Field Reports
FISHING
Learn to catch lakers
A new video has been produced to help anglers catch more lake trout in Lake Pend Oreille.
“Reliable Methods of Catching Lake Trout on Lake Pend Oreille” is hosted by Ron Sharp, a commercial rod-and-reel fisherman who works on the lake.
The Idaho Fish and Game Department and Avista Utilities teamed to create the educational video to improve angler performance in reducing the population of lake trout, which are contributing to the problem with depressed numbers of native fish.
“It’s not realistic, nor is it our goal to eliminate lake trout completely from Lake Pend Oreille, but what we want to do is manage lake trout at a level where they don’t risk collapsing native cutthroat and bull trout populations; or important sport fisheries, like kokanee and rainbow,” said Ned Horner, IDFG regional fisheries manager.
The video contains a brief introduction on the lake’s fisheries management, plus information on lake trout habits and fishing techniques. Sharp uses diagrams, pictures and fishing footage to show anglers how to use dodgers and flies, flatfish, jigging techniques, Lyman plugs, and flutter spoons.
Videos and DVD’s are available to check out from the Regional Fish and Game Office in Coeur d’Alene; at the Clark Fork Hatchery, Sandpoint Hatchery and Cabinet Gorge Hatchery; Bayview Research Office; public libraries in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Sandpoint and Priest River; and the Avista office in Noxon, Montana.
Info: (208) 769-1414.
Rich Landers
FISHING
Kootenai surveyed
Angler catches are being checked on the Kootenai River this season Idaho Department of Fish and Game researchers who are studying the impact fishing restrictions are having on the trout population.
The current two-trout bag limit and 16-inch minimum size was adopted in 2002.
Prior to 2002, the Kootenai River had a six-trout bag limit, no size limit and no closed season — rules that are virtually unheard of for wild trout fisheries.
“There were indications that fishing pressure was increasing, as more anglers were accessing the river with jetboats, and as float trips originating in Montana were becoming more popular,” Idaho officials said in a press release.
This spring, biologists tagged rainbow trout with $10 reward tags. The yellow plastic tubes protrude from the back of the fish just below the dorsal fin. If a tagged fish is harvested, anglers are encouraged to record the tag number and report it to the Fish and Game regional office in Coeur d’Alene.
Rich Landers
NATIONAL FORESTS
Le Clerc Road closed
A portion of Middle Branch Le Clerc Road No. 1935 will be closed July 11-Sept. 15 because of road construction., Colville National Forest officials have announced.
The road will be closed between mile posts 19 and 20 on the Sullivan Lake Ranger District. However, the area adjacent to the project will be accessible to the public by alternate routes marked by signs.
Rich Landers
BIRDWATCHING
Consider water sources
Following a newspaper report last week that unusually high numbers of dead songbirds had been reported at feeders in North Idaho, a reader called with a personal observation.
The Spokesman-Review had quoted Idaho Fish and Game Department recommendations that people should regularly clean and disinfect their feeders and birdbaths to help stem the spread of disease.
The reader noted it’s also wise to let the water run through a garden hose for a minute before filling birdbaths or water bowls for birds.
Many garden-type hoses have a warning if they are to be used for drinking water. Some hoses are made from materials that, when left in the hot sun, can temporarily leach nasty chemicals into the water until they are rinsed, he said.
If rinsing is necessary to protect human health, it also must be important for birds, he said.
Rich Landers
OUTDOOR WRITING
Lipke wins award
Jonathan Lipke, a 2005 graduate of Deer Park High School, has won second place in a national outdoor writing contest for high school students.
Lipke’s story, “The Vow,” was the runner-up in the senior prose category of the 2004 Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest. Winners were announced last week in at the OWAA National Convention in Madison, Wis.
Lipke also was a finalist in The Spokesman-Review 2004 Youth Writing Contest and his story, published on Dec. 26, was forwarded to the national competition.
Lipke is working as a river rafting guide this summer and plans to study wildlife resources and outdoor recreation at the University of Idaho.
Rich Landers
STATE PARKS
Quartz lookout opens
A fire lookout cabin recently installed on Quartz Mountain in Mount Spokane State Park is available for rent starting this week.
The lookout, moved to Quartz from its former site on Mount Spokane, is simply furnished with room for four. Renters must hike or bike in 2.2 miles from Selkirk Lodge. Info: 238-4258.
Rich Landers
BIG GAME
Pronghorns get boost
About 2 1/2 years ago, the survival chances for Arizona’s endangered Sonoran pronghorns were grim.
Victimized by prolonged drought, only an estimated 21 of the sleek desert-dwelling animals were left in this country; their extinction appeared inevitable.
But today, after above-average winter rains, a favorable spring and initial success from a recovery program including semicaptive breeding, forage enhancement and emergency water supplies, the shy creatures are making a comeback. Their numbers were estimated at 58 before numerous springtime births.
“This is really exciting, because it looks like they’re on a roll,” said Mike Coffeen, coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sonoran pronghorn recovery team at the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
“But it’s weather-dependent,” he said. “Keep your fingers crossed.”
Associated Press
OFF-ROAD VEHICLES
ATV safety reviewed
Kids are warned against riding large all-terrain vehicles meant for adults. But many ignore the advice, lured by the exhilaration of speeding along a dirt road or four-wheeling through the woods.
The combination of inexperienced drivers on a fast and powerful machine has led to more injuries and deaths, prompting the government to explore ways to make ATVs safer.
The chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered a review of voluntary standards and safety proposals for ATVs, with particular attention to protecting young riders. In the past, Hal Stratton has supported industry guidelines and rider education, rather than federal involvement.
The review follows years of sobering statistics about ATV accidents and a lobbying campaign by safety groups, parents of ATV victims and some U.S. lawmakers.
Youngsters under 16 accounted for about one-third of the nearly 6,000 ATV deaths and 125,500 hospital emergency room visits reported since 1982, according to the commission. In fatal accidents where the engine size and driver age are known, 86 percent involved children on adult-size ATVs.
The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, a trade association representing major manufacturers, said it would cooperate with the agency during its review.
More than 6 million four-wheelers were in use in 2003, twice as many as five years earlier.
Associated Press