
Copepods found on trout
Statesman staff
They're back ... and on
Lake Cascade's trout. Small,
whitish copepods less than
1/4 -inch in length are once
again being found on fish tak-
en from Lake Cascade. The
worm -like organisms are the
reproductive stage of a crus-
tacean related to freshwater
shrimp.
"Many Idaho waters con-
tain these copepods," Fish and
game fisheries manager Don
Anderson said. "Lake Cas-
cade simply has a higher con-
centration, making them more
noticeable to anglers."
The parasitic stage eventu-
ally drops away from the fish,
growing into free - swimming
"shrimp- like" adult. At this life
stage, the copepods find the ta-
bles, turned; they are a favorite
fish food.
The parasites are rarely
lethal to their host fish.
"They must reach concen-
trations of dozens on the gills
of a half -pound fish to cause
any damage," Anderson said.
"And we usually see fewer
than 10 copepods per fish."
Anglers may also notice a
reddish tint around the site
where the copepods are at-
tached, the result of skin inita-
tion.
The crustaceans are as com-
mon as "fleas on a dog" ac-
cording to Anderson and pose
no threat to humans.
Because only their small
mouthparts actually penetrate
a fish's skin, simply skinning
and/or filleting the fish will ef-
fectively remove the parasites
from the edible portion of the
fish.
Adapted to cold water, the
copepods die quickly if
cooked; human body temper-
atures are also lethal, provid-
ing peace of mind to those
who accidentally ingest the or-
ganism.
There are no plans to at-
tempt eradication of the cope-
pods from Lake Cascade.
"In fact, we wouldn't want
to," Anderson said. "The non-
reproductive stage is a critical-
ly important food item for all
of Lake Cascade's fish, partic-
ularly young trout and perch."
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
Anglers searching the depths of
Payette Lake for lunker lake trout are
reminded by the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game that new regulations
are in effect.
Anglers are allowed to keep only
one lake trout over 36 inches, while in
past years, the bag limit was six lake
trout of any size.
Since the department has stopped
stocking lake trout, size and catch
restrictions went into place this year
to preserve the slow - growing fish,
F &G biologist Paul Janssen said. Sur-
veys of anglers last year vastly sup-
ported the new regulations, he said.
It takes about 26 years to grow a
36 -inch fish, Janssen said, and studies
have shown that larger fish were tra-
ditionally overharvested in Payette
Lake. The lake currently holds few
fish less than 10 years old.
Janssen also encourages anglers to
release legal fish since they make
poor table fare. If the angler wants to
mount a trophy fish, a taxidermist can
duplicate it even if the fish is released
so long as the angler records its length
and girth.
"The bottom line is, if we want to
maintain a trophy fishery, we can't
harvest fish unless they are really
big," Janssen said.
There are approximately 150 lake
trout in Payette Lake carrying orange
tags placed by F &G personnel. Any-
one who catches a tagged fish should
record the number on the tag, the
length and location of the fish and
turn that information into the McCall
F &G office for a $10 reward. The fish
should not be killed, and the tag should
not be removed.
Janssen also encourages all an-
glers to use the following catch -and-
release techniques when returning lake
trout the water.
• Do not fight the fish to exhaus-
tion.
• Bring fish up slowly the last 30
feet to let them "burp."
• Plan ahead. Have pliers, camera,
etc., ready.
• Protect the fish's slime coating
and fins by using soft rubber or mesh
nets. Do not let the fish bounce on the
bottom of a boat. Wet hands before
handling fish and avoid _ squeezing
gills or soft organs behind the gills.
• If you take a picture, hold the fish
horizontally with both hands.
• Hold exhausted fish upright in
the water until they start to struggle.
Gently move them forward and back-
ward to help them breathe.
• If a fish is bleeding and legal size,
keep it. If it is bleeding and not legal,
turn it loose. as many will survive.
,�-//( /n 6
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
F &G's Paul Janssen holds a now - protected Payette Lake lake trout.
F &G puts limits
s
-on Payette L. trout
If a lake trout comes up "bloated"
with a swollen air bladder, there are
several ways to ensure the fish can
submerge after release.
Leave the fish in the water, remove
the hook- and let the fish dive on its
own, or hold the fish vertically with
both hands and vigorously plunge it
head -first into the water.
Hold the fish horizontally and gen-
tly squeeze from the vent forward.
Only go halfway up the belly and do
not force the fish if it won't "burp."
Use a weighted line with an S-
hook to sink the fish back underwater.
F &G has instructions available to
make and use such a device.
For further information, contact
the F &G office at 555 Deinhard Lane
in McCall or call 634 -8137.
c bnq
v3)1 -e`t
Adi`a<fd -re _j(,
Tiger muskies arrive
DONNELLY -_ _ About 600
tiger muskies; the sterile offspring
of a mating of a muskellunge and
a northern pike, were delivered to
their new home in Cascade
Reservoir last week, dip net by
dip net.
Part of a project to hopefully
one day affect the populations of
squawfish and suckers in the big
reservoir, the toothy and carniverous
fish were released by Idaho
Department of Fish and Game offi-
cer George Fischer and biologist
Paul Janssen last Wednesday
evening.
The fish were scattered by
threes, fours and fives — what-
ever the dip net pulled from the
small tank on the IDFG boat —
along weedy areas of the Gold
Fork, Boulder Creek, Lake Creek
and North Fork arms in the reser-
voir east of Donnelly.
The 9 -inch to 12 -inch fish were
obtained from the fisheries depart-
ment in Washington state in
exchange for some crappie that
IDFG officials trapped in Idaho
and sent there.
Otherwise, the fish would have
cost the department about $1 per
inch of length. The 600 fish are
larger than another 2,000 fish that
the agency expects to receive later
this summer from the state of
Pennsylvania for planting in the
big lake.
That has Janssen and Fischer
a bit concerned that they may not
fare as well over the winter as the
fish released last week.
What they hope will happen is
that within a few years, some of
those tiger muskies will grow to
in excess of 20 pounds, some even
reaching 30 and 40 pounds. They
will then show their preference
for the softer flesh of the squaw-
fish and suckers and begin eating
them.
But, IDFG officials have said
that for there to be any sort of vis-
ible impact on the squawfish and
sucker populations, there will need
to be regular plantings of the tigers
and numbers 10 times that which
is planned for this summer. They
also hope that anglers will recog-
nize the value of the large fish and
that if a sport fishery does devel-
op for them, that they'll be caught
and released many times before
someone catches and kills them.
In lakes in Washington state,
the introduction of tiger muskies
has improved conditions to the
point that coho salmon and rain-
bow trout fishing improved dra-
matically because they weren't
being pressured by the squawfish
and suckers.
Officials hope that same pat -
tem develops in Cascade Reservoir.
at new home
Hopefully within five or six years, this young Tiger Muskie will
grow to more than thirty pounds, and become a squaw fish /suck-
er eating machine. This fish was one of 600 released last week
into Cascade Reservoir.
he %C cv76 55'a-l-Ps197Carr - `F//ol97
The Idaho Statesman
The state says its efforts to help
bull trout are more than enough.
Bull trout
decision
hasldaho
gasping
State says its program
to help restore, enhance
fish, habitat was enough
By Rocky Barker
The Idaho Statesman
Idaho officials say the state's
bull trout won't get any better
treatment from the federal gov-
ernment than the fish are get-
ting right now.
And Steve Huffaker, the
state's chief of fisheries, said a
broad ban on fishing in bull trout
habitat is out of the question.
"I don't see a broad -scale clo-
sure of fisheries in the cards at
all," he said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service agreed this week to list
bull trout, a fish native to much
of Idaho, under the federal En-
dangered Species Act.
If listed, the fish's protection
would force restrictions on log-
ging, mining, livestock grazing,
fisheries and dam operations.
Taken to the extreme, some say
it could mean fishing bans.
The move came in response to
a suit filed by two environmental
groups.
Idaho Gov. Phil Batt put his
own bull trout plan in place in
1996 to head off federal intervention.
"The state has done a tremendous
amount of work and this is a big disap-
pointment," said Batt's press secretary
Frank Lockwood. "The people and the
bull trout of Idaho would have been bet-
ter off without this decision."
