Fish and Game Releases Regional Weekly Fishing Reports

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has launched a weekly from-the-bank kind of view of fishing around Idaho on the agency's Website. Information for this report is gathered weekly from local Fish and Game fishery managers, tackle shops, outfitters and anglers. The feature focuses on where the fish are biting, what anglers are catching and what they're using to catch them. It also includes ice conditions, and any runoff and other potential hazards. "In my opinion, Idaho has the best fishing anywhere," Fish and Game Director Cal Groen said. "With Fish and Game's weekly fishing reports, anglers are just a click away from knowing where the fish are biting pretty much anywhere in the state. This is the first of many new customer oriented features we are working on for the Fish and Game's Website to bring more timely information to anyone interested in Idaho's outdoors." Idaho has more than 10 world-class blue-ribbon wild trout streams, including the Henrys Fork, Silver Creek and the St. Joe River scattered throughout the state. Many other high-quality trout streams exist, and the new reports will help angles find those spots. Idaho's rugged mountains contain more than 1,500 high mountain lakes with good trout fishing. And the many large lakes and reservoirs provide a wide variety of fishing for warm- and cold-water species. Perhaps best of all, most of these fishing waters are on public lands and are open to the public - access is free. In addition, Idaho is the only inland western state with ocean-run salmon and steelhead. When conditions are right, the hatchery part of these runs provide some exciting fishing. State records are 54 pounds for salmon and 30 pounds, 2 ounces for steelhead. Learn where to catch these lunkers. The fishing reports are found on the regional report section of the Fishing page on the Fish and Game Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/reports/. These weekly fishing reports are listed by Fish and Game's state regions - Panhandle, Clearwater, the McCall and Nampa subregions, Magic Valley, Southeast, Upper Snake and Salmon. Below each region's weekly fishing report is additional regional and other general fishing information that pertain to that region. The regional reports also include links to Family Fishing Waters, with family-oriented fishing opportunities and simplified rules. In these areas the seasons are year-around, a general six-fish limit for trout, bass, walleye and pike and no bag limit on other species. There are no length limits or tackle requirements.