Idaho Fish & Game has completed an extensive, year-long "creel survey" to measure fishing activity and fish harvest along the Boise River through the heart of the city, in response to concerns raised about possible overfishing. The result: It's pretty much all good.

"Observed harvest rates do not appear to be high in relation to the number of fish in the river," Fish & Game Southwest Region fisheries biologist Art Butts reported today. Rainbow trout was the most common catch, but anglers released nearly 80 percent of those they caught, even though in most cases it would have been legal to keep some. "Creel survey results reveal that the Boise River is indeed a very popular destination for local anglers," Butts reported. "It also suggests that a majority of anglers prefer to release fish to be caught again rather than take them home."

The Boise River between Barber Park and the Americana bridge, with its adjacent greenbelt path, "offers access to many outdoor opportunities including some pretty darn good trout fishing," Butts wrote. "Rainbow trout, brown trout, and mountain whitefish provide year-round angling, and in the fall, steelhead trout trapped at Hell’s Canyon Dam are transported to the river."