Jean Fennell of Nampa doesn't want
to see fishing shut down because of bull
trout protection, but she said the fish do
need to be protected from anglers. She
and her husband, David, have caught
bull trout in Arrowrock Reservoir and
on the Middle Fork of the Boise River
for years.
"Last year we had to let three go," she
said. "I wonder how many don't release
them."
Restoration of bull trout in Idaho re-
quires protection of the best remaining
habitat and removing barriers such as
dams, which prevent bull trout from mi-
grating to cooler waters.
Idaho's Fish and Game has compiled
a laundry list of actions it has taken in
the past two years to boost bull trout.
The list includes:
■ Literally picking up bull trout and
carrying them to better habitat.
■ Increasing enforcement and regula-
tion of fisheries.
■ Removing some smaller dams and
other impediments to migration.
■ Killing brook trout, which inter-
breed with bull trout.
"We've really accomplished a lot,"
Huffaker said.
The biggest problem the state has
had convincing critics it is serious about
protecting bull trout has been its suc-
cess in protecting water quality. Idaho
and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency are under court order to clean
up 962 river segments, including many
important to bull trout.
"The bull trout will not have any
chance of recovery unless we make a
genuine effort to restore water quality
in bull trout habitat," said Don Smith of
the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, one of
the groups that sued the Fish and
Wildlife Service.
/C/O lto
%eminnow needs
an appropriate mckname
squawfish is a squawfish
is a squawfish.
Not anymore.
A northern squawfish is offi-
cially known as a northern
pikeminnow.
A what? A minnow? A pike
what?
Calling a squawfish a
pikeminnow is going to take a
lot of getting used to. For one
thing, a northern pike is a prized
game fish in northern Idaho
lakes.
The northern pikeminnow is
considered a trash fish — a
predator blamed for eating too
many baby salmon and steel -
head.
Anglers don't like to eat
pikeminnows (I can't get used to
that name) because they are full
of bones.
So what do we do about the
name? The pikeminnow needs
a nickname that will stick, be
easier to use, and reflect the
character of the fish.
0., w..
Let's have a name - the -fish
contest. More on that in a min-
now (I mean minute).
Let's back up. The name was
officially changed in 1999 by the
Names of Fishes Committee of
the American Fisheries Society.
It wasn't a spur -of- the - minnow
(or moment) decision. Discus-
sions were started in the mid -
190s.
There's a movement to elimi-
nate the word "squaw" from the
names of Idaho places (and in
this case a critter) because the
word is offensive and hurtful to
American Indians. This should
be done.
But wait a minnow (minute).
" Pikeminnow" just seems like
the wrong name for this fish.
What about a contest for a new
nickname?
Let's back up again.
Here's a biology lesson I got
from Bill Horton, Idaho's resi-
dent fisheries manager with the
Idaho Department of Fish and
Game, that might offer some
tips for selecting a new nick-
name.
We really can't change the of-
ficial name, I guess. It was re-
named a pikeminnow because
it is a member of the minnow
family.
"Minnow" doesn't necessari-
ly mean small. There are some
minnows in the world weighing
300 pounds. So, the next time
someone says that trout you
caught looks like a minnow,
take it as a compliment.
The Idaho record
pikeminnow is 7 pounds, 11/2
ounces. There have been some
10 pounders taken from Lake
Coeur d'Alene during contests
but never registered as an Idaho
record.
It's not the only minnow in
Idaho.
We've got 17 species in the
minnow family, including carp,
red -sided shiners, chiselmouth
minnows, peamouth minnows,
goldfish, chubs, tench and sev-
eral kinds of dace.
Seven species were intro-
duced into the state. Incidental-
ly, the pikeminnow (can't get
used to it) is a native fish.
Maybe the Fisheries Society
picked " pikeminnow" because
the fish has a pike -like (slender)
shape? It doesn't have the big
mouth of a pike.
How ever the name came up,
it wasn't because of taste. An-
glers love pike.
They hate pikeminnow.
That's a bad rap because I've
eaten pikeminnow (sounds ter-
rible) and it was pretty good.
I smoked the fish after mari-
nating it in beer, molasses and a
brine. It came out really tasty.
Horton said he and fisheries
expert Stacy Gebhards, who is
now retired from F &G, pre-
pared the fish and it was deli-
cious.
They cut the fish up into 318 -
inch steaks, sprinkled a Shake
'n' Bake seasoning on them and
deep fried the steaks.
Pikeminnow is white and
flaky when cooked. Anglers are
turned off by the fish because of
the bones.
If the fish is taken from cold
water, like Cascade Reservoir in
early spring during iceout, it can
be flavorful.
You'll get a strong, fishy taste
catching them out of warmer
water. By the way, you also can
improve the flavor by removing
the lateral line or vein in the
meat.
Back to the nickname. The
Pikeminnow needs a good nick-
name.
Mail, e-mail or fax your sug-
gestion. We'll pick a winner
who will receive a new spin-
ning rod and reel.
Label your entry "Nickname
for Pikeminnow."
In case several people send in
the the same nickname we feel
is a winner, we'll have a draw-
ing from those entrants to deter-
mine the winner.
OK, let's name that sucker.
Oops, there's already a fish in
Idaho called a sucker.
Pete is an outdoors writer
with The Idaho Statesman.
His column appears in Idaho
Outdoors magazine on Thurs-
day and on the outdoors page
on Sunday. Contact Pete at
377 -6445 or pzimowsky@
boise.gannett.com
Give the
pikeminnow
a nickname
Send your suggestions
for the pikeminnow's
nickname to outdoors
writer Pete Zimowsky at
The Idaho Statesman.
> Mail: "Nickname
for Pikeminnow"
c/o Zimo
The Idaho Statesman
P.O. Box 40
Boise, ID 83707
> E -mail: pzimowsky
@ boise.gannett.com
> Fax: 377 -6449
Attention: Zimo
`Junkpike' has a certain
ring to it
Eagle man suggests nickname
for the Northern pikeminnow
The squawfish (oops, north -
ern pikeminnow) has a
newnickname.
The Idaho Statesman's
name- the- pikeminnow contest
got flooded with 150 entries to
give the poor old squawfish a
cool nickname.
The new nickname:
Junkpike.
The Statesman 's outdoors
staff got hooked on this name
because it's easy to remember
and very catchy.
Fran Gesswein of Eagle came
up with " junkpike." He's an avid
spin fisherman and has caught
his share of trash fish, or as he
likes to say, junk fish.
The junkpike is considered a
trash fish by anglers because it
is boney, doesn't fight much on
the end of a line, and competes
with trout for habitat and food.
It is also blamed for playing
havoc with salmon and steel -
head populations by preying on
young fish.
Gesswein, who grew up on
the West Coast fishing in
streams, lakes and the ocean,
said he has always called trash
fish "junk fish."
"We'd always have junk -fish-
ing contests and catch suckers
and things that were awful to
our native fish," Gesswein said.
Gesswein moved to Idaho
about six years ago. He caught
his first junkpike from the
Payette River and didn't know
what it was. He brought it
home, and his neighbors told
him it was a squawfish.
One of Gesswein's favorite
fishing holes is Sagehen Reser-
voir where he drifts and casts a
spoon. His favorite spoon is a
1/8- or 1 /4-ounce Phoebe.
Gesswein believes in catch -
and- release fishing for trout.
"No sense intakingtoo
much," he said. "It's a limited re-
source. We are blessed to have
all this stuff, and you have to
give it back."
For his winning entry, Gess-
wein was awarded a new
Shakespeare Intrepid Titanium
spinning rod and Shinano Se-
dona 1000 reel.
It's a good thing; he lost one
of his favorite fishing rods when
a fish pulled it out of the boat at
Sagehen.
OK, from here on out, The
Statesman's outdoor staff will
refer to a northern pikeminnow
as a junkpike. We're going to
change the name of the
pikeminnow to junkpike in our
official stylebook.
Let's make this official
statewide. I'd like Gov. Dirk
Kempthorne to declare the
squawfish or pikeminnow offi-
cially nicknamed the junkpike.
It's got a real ring to it.
This whole thing got started
because there's a movement to
eliminate the word "squaw"
from the names of places (and
in this case a critter) because the
word is offensive to American
Indians.
