Reservoir Fishing Forecast

Fishing opportunities in some Magic Valley Region reservoirs may not be the best this year, due to two years of poor snow pack and runoff. Those reservoirs where limits were removed or salvage operations permitted in 2001 do not show a lot of promise for immediate recovery after this winter's meager offerings. In the spring of 2001, water levels in many reservoirs in the northern part of the region were very low. Considering the low water situation going into last spring, irrigation demands, evaporation due to increased temperatures in the summer, and increased fish mortality due to warmer water and depleted oxygen, the Department of Fish and Game had to consider lifting limits or opening a salvage. A salvage operation was allowed on Little Camas Reservoir, and eventually on both the Big Wood River from Magic Dam to the Richfield Canal Diversion, and the Richfield canal system to the Gooding County line. This gave people the opportunity to take fish with bare hands, buckets, dipnets, seines, shovels, or whatever worked. However, certain methods of take are always prohibited. At no time is it legal to take fish using firearms, chemicals, electricity, or explosives. Other reservoirs impacted had all limits removed. Anglers could harvest all the fish they wanted, any species, any size, but were restricted to standard rod and reel fishing gear. Those waters included Magic, Mormon, Thorn Creek, Oakley, Roseworth, and Fish Creek Reservoirs and Lava Lake. The 2001-02 winter water levels of these reservoirs did not change dramatically from the previous winter. Water storage was either minimal or non-existent this past winter, and there has been little runoff this spring to add significantly to these reservoirs. This makes it very difficult for fish managers to decide where to put fish, either catchables or spring or fall fingerlings. With limited water to start the spring season with, some waters may not be stocked at all this year, or planned stockings may start but later be eliminated if conditions worsen. Regional Fish Manager Doug Megargle has spent countless hours trying to predict the future and figure out the next move for stocking fish. Poor water conditions usually mean fingerlings will not be planted. When our regional demand for fingerlings declines, those fish are simply put into other waters. Fall fingerlings may be planted if there will be enough water to get them through the winter. In order to offer any type of fishing opportunity in some of these reservoirs, only catchables will be planted. If conditions worsen, plantings may be canceled or limits may be removed. In some cases a full salvage operation could be declared. What this translates to from a fish hatchery standpoint is that as the demand for catchables goes up, that for fingerlings goes down. The only problem is that hatchery managers plan for this year's catchable crop based upon what fish managers told them they wanted last year! Also when demands for catchables go up it costs more money, because the larger fish must be kept in the hatchery longer and fed more before release. Fingerlings are much cheaper; but if food and/or water conditions are poor, it is not logical to plant them. They would not contribute anything to the next year's fishery. In order for a regional fish manager to predict with some certainty what to order for the coming year, on a reservoir-by-reservoir basis, and whether to plant catchables (how many and when) and/or fingerlings (how many, spring or fall) he has to make certain assumptions. Based upon input from irrigation companies, ditch riders, and dam operators, it is possible to get some idea of how much water will be available at the start of the irrigation season, and how much of that water will be used for irrigation, and what is left over going into the winter. It should be remembered that all reservoir impoundments in this region are first and foremost irrigation reservoirs. If the demand is there for irrigation all the available water may be taken for that purpose. It might be difficult, if not impossible, to get some of these waters jump-started in the spring of 2003 if next winter doesn't bless us with lots of snow and an excellent run-off. So how does all this translate into fishing opportunity at your favorite body of water this year? For the northern reservoirs, the outlook is not good. Some catchables could likely be planted, but decreasing water levels early on could bring on early limit removals or salvage operations. Magic, Mormon, Little Camas, Thorn Creek, and Fish Creek north of the Snake River, and Roseworth and Oakley south of the Snake may not be sure bets to go for getting that limit for the family fish fry. Other reservoirs in the region, although they may have depleted water levels, could fill enough with snow melt and spring rains to keep the stocking schedule on track. The benefit is that if some waters do go dry, the Fish and Game Department will remove limits or allow salvage, which will mean more fish for those who make the effort. And the excess fish that would have gone to those waters will go elsewhere to make fishing there even better. This office will provide news releases to all regional media outlets to advertise these actions. But unfortunately, it does look like we may have to try again next year to recover these drought-impacted fisheries. A full recovery following a drought cycle can take anywhere from two to four years. It's a good thing anglers are patient people.