Special Dry Bed Salvage Season Set To Start On April 1st, But Limits Still Apply!

IDAHO FALLS - The coming of Spring means different things to different people. To some it's an opportunity to get out and work in their yards. For others it a chance to head out towards Ririe and see if they can bag up some fish for dinner and the freezer. No fancy angling here, just plain old harvesting. Because of the specialized and terminal nature of the fishery, a unique sub-culture of fishermen have evolved who maximize the special opportunities that this special salvage season has to offer. The Dry Bed, which is also called the Big Feeder or Great Feeder Canal, is a side channel of the South Fork of the Snake River. Early settlers to the area built headgates and diversion structures on the waterway, but biologically it has continued to function as an aquatic habitat capable of supporting fish populations. Fishing is allowed year round, but each year when routine maintenance work is required on the headgates, certain standing exceptions in IDFG Fishing Regulations come into play. These special rules were created because a stretch of the canal is de-watered due to the repairs and fish are stranded in deep pools or large puddles as water levels drop. IDFG Regulations for the Dry Bed include the exception that from 4/1- 4/30 it is legal to also take fish using hands, dip nets or snagging. Use of seine nets, chemicals, firearms, explosives, or electric current remains prohibited. The stretch of the Dry Bed covered by these special exceptions runs from Highway 48 (Between Lewisville and Menan, near the Idahoan Fresh Pack Plant) upstream to the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge located 1.5 miles northeast of Ririe. Its important to note that most access to the canal is across private ground, so it's important to get permission ahead of time. It is important to note that all regular bag and possession limits remain in effect. According to Senior Conservation Officer Dan Duggan, "Bag limits remain in place so that everyone has a fair chance at some of the fish." Because the Dry Beds are managed as a canal, rather than an actual branch of the South Fork of the Snake River, the regional cutthroat trout restrictions to not come into play, the daily limit is six trout any size and 25 mountain whitefish. Special maps of the Big Feeder are available free of charge at the IDFG office in Idaho Falls. For further information call 525-7290.