The name of the squawfish
was officially changed to
"northern pikeminnow" in 1999
by the Names of Fishes Com-
mittee of the American Fish-
eries Society. But that name is
dumb. Now we've got a good
nickname.
It was tough deciding on the
nickname. Readers cast out a lot
of good suggestions.
A favorite was "rubberlip" by
John Fleischer of Boise. Several
readers suggested "squawk
fish" or "squawker." Very clever.
The noise squawfish make
when being taken off the hook
is definitely a squawk, said Dale
E. Crosby of Mountain Home.
"Eggsucker" was another
good entry by Gary Pickens, an
avid Idaho hunter and angler.
Pete Zimowsky /The Idaho Statesman
Angling for junkfish: The Idaho Statesman's Outdoors team chose Fran Gesswein's entry,
'junkfish,' as the winner in the name - the - pikeminnow contest.
Patricia K. Hamm of Kuna
likes "mustard fish" because it's
yellowish in color, "and besides,
it tastes good when slathered
with Dijon mustard before
cooking," she said. "Hey, maybe
`Dijon fish' would be better!"
On of my favorites was "zimo-
bony" by F. Gordon Fouch of
Nampa. It would be cool to have
a pikeminnow named after you.
"Fat -lipped minnow" by
Randy and Shelley Bartlett, was
catchy.
Several readers liked `bone-
fish" or "bonehead."
The longest nickname came
from R.J. Moffat, Meridian. He
suggested "Northamericanyel-
lowbellysuckerupper."
Of course, politics got in on
the contest with "Clintontrout,"
"Chens," "Chenofish," "Craig -
fish," "Crapo" and "corpsfish."
There was "thump and re-
lease," "trashbone," "Petefish"
and "Utah salmon."
"I think `Jill fish' would be a
good nickname for
pikeminnow as we have `Jack
Fish' and `Dolly Fish, "' said Virg
Gilderoy. "And pikeminnow
had a female name before."
We also got a number of en-
tries telling us that the name
"squawfish" should not be
changed.
"Spinnow" by Barbara Boga-
rd of Mountain Home was real-
ly cool. Here are a few more:
"Valbois sucker," "Northern
squish," "The reaper," "the grim
reaper" and "boneypike."
And, finally. The Statesman's
outdoor staff, Bridget Lux,
Roger Phillips and myself, were
very honored by R. Keith Mur-
phy's suggestion of "Zimphilux
minnow." He also suggested
"Zimominnow."
I guess I'll go junk fishing for
junkpike.
Pete is an outdoors writer
with The Idaho Statesman.
His column appears in Idaho
Outdoors magazine on Thurs-
day and on the outdoors page
on Sunday. Contact Pete at
377 -6445 or pzimowshy@
boise.gannett.com
Fish &Game meefing
100 learn about
proposal to drain &aws crowd
Lake Cascade —
By Pete Zimowsky
The Idaho Statesman
A proposal to drain Lake
Cascade wasn't an easy sell
for Idaho Fish and Game
Wednesday night.
A crowd of 100 people
packed the trophy room at
state Fish and Game head-
quarters in Boise to learn
more about a plan to restore
perch and trout fishing at the
state's fourth largest reser-
voir, and many people had
questions.
The last of three meetings
about the draining didn't only
lure anglers. Cabin owners,
irrigators, river outfitters, en-
vironmental engineers and
biologists also wanted to
know what the plan, which
will kill unwanted fish, will
entail.
"We aren't going to be able
to use the lake for two sum-
mers," said Tom Turner, who
is a property owner at Cas-
cade. "I'd like to see reassur-
ance they (Fish and Game)
won't have to do it every 10
years."
Anglers tend to favor the
project.
"We're in support of it,"
said Allan Chandler, who rep-
resented the Idaho Bass Fed-
eration. "It's a good thing for
the fishery. It can be rebuilt."
Before Fish and Game and
the Bureau of Reclamation,
which manages the reservoir,
can drain it, they must com-
plete an in -depth environ-
mental impact statement
showing how a drawdown
might affect wildlife, com-
munities and businesses.
The agencies will consider con-
ments from the meetings when
they begin developing the envi-
ronmental impact statement in
May. More public comments will
be taken after the draft statement
is completed. The final statement
is scheduled for May 2004.
Dale Allen, a biologist with Fish
and Game, said the earliest the
reservoir could be drained — if all
the paperwork and public com-
ments go smoothly — would be
November 2004.
"We aren't going to be able to use the lake for
two summers. I'd like to see reassurance they
won't have to do it every 10 years."
Tom Turner, property owner at Cascade
N7%
"We're in support of it. It's a good thing for the
fishery. It can be rebuilt."
Allan Chandler, Idaho Bass Federation representative
To fix the reservoir, it would
have to be drained in the fall and
the remaining water and fish
would be poisoned with Rotenone,
a chemical that suffocates fish.
Game fish, such as yellow perch
and trout, would be restocked in
the spring as the reservoir fills.
Lake Cascade was a red -hot
perch fishing area until the mid -
1990s. Then the perch fishery
crashed because of poor water
quality and heavy predation from
the northern pikeminnow.
Fishing at Lake Cascade at-
tracted thousands of anglers, who
spent an estimated $7 million an-
nually, according to F &G records.
Spending since has fallen to about
$1 million per year.
Nearly half a million perch were
harvested annually in the 1980s;
that number dropped to almost
zero in 1996.
Dick Rogers of Boise, who is an
environmental engineer, said
draining is a good start to restore
fishing at the reservoir, but he
wants work to continue to improve
environmental quality at Lake Cas-
cade. Warm water and algae
blooms also are blamed for killing
fish.
Kate Westerman, who sails a lot
at Lake Cascade, also had reser-
vations about the project.
"I'm concerned with the idea,"
she said.
What they're saying...
Leslie Turner
Interest: Prop-
erty owner at Lake
Cascade.
Opinion: "My
thought is that if
it becomes a ma-
jor fishery, it will help property
values. But I am concerned
about the chemical on the food
supply of bald eagles and other
wildlife. The impact on the envi-
ronment is a concern."
Mel Reimers
Interest: An an-
.glerfrom Boise.
Opinion:
"We're in favor of
it. Make it like it
used to be."
Dick Rogers 5
Interest: Angler
and environmental
engineer from
Boise.
Opinion: "The
treating of the A
reservoir is a good start, but we
have to improve water c ual ity. We
have to get the nutrients out."
Kim Pierce
Interest: A cabin
owner at Donnelly.
Opinion: "It
ca n't get a ny worse.
Asa kid, I was able
to fish off the dock
and catch fish. I see
it as an activity my children can do
if there were perch in there."
Rising Population Pressured
GROWING POPULATION PUT MOUNTING PRESSURES ON IDAHO'S LAKES AND 51 KrLAma
... oldtimers, like those above, thought the supply of fish was limitless
Idaho's prehistoric and later In- "Fresh Fish! Fresh Fish! The un-
dian peoples relied heavily on fish dersigned, having refitted their
as a staple. The area's lakes and Payette and Boise fisheries, are
streams literally teemed with fish now prepared to furnish the citizens
in those long -ago, unspoiled days. of Boise City and vicinity with the
Native human populations were best fish that the waters of Idaho
never large enough to affect very afford. We will have fresh fish for
much the abundant runs of salmon a1daho in Idaho rivers, even though they harvested enough with nets, traps and spears to last until the next Yeys season. With the coming of white
men, fishing for sport and profit re- Brt
placed fishing for subsistence.
The pages of The Idaho States-
man over the past century are liber- sale on Main street every Saturday
ally sprinkled with references to morning by 5, o'clock until further
fish and fishing, giving us clear his-
torical documentation of the mount- notice."
ing pressures placed upon Idaho's Although the ,Salmon run was
streams and lakes by the growing over, in mid November 1871, fish
population and its attitude toward a were still plentiful on Main Street.
resource that seemed limitless. "Salmon trout, mountain trout, and
In October 1868, dried "red- tailed a species called whitefish" were all
salmon trout — from one to two available. "The latter are excellent
feet long" from Payette Lakes were at this time of the year, and many
offered for sale in front of Hart's pronounce them better eating than
Exchange Hotel at 7th and Idaho trout' The Statesman said. The
streets. There are many mentions Klingbach brothers were still bring -
in the years that follow of the large ing to fish regularly in February
numbers of fish brought to Boise 1872, with whitefish apparently the
and sold out of wagons on the favorite among Boise customers. By
street. In August 1871, the Kling- the fall of 1872, rival fishermen At-
bach brothers ran an ad in the well & Smith were selling redfish
paper that read: from Payette Lakes on the streets
of Boise.
