Press Releases and Articles
Idaho's Chinook Salmon - Going Home [video]
| idfg-vosborn
Wild populations of salmon begin and end their lives in Idaho’s wild rivers found in the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon drainages. Their final journey home fullills the dramatic life-cycle of these amazing fish.
Video by Glenn Oakley
April 22: Upper Salmon River Steelhead fishing report
| idfg-bbeller
During the week of April 15th, steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River was mainly observed upstream of the East Fork Salmon River in location code 19. Angler effort downstream of the East Fork was low, and few interviews were obtained from location codes 17 and 18.
No anglers interviewed downstream… more
Join the fun and learn about wildlife at the MK Nature Center's Spring Wildlife Event on April 27
| idfg-rphillips
You are invited to the Idaho Fish and Game Morrison Knudsen Nature Center’s annual Spring Wildlife Celebration Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This family-friendly event costs $3 per person, ages three and over, and includes fun, hands-on activities geared toward youth.
Various education stations… more
Chinook fishing season remains open on Lower Salmon and Little Salmon rivers
| idfg-bpearson
Anglers should refer to the 2019 spring Chinook salmon seasons and rules brochure for other rules and special restrictions, which is available online and in paper form at Fish and Game regional offices.
Fisheries managers are forecasting a run of about 32,000 spring Chinook through Lower Granite Dam, which is… more
Electrofishing schedule set for the South Fork of the Snake River
| idfg-jbrower
Biologists with the Idaho Fish and Game plan to be electrofishing sections of the South Fork every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from now until May 23 as they conduct a feasibility study on the manual removal of rainbow trout. "These removal efforts are not aimed at removing all of the… more
Verdict in 2017 Minidoka County Felony Poaching Case
| idfg-dmeyer
On Monday April 15, sentencing was held for the last of five individuals involved in a multitude of wildlife crimes stemming from activity during October 2017 in Minidoka County.
In December of 2017, IDFG Officer Steve Ross initiated an investigation into illegal hunting activities north of Rupert. Jake… more
Stocking helps sturgeon population below C.J. Strike Dam
| idfg-mkoenig
Idaho Power Co. biologists check a setline to collect adult White Sturgeon from the Snake River as part of ongoing conservation efforts to improve the population.
You may have heard about sturgeon being collected from the Snake River below C.J. Strike Dam during April. Don’t be alarmed – this is all… more
Steelhead smolt transportation and release season is underway in Idaho
| idfg-csundquist
Spring is officially here and with that comes a lot of water in Idaho’s rivers. High runoff is critical to help flush Idaho’s out-migrating steelhead smolts to the Pacific Ocean. Idaho steelhead enter fresh water in one year and spawn the following spring.
Idaho has A and B strains of steelhead that are… more
Mormon Reservoir revival produced great trout fishing and is attracting anglers
| idfg-bpearson
Mormon Reservoir near Fairfield recently returned as a destination fishery that produces big trout and lots of them. While older anglers might remember (with a tinge of nostalgia) a time when this was the norm, it hasn’t been the case until a few years back when a series of events helped revive Mormon’s trout fishing… more
Winchester Lake stocked today with 6,000 rainbow trout
| idfg-jbruns
The ice is off and over 6,000 hungry rainbow trout were stocked today at Winchester Lake. Take a kid, friend or neighbor and wet a line! Biologists also tagged several trout with orange floy tags. Anglers are encouraged to provide the individual tag number by calling the toll-free number on the tag to report… more
Become an Idaho Master Naturalist
| idfg-jbruns
Anyone who enjoys and appreciates Idaho’s outdoors can be an Idaho Master Naturalist; teachers, hunters, nature guides, farmers, retired professionals, and …you! The Idaho Master Naturalist Program aims to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to actively work toward stewardship of Idaho’s natural environment.… more
Dworshak Reservoir Fishing Report
| idfg-jdupont
Dworshak Reservoir Fishing Report
by Sean Wilson, IDFG fisheries research biologist
It seemed like winter would never end, but now that it has, we are facing the aftermath with raging dirty water in our rivers and streams. It may be weeks before some of our rivers… more
April 15: Upper Salmon River Steelhead fishing report
| idfg-mdemick
Over the week of April 8th, the majority of steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River was located upstream of the East Fork Salmon River in location code 19. Angler effort in areas downstream of the East Fork was low.
Anglers interviewed downstream of the Pahsimeroi River in location code 17 averaged… more
Three years after stocking, Chinook in Spirit Lake are ready to be reeled in
| idfg-cwatkins
The chinook salmon first stocked in Spirit Lake in 2016 are reaching the 20-inch minimum size for harvest, adding an exciting, new consumptive fishery to the lake. These chinook are landlocked (they do not migrate to the ocean) but can still reach large sizes in waters with abundant kokanee… more
Wolf hunting season remains open in several local units
| idfg-mdemick
Due to changes in wolf hunting seasons, some wolf hunts for spring 2019 were extended last year and are not reflected in the 2017-2018 big game rules booklet.
In the Salmon area, wolf hunting seasons were extended in the following units and will run through:
June 30, 2019 in Big Game Management Units 21… more
Rainbow trout to be removed from the South Fork of the Snake River and stocked in local ponds
| idfg-jbrower
As part of an ongoing effort to reduce hybridization between the non-native rainbow trout and the native cutthroat trout in the South Fork of the Snake River, biologists from the Idaho Fish and Game will be manually removing rainbow and hybrid trout. Fish will be stunned with electro-shocking… more
Strike while it’s hot! There are lots of crappie at C.J. Strike Reservoir.
| idfg-bpearson
The stars have aligned for another crappie “boom” at C.J. Strike Reservoir, and anglers will likely reap the benefits for the next couple of years.
“We have a big 2017 year class of fish at C.J. Strike, and they are just starting to grow to a size that anglers can catch them,” Idaho Fish and Game biologist… more
See the spring waterfowl migration at McArthur Lake Wildlife Management Area
| idfg-edehamer
Just a few short weeks ago, McArthur Lake and the northern Panhandle remained in the reluctantly-loosening grip of winter. Ice was still thick over the entire reservoir and the red-winged blackbirds that arrived early resorted to singing in the pines, waiting for snowdrifts to reveal the cattails they would aim to… more