Snowpack good, bad news for anglers

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Anglers keyed up for Idaho's fishing season face two problems: high water and the cost of gas.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game can't do much about the first, but is trying to help out on the second by stocking rainbow trout in areas closer to large populations.

"We're trying to do that to accommodate what we know is a problem for families who like to fish," said Ed Mitchell, a Fish and Game spokesman, noting upward of 200,000 trout will be stocked around the state.

Idaho's traditional fishing opener last weekend is mainly for streams and high mountain lakes, as most other lakes and reservoirs are open all year. A notable exception is the popular Henry's Lake in eastern Idaho, which opened last weekend.

With plenty of snow this winter, Mitchell said stream anglers will likely face muddy, high water conditions early in the season that, in some instances, could even present dangerous fishing conditions.

"I would really caution people first of all driving a long ways with $4 gas to find the stream unfishable," he said. "That's one hazard. The other is you don't want your 2-year-old falling in some of these places."

Many mountain lakes are also now open.

"If you can get to them, which you can't," said Mitchell. "Last time I heard there was ice on most of them. It's crazy."

While stream anglers may find fishing challenging, Mitchell said a good snowpack in the mountains this year will likely mean better fishing through the rest of the summer.

Here's a rundown on what to expect in different regions of the state:

Upper Snake Region

This is one of the most popular fishing areas in the state, said Mitchell, with Henry's Lake and the Henry's Fork of the Snake River drawing anglers from around the U.S. and even other countries.

The Upper Snake region also includes the South Fork of the Snake and a handful of smaller streams. Mitchell noted that special regulations exist in the area for native cutthroat trout, which in some areas allow catch and release only.

Henry's Lake has some ice on it, said Matt Lyon of Henry's Fork Anglers in Island Park, but enough open area to allow fishing.

"There is a fair amount of free, open water," he said.

As for streams in the region this weekend, he said high water makes it "not an extremely stellar prognosis, but we'll be out there fishing."

Southeast Region

Little Valley Reservoir in Montpelier lost rainbow trout and Treasureton Reservoir near Preston had a substantial fish kill due to the extended length of time it was under ice.

"We estimate the majority of the fish died under the ice," said David Teuscher, Southeast Regional fisheries manager for Fish and Game.

The department has already stocked Treasureton with 3,000 catchable rainbows to make up for the loss, something that wouldn't have been an option in a low water year.

"We're above normal on snow pack and that's great news," he said. "One of the big reservoirs that's quite low is Blackfoot and it should really benefit from the above normal snow pack at this point."

Above-normal snow pack will also help American Falls, but the reservoir is not likely to recover in one year. It drained to less than 2 percent last year and now anglers are reporting fish are slender and in poor condition. It will take at least two years to rebuild the fishery, officials said.

Chesterfield Reservoir was also drawn down last year, but should benefit from a decent refill this spring.

"I've crossed my fingers all winter and I think we're going to be OK," said Teuscher. "I'm anticipating a great year for fishing. If it was a super-dry situation, I would look to maybe moving fish from reservoirs that would be drawn down, but it just doesn't look like we need to start looking that way because of the water situation."

Southwest Region

A late spring is stalling the above-average snowpack for a melt due just about the time anglers can begin wading.

"Stream fishing is going to be a challenge," said Jeff Dillon, Fish and Game's southwest regional fisheries manager. ". . . the water is going to be rip-roaring. You'll have to wait until the end of June before anything is fishable. Overall it's a good thing for fish population, but it just makes the fishing much more difficult."

Drought in previous years harmed fishing in Indian Creek, Mountain Home Reservoir and Paddock Valley Reservoir. But biologists say plenty of snow this winter will help boost fish populations in those water bodies.

"Paddock is starting to recover from drought, but it's going to a take a couple of more years to get good," said Dillon, noting the reservoir is being stocked with thousands of trout this year.

Clearwater Region

The promising outlook for the Clearwater region in northern Idaho is related more to the temperature of the water than the volume. A delayed spring means cooler temperatures will last longer in the trout streams.

Cutthroat like cool water and will migrate upstream as the lower water warms over the summer, biologists say. The fish won't have to migrate to the high country so soon this year.

"In a year like this, when there's potential for the streams to stay cool, (the cutthroat) all might not migrate higher and they'll spread out a lot more through the whole system," said Joe DuPont, Fish and Game's Clearwater Regional fisheries manager.

Cooler water and higher flows should boost the salmon and steelhead fisheries in future years.

More young fish migrating downstream will make it to the ocean if they have more water helping them pass through reservoirs and dams. This year's ocean-bound steelhead return in one to two years. Salmon return in two to three years.

"We expect higher survival of fish and good return a few years later," DuPont said. "When we see higher flows, it's exciting. It means more fish (returning) in two to three years."