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Fish & Game ask anglers’ cooperation |
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Friday, 03 July 2009 |
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By Daniel Iverson POCATELLO – The Idaho Fish and Game department is anticipating plenty of activity at popular fishing spots for the holiday weekend; and the agency is asking fishermen to be aware of fish tagged for population studies.
 Contributed Photo
Matt Green, fisheries technician with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, with a cutthroat “wearing” a small metal tag on its jaw. Cutthroat trout in Blackfoot Reservoir and the Blackfoot River have been tagged as part of an ongoing effort to assess impact of pelican predation on the cutthroat population.
Jackson said if the volume of phone calls about tagged fish the office is already receiving is any indication, the weekend should be quite busy.
“I can see people have already jumped at the opportunity to get out there even before the holiday,” she said.
Idaho Fish and Game’s southeast regional office is tagging catfish at the Alexander Reservoir and cutthroat trout at the Blackfoot Reservoir and Blackfoot River for separate population studies.
Tagged catfish at the Alexander Reservoir may be harvested, but the fishermen are being asked to report the catch and tag information by calling the regional office at 232-4703.
The catfish study is connected with a 10-year effort to increase stock at the reservoir. According to Jackson, tagging helps biologists to estimate survival rates of hatchery fish to guide future stocking goals.
“The more you understand about what’s going on with populations of fish people enjoy, the better equipped you are at making good management decisions,” she said.
Catfish are tagged with thin green tags attached by the dorsal fin.
Fishermen who catch tagged cutthroat trout at Blackfoot Reservoir and the Blackfoot River, however, should release fish quickly, without attempting to read the tag.
“You don’t want to cause those fish any undue stress by overhandling them,”
Jackson said. “The quicker you can release them, the better chance they have of surviving.”
The purpose of the cutthroat trout study is to see the impact of pelican predation.
“We have data that demonstrates pelicans prey upon cutthroat, but we want more information,” she said. “It’s good to collect as much as you can when you’re managing wildlife species.”
Jackson said fishermen should release cutthroat trout caught at those locations anyway. Harvest of the species at the reservoir was closed in 1993, and harvest along the river was closed in 1998.
One part of the Blackfoot River, the mainstem from its mouth upstream to Government Dam, is the exception. Two cutthroat trout of greater than 16 inches may be harvested there without bait or barbed hooks.
Cutthroat trout are fitted with metal tags attached to the fish’s jaw.
For fishermen looking for something to throw on the grill for the Fourth of July, Jackson said she recommends fishing at any of the reservoirs since the rivers are still running a little bit high.
“Any reservoir is fun fishing this weekend,” she said. “Key to remember is to check regulations before they go out so they know what they can keep and what they can’t.”
Mark and Elissha Sievers of Pocatello brought their children Thursday to McTucker Ponds, which is one of Mark’s favorite fishing spots.
“This place is always great at night,” he said. “I haven’t been for a few years, but I used to be crazy about it.”
The children are now becoming old enough to experience the outdoors, he said, and family fishing trips are coming soon.
Mark’s record fish is a seven-pound bass he caught by Preston — another spot he said makes for great fishing — but he goes after a variety of fish depending on the waters.
Idaho Fish and Game’s Web site, located at fishandgame.idaho.gov, features a fishing planner through which a fisherman can search spots by the type of water, species of fish and amenities at the venue.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 July 2009 )
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