Special Dry Bed Season 4/1- 4/30Or While The Fish Last!

RIRIE - Flows on the South Fork of the Snake River may be low, but work still needs to be done on headgates along the Dry Bed, so the special season relating to this unique fishery once again started April 1 and will run until the fifteenth of the month. Anglers are reminded that the season is linked to calendar dates, not water levels! The Dry Bed, which is also called the Big Feeder or Great Feeder Canal, was once a natural side channel of the South Fork of the Snake River. Early settlers to the area built headgates and diversion structures on the waterway, basically converting it into a canal even though it continued to also function as an aquatic habitat capable of supporting fish populations. Fishing is allowed year round, but during that time of the year when 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 remain prohibited. The stretch covered by these special exceptions runs from the Highway 48 bridge upstream to the Union Pacific Railroad bridge located 1.5 mile northeast of Ririe. It is 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 also important to note that all regular bag and possession limits remain in effect. Anglers who like to gather mountain whitefish to have smoked should take note of the change in possession limits effective this year. The possession limit dropped this year from 50 to 25 fish. Special maps of Big Feeder are available free of charge at the IDFG office in Idaho Falls. For further information call 525-7290.