An exotic touch was reported in
November 1872: "A wagon load of
fish arrived in twon Sunday morn-
ing, and met with ready sale. When
we last saw the peddler, however,
he still had about nineteen feet of
something that looked like a
skinned mule, though we are told
that the proper name for it is stur-
geon." Giant sturgeon continued to
make news from year to year, but
were rarely plentiful enough to be
sold commercially.
Fish by the wagonload are often
mentioned. In fact, one James
Hennity advertised in 1874 that he
was prepared to supply fish "by the
ton, load, or any other quantity" at
his place on Snake River. Most of
these fish were caught with nets,
but there were other methods:
"Fishing by concussion is becom-
ing quite a profitable as well as
amusing pastime," The Statesman
reported in March 1870. "One blast
of giant powder near the lower
crossing last week turned up over
fifty pounds of fine salmon trout."
The paper then printed in detail a.
guide for others who might want to
try this "amusing pastime."
1 4"A�
¢/i 3/;�o 3
A fish i*s a fish i*s a fish
— except i*n Idaho
ilceminnows are, well,
ugh.
Perch are delicious.
Carp are terrible.
Trout are fantastic.
Suckers are, well, what
can you say?
A fish is a fish is a fish,
right? Not so in Idaho.
What makes a game fish a
game fish and a trash fish a
trash fish?
It makes you kind of won-
der, as the Idaho Depart-
ment of Fish and Game pro-
poses to drain Lake Cascade
to kill off the pikeminnows
and suckers and restore the
perch and trout fishing.
In case you've been fish-
ing for galactic guppies on
Mars and haven't heard
about the draining of the
reservoir, here's the deal.
Anglers want perch, trout
and coho at Lake Cascade.
Otherwise, why did they
spend $7 million annually to
dunk a worm in the popular
reservoirwhen the fishing
was good back in the mid -
1990s?
Lake Cascade was a super
perch fishing hole before
what biologists are referring
to as the "crash," or disap-
pearance.
I can remember when it
was a super trout and coho
salmon fishing area, too.
You couldn't go out on the
reservoir during the ice fish-
ing season and not see an-
glers with huge messes of
coho, rainbows and perch on
the ice.
You'd fish at different
depths for different fish. The
perch were usually on the
bottom. The coho, a lot of
times, were cruising the sur-
face. And the trout were
KM ZIMOWSKY
Commentary
somewhere in the varying
depths.
It was the best darn fishing
hole in Southwest Idaho. My
kids loved catching perch
through the ice. I loved the
taste of those two -pound
rainbows fresh out of the
cold waters.
It also was an easy place to
catch perch from the bank in
the summer.
But water quality went ka-
put. Pikeminnows went wild
gobbling up all the young
perch, and warm water and
algae took their toll on the
fish. And we've ended up
with a fishless fishery.
But the important thing is
that anglers are willing to
spend millions of dollars a
year to fish for perch and
trout at Cascade Reservoir.
That money is something
that is injected into the econ-
omy.
They're not willing to
spend millions of dollars to
catch pikeminnows.
Could you imagine if Fish
and Game had a hatchery
program to raise
pikeminnows, instead of
trout, for stocking?
Could you imagine if an-
glers spent $80 million an-
nually to catch suckers in-
stead of salmon?
It does make you wonder
how some fish end up being
preferred over others by an-
glers. Why are some fish de-
spised?
Even though pikeminnows
are native Idahoans, anglers
don't like them because
they're bony and too difficult
to eat. They also don't fight at
the end of a line and come in
Re a log after they are
hooked.
Perch are outsiders; they
were introduced to the
state. But anglers really like
them because there is no
limit on them, they taste
good, and they're easy to fil-
let. You can stock the freez-
er with fillets when perch
fishing is good.
Walleye is another out-
sider. It was introduced in
Idaho. Although they are
bony fish, anglers like them
because they fight well on
the end of the line. They
taste pretty good, too.
Carp are not native to Ida-
ho but really took over. Can
you believe that someone
actually brought carp into
the state in the late 1800s?
Although most Idaho an-
glers hate carp, they are be-
coming popular as a big fish
with plenty of fight.
Fly anglers are starting to
fish for them for the sport.
Although Idaho anglers
don't think they are good
eating, other cultures
around the world think they
are great.
I remember eating carp
fillets and being surprised
that they tasted pretty good.
Of course, the fish came out
of a fast, clear, clean river.
Oh,yeah ... Iwas apoorcol-
lege student then, and any-
thing tasted great.
Pikeminnows also can
taste good.
I remember smoking
pikeminnows from Lake
Cascade and finding the fish
delicious.I soaked them in
my favorite brine ofbeer,
molasses, salt and spices.
Some anglers have pre-
pared pikeminnows by cut-
ting them up in %a -inch
steaks, sprinkling a Shake'n'
Bake seasoning, and deep
frying them.
Whitefish are another na-
tive fish that really bum out
some trout anglers. They
complain that whitefish
compete with trout for food
and habitat.
Whitefish are an environ-
mental barometer for rivers
and streams and an impor-
tant part of the environment.
They're sure good when
they are smoked.
I wouldn't eat a deep -fried
whitefish because whitefish
tend to be oily. But that's
what makes them good
when they are smoked.
Mountain suckers also are
native to Idaho, but anglers
hate them.
They have an important
job. They eat algae. But as far
as being a garhe fish, no way.
Yup, this whole thing
about what fish is a game fish
and what fish tastes better is
a real whirlpool to ponder.
But having the best
pikeminnow fishery really
doesn't do much for generat-
ing interest in fishing and the
tourism economy.
Pete is an outdoors writerwith
Theldaho Statesman. His col-
umn appears inldaho Out-
doors magazine on Thursday
and on the Idaho Outdoors
page on Sunday. ContactPete
at pzimowsky @idaho states -
man.comor377 -6445
F &G to kill trash
fish in Little Payette
Lake feeder stream
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star News
Idaho Department of Fish & Game fisheries
managers will poison a section of upper Lake
Fork Creek above Little Payette Lake to kill
northern pikeminnow and suckers that are
affecting the rainbow trout population.
The department is seeking public comment
on its plan, said Paul Janssen, a fisheries man-
agement biologist for the department.
Little Payette Lake is located east of McCall
on the edge of the city limits.
The treatment with the chemical Rotenone
may begin as early as next week in the stream,
Janssen said.
The treatments will begin when fisheries
officials begin seeing northern pikeminnow
and suckerfish in the creek.
If the fish are not present in the creek next
week, the departmenthas askedforpermission
to use the poison into June to eradicate the two
problem fish.
Fisheries managers will poison the creek
from the Browns Pond dam to the lake, Janssen
said. The poison will kill some tiger musky and
smallmouth bass in the lake before it dilutes in
the lake, Janssen said.
"We would expect to kill some fish of all
species where Rotenone treated stream inflows
enters the lake and before it has a chance to be
diluted," said an application the Idaho Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality.
DEQ would issue the permit to Fish &
Game.
Rotenone is a fish poison used by the
department to eradicate undesirable fish
populations.
Northernpikeminnows andlarge scale suck-
ers compete with rainbow trout for space and
food in Little Payette Lake. The competition
reduces the survival and growth rates of the
rainbow trout, a popular sport fish.
The lake was last treated with the poison in
1987, Janssen said. Afterthattreatment, anglers
caught more and bigger rainbow trout.
"The rainbow trout fishery is now virtually
non - existent," Janssen said.
Rainbow trout are stocked in the lake
each year, but the fish do not fare well with
the increased competition from the northern
pikeminnows and large scale suckers. Anglers
are hard to find on the lake, because of the
diminished rainbow trout fishery.
