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Anglers needed to catch Clearwater River
steelhead for hatcheries |
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February 27, 2016 |
By Roger Phillips
Idaho Fish and Game
Idaho Fish and Game wants young steelhead
released into the South Fork of the Clearwater
River to be from parents taken from that river,
so the department is asking anglers to catch
local spawners to fill nearby hatcheries.
Here’s how it works: Anglers catch a fish, and
then place the live fish into a perforated
section of PVC pipe provided by Fish and Game.
They return the pipe to the river and tether it,
and then Fish and Game crews retrieve the fish
and put it into a tanker truck that will deliver
the steelhead to the hatcheries.
Fish and Game will distribute the PVC pipes at
popular fishing holes along the South Fork
during late February and March, the most popular
times for fishing the river. Steelhead donated
by anglers are not counted against the angler’s
bag limit.
The program started in 2010 in order to develop
a “localized broodstock” unique to the South
Fork of the Clearwater. With help from anglers,
a portion of the broodstock has come directly
from the South Fork, and last year a record 350
fish were collected, which produced about a
million smolts for release.
This year, Fish and Game is hoping anglers can
provide about 600 adults, which would meet the
complete brood needs at Clearwater Fish Hatchery
and Dworshak National Fish Hatchery for smolts
released into the South Fork Clearwater. The
South Fork has no fish trap or weir, so the
department is relying solely on anglers to get
the spawners.
“Anglers are a huge part of this,” said Joe
DuPont, fisheries manager for the Clearwater
Region. “They are working with us for a common
goal.”
In years past, spawners were collected at the
Dworshak Hatchery trap on North Fork Clearwater
River. Research has shown that steelhead are
highly adaptable, and young hatchery steelhead
smolts tend to survive and return as adults at a
higher rate when their parents come from the
exact stream where the young fish are released.
If that proves true on the South Fork, using
localized broodstock could mean more adult
steelhead returning for anglers, even with the
same number of smolts released.
Anglers have embraced the opportunity to help
improve a popular steelhead fishery.
“The public loves it,” DuPont said. “People are
planning their trips around catching fish for
the local broodstock program.”
The Clearwater River system produces some of the
Northwest’s most prized steelhead. The “B” run
fish average about 12 pounds and have been known
to exceed 20 pounds. Spring is the most popular
time to fish the South Fork as the large fish
move through the relatively small river where
there are dozens of miles of easily accessible
bank fishing.
For more information about the program, call
(208) 799-5010. |
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