Press Releases and Articles
Fish and Game hatcheries remain closed to visitors due to COVID-19
| idfg-bpearson
Recently, Fish and Game hatcheries have received numerous calls about visitation hours and tours. Hatchery staff want to remind people that in response to COVID-19, all hatcheries remain closed to visitors for the safety of staff and the public, and they will remain closed to visitors until further notice.
… more
Controlled hunt drawing results available for deer, elk, pronghorn and fall bear and turkey
| idfg-rphillips
Results of the deer, elk, pronghorn, fall black bear and turkey controlled hunt drawings are available online and applicants who provided an email address will receive notification of their draw results. Hunters who drew a controlled hunt must purchase the tag by Aug. 1 or it will be forfeited.
Postcards will… more
Suspected "wolf" killed in vehicle collision in Franklin County has been confirmed a wolf-hybrid
| idfg-jjackson
UPDATE: In the early morning hours on Friday, June 19, a Franklin County resident accidentally hit and killed a large canid with his vehicle on Highway 36 between Williams Creek and the parking lot at Emigration Summit. Suspecting the deceased animal was a wolf, the motorist quickly reported the incident to the Idaho… more
Highlighting a Diverse Fishing Opportunity - Cocolalla Lake
| idfg-rryan
If you’ve driven Highway 95 between Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint you’ve probably noticed Cocolalla Lake. Near Westmond, this 800 acre lake offers a variety of fishing opportunity.
Cocolalla Lake is stocked with both rainbow trout and westslope cutthroat trout. In 2019, hatchery… more
Fishing guides collect data for University of Idaho steelhead research
| idfg-staff
By Will Lubenau, University of Idaho
Now that spring steelhead fishing has concluded around the state, we wanted to take a moment and update you on the University of Idaho steelhead tagging study. The information discussed is preliminary and may change as we continue gathering, analyzing, and processing… more
Chinook fishing closes on Lower Salmon River, Little Salmon to close June 20
| idfg-bpearson
Idaho Fish and Game has closed the Chinook salmon fishing season on the Lower Salmon River effective June 17, and the Little Salmon River effective at the end of fishing hours on June 20.
Fish and Game previously closed the Chinook salmon fishing season on the section of the Lower Salmon River from Rice Creek… more
Spring Chinook Salmon Fishing Update 6/17/2020
| idfg-jdupont
Hi everybody, it is time for my weekly spring Chinook Salmon update (6/17/2020).
This will likely be my last spring Chinook Salmon update of the year, as after this coming weekend the Rapid River run fishery will be closed and the only fishery in the Clearwater Region that will remain open will be the Hells… more
Sage Hen Area Closures will be Extended
| idfg-eoneale
The recent wet weather has slowed progress on timber harvest projects in the Sage Hen Reservoir area, leading to an extension of the public access closure. The new planned reopening date is August 30th.
A map of the closures is included here:
Learn more about this project and the closure on the… more
Summer is primetime to explore Idaho's backcountry fishing opportunities
| idfg-rphillips
Imagine standing on the shore of a sparkling mountain lake, or wading a cool, clear stream and casting to trout that devour a fly or lure like it’s an eating contest. Imagine the only competition might be an osprey perched in a tall tree or an otter bobbing in the current.
Sound farfetched? Not in Idaho’… more
Walleye locations in Lake Pend Oreille, June 2020
| idfg-prust
By Pete Rust, Senior Fisheries Research Biologist
Biologists track acoustic-tagged walleye to help anglers catch walleye and participate in the Lake Pend Oreille angler incentive program and to learn more about walleye movements. Between late fall 2019 and early May… more
American Falls Reservoir produces latest catch-and-release record; 31.25-inch rainbow trout
| idfg-mkoenig
Brett Jones released this 31.25" Rainbow Trout at American Falls Reservoir to claim a new catch/release state record.
Congratulations to Brett Jones, of Rock Springs Wyoming on a new catch-and-release state record rainbow trout! Jones caught the huge trout while fishing American Falls… more
Three anglers win big in Pend Oreille walleye lottery
| idfg-ksiitari
Three Idaho anglers won $1,000 each after catching reward-tagged fish in the Pend Oreille walleye lottery during the month of May. These are the first reward tag winners since the program launched in March 2019.
Mike Gordon of Sandpoint caught his winning fish in the Clark Fork River… more
F&G Commission approves Chinook season for Upper Salmon River starting June 26
| idfg-rphillips
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission met via conference call and approved a Chinook fishing season to start June 26 on about 38 miles of river from the posted boundary at the South Butte boat ramp near Clayton, upstream to the posted boundary about 100 yards downstream of the weir and trap at Sawtooth Fish Hatchery.… more
Multi-year study evaluates panfish production at C.J. Strike Reservoir
| idfg-cnau
C.J. Strike Reservoir is one of the most popular fisheries in southwest Idaho. Situated at the confluence of the Snake and Bruneau rivers, the C.J. Strike Dam was completed in 1952 creating a 6,700 acre reservoir. This large waterbody offers a diverse fishery, from rainbow trout to white sturgeon… more
Magic Valley elk depredation management will continue into 2020
| idfg-tthompson
Over the last five or more years, farms throughout the Magic Valley Region have seen an increase in crop damages caused by ever-increasing elk populations that sometimes reside almost exclusively on private land. Fish and Game has worked cooperatively with landowners to find ways to prevent or reduce the damage to… more
Winter survival estimates for mule deer, elk above average
| idfg-bpearson
After a relatively mild winter, statewide survival of radio-collared mule deer fawns and elk calves was above average through the end of May, the final month of Fish and Game’s monitoring period.
Statewide, 73 percent of radio-collared elk calves and 63 percent of mule deer fawns survived through the winter.… more
F&G shooting ranges reopened on June 13
| idfg-bpearson
Black's Creek Public Shooting Range in southern Idaho and Farragut Public Shooting Range in northern Idaho reopened on June 13 as the state moved into Stage Four of Governor Brad Little’s “Idaho Rebounds” plan.
Visitors to the ranges should expect some changes to range operations in accordance with the… more
Black's Creek Public Shooting Range Reopens!
| idfg-eoneale
Black's Creek Public Shooting Range (BCR) has reopened following several weeks of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BCR is now open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm through the remainder of June.
Summer hours go into effect starting July 1, with BCR open Thursday through… more