Fisheries managers hope that the Rotenone
treatment will increase the growth and survival
rates and restore the rainbow trout fishery for
area anglers.
Citizens wishing to comment on the plan to
eradicate the fish can contact the McCall office
of Fish & Game at 634 -8137.
Kokanee
(Continued from Page A -7)
with a hand -held counter count-
ing the fish in the river.
The average kokanee run
since 1988 has been 30,000 fish
and F &G's goal is to have about
20,000 kokanee spawning in the
river. The largest run of kokanee
was in 1997 when 65,000 kokanee
spawned in the river.
Last year, only 9,650 kokanee
made the trek. That number
prompted Janssen to stock 87,000
kokanee fingerlings in Payette
Lake early this summer. Those
additional fish will not be of
spawning age until 2009 or 2010,
he said.
The department plans to stock
200,000 to 300,000 kokanee finger-
lings in the lake each year for
the next three years to see if the
spawning numbers increase.
"We would like to feed our
lake trout and have big enough
kokanee to be a game fish," Jans-
sen said of the fish's dual role
in the lake. "We are looking to
stock for three or four years in
a row to give this generation of
fish a boost."
The stocked kokanee are from
spawned kokanee in Deadwood
Reservoir. Each year the Nampa
Fish Hatchery sends a field crew
to put in a temporary trap to
capture spawning kokanee. They
then harvest fertilized kokanee
eggs to grow in the hatchery for
stocking statewide.
"We are seeing smaller fish on
average than we used to," Janssen
said. "We attribute that to lower
productivity in the lake due to
homes being on a sewer system
rather than septic systems. This
has created cleaner water with
less nutrients, so the fish are
smaller."
Usually when a run of ko-
kanee is low in number, the fish
are larger, Janssen said. Smaller
female kokanee only hold a couple
of hundred eggs per fish, while
larger ones can carry up to 1,500
eggs, he said.
An F &G study in the early
1990s determined that the fish
have a 20- percent survival rate
from egg to fry, which is "pretty
good" for a natural stream, he
said.
Lake trout eat kokanee in the
lake, but lake trout numbers in
the lake have stayed relatively
constant over the past 14 years,
Janssen said. He disagrees with
the idea that lake trout are deci-
mating the kokanee population.
Kokanee die after spawning,
as do all Pacific salmon. The eggs
hatch about five months after the
September spawning season. The
kokanee fry swim to Payette Lake
as soon as high water flow from
snowmelt arrives in April and
May, Janssen said.
Kokanee are a fresh -water
form of sockeye salmon that
never go to sea. Kokanee in Pay-
ette Lake have been cutoff from
the Pacific Ocean by dams on
the Payette and Snake Rivers for
almost a century.
In the past, Payette Lake and
the North Fork of the Payette
River was home to both sockeye
and kokanee salmon. Sockeye
salmon are a larger fish than
kokanee.
Kokanee average about 10 to 14
inches, although some can grow
up to 20 inches. Sockeye salmon
average about 21 to 26 inches with
some as large as 33 inches.
Page
r l
Photo 6e The Gtr -Neva by D ®GAl -
TR(: )PHY TR()Irl' - hhke Koawsla of h[ct .III sholcx
on the lm u 4v Lout lie caught on Sohn (lay at tw
lust auwtal Lasr.KI, Ict Fwhlyg Iter % held uu
Lake Cascade vu wla lxtkdw 13 a-Iwtaxl
sixclmru
to for hotRfwlnug hlatt Kwllhn'of
+S'enil'e. of reeled m a _ _r- lwtmdpnrh to ttw the
adult categoq for pelrh Conwig ul woud was
Rob look of Nampa at i 9it Iwmlch;. wcl
Fwlk-a of Doze t th a r 87-potmd fwb .take ILvl)t
of hIm&Au caught a t 44•Potn)d perch w the 7rout1
catrgoq- Tegau Rylphgger of Aln au uh was ueA at
r.3.; potmd, wd Bwen Lougwoltln- of hlnuhau
hauled w a r -Y_'- potulder llxeeffoltl, wl Mora
troll 48+x- for wit -ar8 hflh auuu d Ycatth Ice
Fwhwg Day brkl by klalw Youth fAltdools
http:// www. mccallstarnews .com/pages /outdoors_page.phA p 1/31/2013
Outdoors Page The StarNews
Base man pull state record perch from Lake Cascade
BY Rix :ER PHILLIPS
for The Star -Neccs
Luke Spaete didn't win a recent ice fishing derby at Lake Cascade, but he got a pretty good
consolation prize - the new state record perch.
Spaete's fish weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 15 1/2 inches,
topping the old record of 2 pounds, 9.6 ounces and 15 1/2 inches that was first
set in 1976 at Wilson Lake in Jerome County.
It was not a case of beginner's luck. Spaete, of Boise, has spent about 10 days
fishing at Lake Cascade this winter.
Spaete and other ice anglers have consistently been pulling fish over two
pounds from the reservoir, and it's been expected for several years to produce
the next state record.
Lida Spaete shoo-, off
Ina state -record perch
Spaete was fishing on Feb. 15 and had landed 13-1/2 -inch and 14 -inch perch thathera❑ghtmLake
when he saw a bigger fish appear on his fish finder at about 25 feet depth. (7wvade
"All of the sudden all the little ones went away, and this giant mark showed up," he said. "It was one
giant blob, and I thought, 'Don't miss this one.'"
The fish hit his lure, a Hali Slender Spoon, which had a small, light hook, and Spaete worried the hook
might straighten before he got the fish to the surfsoe. When he pulled it through the ice, "its belly and
dorsal fin were scraping the sides of the 8-inch hole," he said.
He knew it was a big fish and fat (it had a 13 -inch girth), but "I really didn't think of it being a state
record."
Spaete, 30, is a geosciences researcher at BSU who moved to Idaho from Michigan in 2009. He grew
up ice fishing in the Midwest, and said he was surprised how good it is in Idaho.
(Roger Phillips is a reporter with The Idaho Statesman, where this story originally appeared.)
http : / /www.mccallstarnews.com/pages /outdoors _page.php
Page I of I
2/27/2014
Outdoors Page The StarNews Page I of I
State perch record broken again at Lake Cascade
Eagle resident Tia Wiese recently landed a perch that weighed 2 pounds 11.68
ounces while fishing at Lake Cascade. The fish measured 15.75 inches with a
yr.j
T
girth of 12.75 inches.,
.
Luke Spaete of Boise broke the old state record perch on Feb. 15 with a 2
pound, 11 ounce perch. Before Spaete's fish, the old record had stood for 38
years, but was tied once.
Coincidentally, Gary Wiese, Tie's father, also broke the old state record a day
Pbom by Tom MsGiadm
TintC,ea MAhef
after Spaete, but his fish was smaller than Spaete's.
r cmd_settnwIM-ch
(Note: This story was originally reported in The Idaho Statesman.)
http: / /u,,�ww.mccallstarnews.com/pages /outdoors _page.php 3/6/2014
Outdoors Page The StarNews
Lake Cascade perch certified as world record
Eagle girl, 12, caught lunker last March
BY STEVE LIEBENTHAL
for The Star-News
When 12- year -old Tia Wiese went ice fishing with her father last March, she expected to catch some
big fish, but probably had no idea she would set a new world record.
Wiese and her father, Gary, had been hitting Lake
Cascade regularly, knowing that giant perch were being
caught on a regular basis.
On March 1, 2014 father and daughter, who live in Eagle,
were set up on the ice when a line went screaming off one of
their tip-up rods. The fish got tangled up in two other lines,
but through teamwork, Tia was able to land the giant perch.
"She was really excited," Gary said. "She was jumping up
and down"
"I couldn't quit smiling; Tia said. "It was the biggest perch
I've seen. I was kind of hoping it was a state record."
The yellow perch became the new state record, weighing
in at 2 pounds 11.68 ounces.
While hunting in Wisconsin, Gary Wiese visited the
Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisc., where
he discovered the world record for yellow perch caught ice
fishing with a tip-up was 2 pounds 6 ounces in Sheep Pond,
Mass.
"I didn't know there were records like ice fishing," said.
1 ,
fE'� 4f'a
Po byG—W-
Tia Wiese holds the —Id- record perch w ghing 2
pounds, 11.68 ounces that she caught in take
Cascade last Mareh.
So, he submitted an application for Tie's catch, and it was recently confirmed as the largest yellow
perch caught while ice fishing using a tip -up rod anywhere in the world.
"He told me over the phone," she said. "1 was laughing so hard I was crying. It was funny."
This record fish is the result of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's dedication to restoring the
perch fishery at Lake Cascade that started more than a decade ago.
In the late 1990s, fishery managers recognized that Lake Cascade's perch population had depleted
dramatically.
Thousands of yellow perch were released into Lake Cascade, and those fish successfully spawned,
beginning a rapid recovery of the lake's perch population.
Fifteen years later, Lake Cascade has a strong population of yellow perch, and last year anglers were
regularly catching fish weighing two pound.
(Steve Liebenthaf is the Public Information Specialist/Social Media Coordinator for the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.)
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /outdoors _page.php 1/22/2015
Star -News News Outdoors Page
Nampa youth nabs largest -ever fish at Howdy's derby
Henry Huff of Nampa last weekend caught the largest fish ever snagged in the 21 years of the
Howdy's Gas and Grub Fishing Derby in Cascade.
Huff, 15, caught his winning fish off Crown Point on Cascade Lake. The 27 -inch lunker weighed in at
8.96 pounds and earned Huff $300. The next largest trout was 19 inches and weighed 3.65 pounds.
Here is the list of winners and prize money during the weekend's fishing derby. Home towns were not
available.
Adult Trout: 1. Henry Huff ($300), 8.96 pounds, 27 inches. 2. Mandy Wilson ($200), 3.65 pounds, 19
inches. 3. John Edwards. 4. Ed Trusty. 5. Steve Johnson. 6. Luke Spaete.
Junior Trout: 1 Damien Morrison ($100), 3.4 pounds, 20 inches. 2. Ularic Hoard ($50), 3.34 pounds,
20 -112 inches. 3. Morgan Hines. 4 Rylee Foster. 5. Stuey Derrick. 6. Boone Bade.
Stringer of Three Perch by Weight: 1. Greg Hunter ($150), 4.2 pounds. 2 Carter Hull ($100), 4.14
pounds. 3. Gary Tuttle. 4. Hayden Hull. 5. Chad Lansing. 6. Deborah Bryerton.
Page 1 of 1
�f/3v
rchive_ 2015/ 04 _30_15_webedition/Copy %20of %... -9 12015
. t
gar
0
0
ff
CD tU
CZ
(D
cn
13
r1pq
Lild
Vo( 17-1
A'
4j!F,
O
Jo
Ir
44
fo
A s.
. t
gar
0
0
ff
CD tU
CZ
(D
cn
13
r1pq
Lild
Vo( 17-1
Page 1 of 1
PLAYING AROUND
P6ob fa the Sm -Nm. q Gay E—
BODY LANGUAGE - Charlie Speirs, 6, of McCall,
does a dance to try and comwce a fish to snag his
hook during Free Fishing Day on Saturday at
Northwest Passage Pond at Ponderosa State Park.
Free fishing was allowed statewide by the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game, with special events
held in McCall, New Meadows and Cascade.
loors _page.php 6/18/2015
Star -News News Main News Page
Donnelly man catches new record perch from Lake Cascade
Skye Coulter catches fish that is nearly 3 pounds, 15 -518 inches
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
for The Star-News
It's no longer rumor or speculation whether Lake Cascade will break another state record - it
happened Feb. 26.
Skye Coulter of Donnelly landed a 2- pound, 15.36 -ounce
yellow perch that topped Tia Weise's previous state record
of 2 pounds, 11.68 ounces, according to the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game.
Coulter's record fish was 15 5/8- inches long with a girth of
13 -1/4 inches. He caught it on a worm.
Weise still holds the catch- and - release yellow perch record
of 16- inches, which she set on Feb. 7. Because that fish was
released, there was no official weight.
Cascade has consistently produced trophy perch in the
last two years. Before 2014, the state record had stood for
38 years, but it has been topped at least four times in the
last two years by perch caught in the reservoir.
Lake Cascade has been a success story for perch fishing
and anglers since it was overhauled in the early 2O0Os.
Fish and Game crews removed tons of unwanted fish,
mostly northern pikeminnows, and transplanted 850,000
adult perch. Those transplants sparked a perch revival that
produced billions of young perch which not only recovered
the perch population, but also provided a flourishing food
base for other game fish in the reservoir.
Fish and Game surveyed Lake Cascade in the fall of 2015
and found about 27 percent of the perch were over 12
inches long, and 8 percent were over 14 inches long. With
that many large perch, biologists suspected a new state
record was Irving there.
t -, Skn Cw
Skye Coulter holds the 2- pound, 15.36 -ounce perch
he pulled from Lake Cascade on Feb. 26.
It will be interesting to see how long Coulter's record stands considering the four fish caught in the last
two years that topped the 38 -year record fish were landed in February and March.
Idaho anglers now have two ways to get their name in the state record books. Large fish that are
harvested and weighed on a certified scale qualify for weight records.
Fish that are released can be photographed with the fish and a tape measure in the photo and entered
Into the catch- and - release records, which are ranked by length.
Fish and Game started the catch- and - release records in January, and there are still many blanks
remaining to be filled.
(Roger Phillips is a public information specialist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.)
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccallstarnews .com/pages /fp_stories _page.php 3/3/2016
Outdoors Page
Adults, youths haul in lunkers
at Howdy's Fishing Derby
Adult and youth anglers displayed their best catches
during Howdy's Gas & Grub's 22nd annual Lake Cascade
Fishing Derby held last weekend.
Howdy's paid out cash prizes as well as gift giveaways.
Here are the top finishers in each category:
Largest Trout: Adults - 1. Terry Perryman, Cascade, 22
inches long, 4.91 lbs., $300. 2. Tim Peak, Caldwell, 21
inches, 4.36 lbs., $200. 3. Cliff Wilson, Nampa, 21 inches,
4.08 lbs. 4. Jeff Thurston, Cascade, 23.5 inches, 4.04 lbs. 5.
Hector Valverde, Caldwell, 20.5 inches, 4.03 lbs. 6. Carrie
Oakes, Cascade, 22 inches, 3.92 lbs.
Largest Trout: Juniors - 1. Kysen Thurston, Boise, 22
inches, 3.83 lbs., $100. 2. Madison Burke, Cascade, 20.5
inches, 3.29 lbs., $50. 3. Freddy Alvarez, Donnelly, 19
inches, 3.08 lbs. 4. Chris Munson, Eagle, 20 inches, 2.97
lbs. 5. Boone Bade, Emmett, 19 inches, 2.97 lbs. 6. Kelsea
Oakes, Cascade, 21.5 inches, 2.94 lbs.
Perch (greatest weight for three fish) - 1. Lauren Limbeck,
Boise, 4.7 lbs., $150. 2. Dennis Amburgy, Donnelly, 4.66
lbs., $100. 3. Jaden Knitkle, Caldwell, 4.4 lbs. 4. Kristin
Lutzke, Boise, 4.38 lbs. 5. Christine Waters, Meridian, 4.02
lbs. 6. Linda Smith, Nampa, 3.90 lbs.
Back To Index/Menu
A*jr
Ikom fa Thc SY-Newa by n..Y F+ha
Kaitlyn Perez of McCall looks on anxiously as her
trout is weighed on Sunday at the Rowdy's Gas and
Grub Fishing Derby.
s _page.php
Page 1 of 1
Star -News News Outdoors Page
FIRST FISH
r'dY�,
4
Y
a fa>Msm.ry by r
Dan Frahm, 6, of Council, exults in catching his
first fish as his father, Tim Frahm, looks on during
Saturday's Free Fishing Day at the pond at
MeadowCreek Golf Resort near New Meadows. The
Idaho Department of Fish and Game waived the
requirement for a fishing license for the day, frith
other special event held in McCall and Cascade.
Page 1 of 1
http: / /www.mccalistamews.com/pages /outdoors —Page.php 6/16/2016
Star -News News Outdoors Page Page 1 of 1
The Lure of the Lunker
Anglers line South Fork during 17-day Chinook salmon season
BY MONICA GOKEY
for The Star -News
Utah angler Ken Dane waited all afternoon to see a Chinook salmon. When a pod of three finally
swam in front of his line, the excitement among his fishing buddies was electric.
But the fishermen's enthusiasm was matched by total
apathy on the part of the fish. They lazily meandered t
upstream to take shelter in the shadows, seemingly oblivious
to the colorful lures cast in front of them. y !'
6 ti.
Dane and his friends were among the hundreds of anglers ~
who lined the South Fork hoping to hook a prized Chinook 1 FU
during the 17-day season that ended on Monday.
The season was closed when sport fishermen caught _
about 1,100 fish. The same number may be caught by the
Shoshone - Bannock and Nez Perce tribes, Idaho Department
of Fish and Game biologist Kim Apperson said.
Fishery managers keep a close eye on the run of the
Chinook, which were listed in 1992 as "threatened" under
the federal Endangered Species Act.
1
Fish raised in hatcheries make up the bulk of the run, and r '4y
they are the only salmon sport anglers are allowed to keep.
Wild salmon are allowed to complete their journeys from the nm cs rn sm -n. nr r,�.na
Pacific Ocean in order to spawn in the gravel beds of the Brad Brooks nets his brother's catch of a 34.5 -inch
South Fork. Chinook salmon on the South Fork of the Salmon
River last weekend.
To tell the difference, fish raised in hatcheries have their adipose fin, located on their backs near the
tail, clipped before they are released.
Mid vs. Natural
Hatchery- raised fish interbreed with the 'wild" fish, and biologists manage that genetic integration,
Apperson said.
Biologists like Apperson are reluctant to use the term 'wild" anymore. The new vocabulary is "natural"
salmon.
Driving up the South Fork, burnt trees stick out of the landscape like porcupine quills. The 2007
Cascade Complex Fire burned 302,000 acres of the river basin, resulting in a nutrient flush that has
likely benefited the Chinook run, Apperson said.
The burnt landscape also opened the riverbed, making fishermen easier to spot than their game.
"We have had some days where the average is three to five hours to catch a salmon," Apperson said.
But 10 to 15 hours per fish is more typical of decent fishing in the South Fork, she said.
Anglers spent about 25,000 hours fishing for Chinook during the 17-day season, according to F&G
estimates.
On Saturday, brothers Kurtis and Brad Brooks of Boise wetted a line at one of the few vacant pull -outs
on the river.
Defying the odds, Kurtis hooked a 34.5 -inch Chinook on his first cast. It took several minutes to
wrestle the dappled, olive-green behemoth to shore where his brother was waiting with a net. Both men
could hardly believe their luck.
Earlier in the week, Dane's group didn't have the same luck as the Brooks brothers. Just one angler
had a fish in the cooler - Curtis Bair of Preston bagged a 30 -inch Chinook.
Decades of chasing Idaho salmon seemed to have paid off for Bair.
"My wife won't eat any other fish," he said with a laugh.
http: / /www.mccallstamews .com/pages /outdoors _page.php 7/7/2016
THE CLEARWATER HATCHERY
For New Life
uA ,I ,
Clearwater River and the main Clearwater River. It is at this confluence that the Clearwater Fish Hatchery raises chinook salmon and steelhead
trout —two species of fish which struggle to survive the challenges posed by hydroelectric dams and altered habitat. Like "two rivers joined," this
hatchery makes possible a world in which the needs "For New Life" of both people and fish can be fulfilled.
To compensate for salmon and steelhead losses attributed to the construction and operation of four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River,
Congress passed legislation in 1976, authorizing the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan. Under the plan, construction of 12 hatcheries com-
menced throughout the Snake River Basin.
The Clearwater Fish Hatchery, operated by I
& Game, is administered and funded by the
Service through revenue
om the sale of electricity
generated at the four Lower Snake
River dams. Revenues are collectec
refunded to the U.S. Treasury for operation of all
Lower Snake River Compensation Plan facilities.
CI ,
the last of Lower Snake River Compensation Plan
facilities, and its three satellite trapping and smolt acclimation stations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began in June 1986 and was
completed in December 1991. This hatchery, with its fully integrated 30,600 square foot concrete hatchery building, 77,000 cubic feet of concrete
outdoor salmon raceways and 216,000 cubic feet of concrete outdoor steelhead raceways is the latest and largest state -of- the -art facility to be
added to the 11 existing mitigation hatcheries commissioned under the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan.
11
Above: Primary and secondary
water supply pipes on theface of
Dworshak Dam.
Right. De gassing towers remove
harmfid nitrogenfrom the water
before use in the hatchery.
L, ,
Dam, the Clearwater Fish Hatchery depends only on gravity for a constant year -round flow
of cool, clean water. Water is supplied from the reservoir through a 36 -inch diameter primary
intake pipe and an 18 -inch diameter secondary intake pipe. Collectively, more than 39,600
gallons per minute are available from Dworshak Reservoir for the hatchery's annual design
capacity of nearly four million fish.
I f Accessing the Dworshak Reservoir water required drilling two holes in the dam, a three -foot
and a two -foot diameter hole, well below the operating water levels of the reservoir. These two
rather large holes in the existing 717 -foot high Dworshak Dam were drilled through a 25 -foot
thick section of the dam, 254 -feet below the top of the dam. This task posed an engineering
challenge to obtain water and, at the same time, maintain the safety of the dam. By taking
into account seasonal variations of water temperature at different depths in the reservoir,
hatchery biologists can raise and lower the 48 inch diameter flexible primary intake pipe to
provide water at a relatively constant 56 degrees. The secondary 18 -inch intake pipe, perma-
nently located at the bottom of the reservoir, provides water at about 40 degrees.
The gravity-fed water is de- pressurized, oxygenated and
mixed at the hatchery to the precise temperatures required for
each of its four distribution sites. This water, "the hatchery's
life - blood," is the most important ingredient, "For New Life"
Spring chinook grow rapidly on rich food while spending
from one to three years in the North Pacific Ocean. Some
grow to as much as five feet in length and weigh up to 145
1,_ k
DWORSHAK
pounds. Spring chinook, also known as king salmon, are the largest and most power- Z:LEARWATER RESERVOIR
ful swimmer of the salmon family. HATCHERY oroa�
W
to the waters of her origin. She will be carrying 4,000 to 6,000 eggs and will not eat 12
during her 600 -miles of battling strong river flows; predators, dams, harvest and
other obstacles, in order to arrive at the spawning grounds where she hatched and
emerged from the gravels years earlier.
Above: Steelhead raceways are
servicedfrom two traveling bridges
used infeedingthefish and cleaning
the raceways.
This annual spawning migration of adult spring
chinook occurs from March through September. In
August and September, eggs and sperm are collected
from the returning adult spring chinook by the
Clearwater Fish Hatchery staff. Three trapping and
acclimation stations, Powell, Red River and Crooked
River satellites, each over 120 miles from the
Clearwater Fish Hatchery, are required for the trap-
ping and successful spawning of these returning
adult salmon. A portion of all chinook entering these
traps are allowed to swim further upstream to spawn
naturally in the wild. The remaining trapped fish are
held at their respective trapping station until they
are ready to spawn, usually sometime between mid -
August and mid - September.
Kamiah
CLEARWATE
NATIONAL
FOREST
K—kia
95 \/
\ NEZ
Crooked
PIERCE
��" NATIONAL
a
Grangeville �i a FOREST
HUMP
During this period, the Clearwater staff spawns the trapped spring chinook -
one female to one male, taking steps to prevent inbreeding problems and insure
genetic diversity. Each spring, these returning adult fish from the Powell, Red River
and Crooked River traps will supply eggs for the Clearwater production program.
These extremely delicate eggs are collected and transported to the hatchery in
f
special containers.
D
spring is increased substantially over their wild counterparts through the technical
knowledge of hatchery biologists and the modern technology of today's hatchery.
From mid - .August to January the incubator room, with water flowing through its
480 -trays at 480 gallons per minute, is an extremely secure environment. Each tray
holds the fertilized eggs of one, (sometimes two), female chinook. With about 5,400
Above inset rjght:
190 s ware
eggs in each tray, more than 3.5 million eggs can be incubated in this 1, q
Sorting male & female chinook
salmonforSpawn*.
foot room. These eggs will be held in the incubation trays through an additional life
Above.• Spawning activities at
stage after hatching.
the Powell Pap.
Well trained hatchery personnel monitor the water temperature and its flow through
the incubator trays. Daily tray - cleaning and egg- counting during the early "eyed" stage
insures that a healthy environment and accurate inventory is
maintained. Two fish culturists with modern equipment may
handle 300,000 eggs in a day. Once hatched, the spring chi-
nook brood will spend their "sac -fry" stage in these incubator
trays. After their protein -rich yolk -sac is absorbed, the young Y'
fish become hungry and strong enough to swim up from the Left:
Y"
caristers keep
eachfemale's
eggs separate
r`- from one another
during spawning
12 ° t and transport
to Clearwater
POWELL c "" Hatcheoy
TRAPS o
�'Owell trapping and acclimation facility.
12
r +
�p�a�
NEZ PIERCE NATIONAL FOREST
;Zz R SELWAY
BITTERROOT
Red r trapping and acclimation facility
Above.. Eachfemale chinook
carves 3,500 to 4,500 eggs.
Above inset le: Several transport
canisters are requiredfor
eachfemale's eggs.
bottom of their incubation containers. Once they reach this (swim -up)
stage they are quickly transferred to the indoor rearing vats.
facility for "swim -up" and "fingerling" fish in the Lower Snake
River Compensation Plan. Offspring of both spring chinook and
steelhead trout adults are reared at various times of the year, from
swim -up fry and subsequently to fingerlings, (approximately the
length of the little finger), in this one room. Its sixty concrete vats,
40 -feet long, 3 -feet deep, and 4 feet wide, are constantly flushed
with temperature controlled fresh water, at a rate of 7,200 gallons
per minute.
The young chinook will more than double their body weight during
their stay in these indoor rearing vats.
Automatic feeders will dispense 45,000
lbs of a highly nutritious special I I
formulated, pelletized meal during that
time. In four months, these rapidly
growing fish will be large enough for �; r
transfer to outdoor raceways. At the;,
same time, the hatchery will receive its
�I
annual shipment of steelhead eggs.►,,,,,
Right: Fertilized eggsfrom onefemale chinook
salmon are placed into each trgyfor incubation.
s T
3.5 million eyed steelhead eggs will come from Clearwater's neighboring Dworshak National
Fish Hatchery. These eggs, in a process similar to salmon, are put into sixty separate 2 -foot
high, 18-inch diameter clear acrylic up- welling incubation cylinders.
One cylinder, holding 45,000 to 50,000 eggs, is placed at the head of each
indoor rearing vat. The bright orange steelhead eggs are hatched and reared
through their "sac -fry" stage in the cylinder's gentle up- welling water. As
Above: Photo - electnc eye sorts dead the sac -fry reach their "swim -up" stage, they swim out of these incubation
eggsfrom the healthy eggs. cylinders, tumbling gently into the indoor vats. The young steelhead, with
Right: In a hatchery environment, their voracious appetite, will triple their body weight during the next five
more than 95% of thesefertihzed
eggs will survive. months. While in these vats, growing through their "fingerling" stage, they
consume 12,500 pounds of a highly nutritious, pelletized meal. When fish in
each vat reach optimum density, they will be systematically transferred to the hatchery's (300 -ft. long by 10 -ft. wide by 6 -ft. deep) outdoor steel-
head raceway complex.
In order to satisfy the appetites of up to three million spring chinook and 800,000 steelhead, from fingerling
stage to release size, 335,000 pounds of pelletized feed will be fed to the steelhead via two automatic feeding
bridges, while automatic blower feeders distribute approximately 400,000 pounds of feed to the three million
spring chinook annually.
1V .
Right: Sixty -days after
chinook's eighteenth month rearing cycle at the Clearwater Fish fertilization, in the darkness
of incubator healthy Hatche ry. both species begin to under g o complex physiological
sac fly emerge, from
changes known as smolting. Extremely accurate daily management their shell.
of water temperatures and feeding schedules has simultaneous) Below: Actheyou gchmook
p g y yolk -sac theyoung chinook
brought the entire lot of both steelhead and spring chinook to this are called swim -up, fiy.
- stage. At least three conditions must be present prior to smolting:
:y proper size, age and an appropriate length of photo period (sun loca-
tion in the sky and daylight hours). The
physiological changes which continue to
take place during the 600 -mile journey to
the ocean will allow both the salmon and
i steelhead to survive when they finally exit
' the Columbia River's fresh water and
enter the salt water of the Pacific Ocean.
1 Time is not wasted in returning these fish to the headwaters where their parents were
captured. Once the chinook have outgrown their indoor rearing vats, (usually June), half
of the chinook being reared are placed in acclimation ponds at their parent's trapping
Above asmaninset: One incubator cylinder may station. Held in these acclimation ponds, until their release in October of that same year,
hold as many as 50, o0ofertile steelhead eggs.
Above: No of the sixty indoor rearing these young chinook are called pre-
vats with their automanefeeders. smolt fall releases. These pre- smolts
Right: Once theiryolk -sac is absorbed, healthy
chinook swim -upfry are trans, imedfrom their will rear in streams and rivers below 1
incubator trays to indoor rearing vats. �+
the acclimation ponds until the
following spring when they begin ;
seaward migration as smolts. The other half of that year's brood are reared in the hatchery's
outdoor raceways until spring of the following year. After spending only 21 days in the accli-
mation ponds at their respective parent's trapping station, they are released in April and are
called spring smolt releases. Above qht.• Pumping, fingerlings _
from indoor vats to outdoor �=
racewgys considerably reduces
stress on theyoungfish, compared
to the old dip net method.
_w
The entire hatchery staff, working under a variety of acclimation and direct release
I schedules, transport both the spring Chinook and young steelhead smolts to their
1i_ respective release area where they will be trapped when they return as adults. A fleet
of specially equipped stainless steel tankers will be used to transport and release
both the 2.3- million spring chinook and 800,000 steelhead smolts, often during
unpredictable and difficult weather conditions that may occur in early spring.
Above & 1e: Pumpingfrsh
into special transport tankers
for transfer to acclimation
ponds at the headwatersfrom
which their parents were
trapped and spawned.
heads' two month journey to the ocean begins,
they will imprint the entire length of the river
in their memory, like a road map. Their keen
sense of smell allows them to analyze water in
s parts per million. It is their ability to imprint
the unique chemistry of the water that makes
it possible for these remarkable fish to return to the waters from which they were
acclimated and released by man as pre - smolts and smolts.
As these dedicated personnel release the fish they have so persistently nurtured
through their 12 -18 month life cycle, they will immediately begin the process all
over again with the returning adults and the eggs they spawn. These personnel
are highly skilled biologists and technicians trained in the art and science of
aquaculture, For New Life.
I�
!'I VI .vtt'II PI;F�
[*,A--
, I
US Army Corps
of Engineers
Walla Walla District
Above: In early spring special tanker convoys transport young smolts
from the main hatchery to their proper acclimation ponds.
These are thefacilities constructed in Idaho by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
for the Lower Snake River Fish & Wildlife Compensation Plan:
S T E E L H E A D
CLEARWATER FISH HATCHERY HAGERMAN NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY MAGIC VALLEY FISH HATCHERY
(steelhead and Chinook) Rural Route 1, Box 256 Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game
4156 Ahsahka Road Hagerman, Idaho 83332 Route 1
Ahsahka, Idaho 83520 (208) 837 -4896 Filer, Idaho 83328
(208) 476 -3331 (208) 326 -3230
CHINOOK
MCCALL FISH HATCHERY SAwTOOTH FISH HATCHERY DWORSHAK NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY
Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game P.O. Box 18
Box 1021 HC64, Box 9905 Ahsahka, Idaho 83520
McCall, Idaho 83638 Stanley, Idaho 83278 (208) 476 -4591
(208) 634 -2690 (208) 774 -3684 (Near Orofino)
Produced by Alfs and Associates.
The publication and printing of this brochure was paidfor by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.