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Idaho Fish and Game

Steelhead May be Stocked in the Boise River

idfg-mcoleman
Forget the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner this year; fresh, smoked steelhead might be on the menu after the big fish are released into the Boise River in November. If the steelhead return to the Oxbow Hatchery as forecast, Idaho Fish and Game managers anticipate that 300 or more could be available for stocking in the Boise River, from Glenwood Bridge to Barber Park as early as Thursday, November 6. Trapping at Oxbow is scheduled to begin Monday, October 27. Updated information on the strength of the hatchery return and the likelihood of fish being planted in the Boise River will be available later in the week from Fish and Game. If this year's hatchery steelhead run remains strong, Fish and Game anticipates stocking another 300 or more fish on November 13 and possibly again on November 20. Besides a 2008 fishing license, anglers hoping to tangle with one of the 4- to 10-pound hatchery steelhead need a $12.75 steelhead permit. Barbless hooks are not required for Boise River steelhead angling. All steelhead stocked in the Boise River will lack an adipose fin (the small fin normally found immediately behind the dorsal fin). Boise River anglers catching a rainbow trout longer than 20 inches that lacks an adipose fin should consider the fish a steelhead. Any steelhead caught by an angler not holding a steelhead permit must immediately be returned to the water. Steelhead limits on the Boise River are three fish per day, nine in possession, and 20 for the fall season. The fish are A-run hatchery steelhead, returning to the Idaho Power Co.-owned and funded Oxbow Hatchery fish trap below Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River. Many of the returning steelhead will be used as broodstock for the ongoing steelhead hatchery program at Oxbow Hatchery as part of Idaho Power's mitigation. "We're hopeful that this year's hatchery steelhead run will easily allow Oxbow Hatchery personnel to fill broodstock needs," Fish and Game anadromous fish coordinator Sam Sharr said. "Any additional hatchery fish returning to the fish trap will be divided equally among Idaho Fish and Game, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife." For information about the steelhead release, contact the Fish and Game Nampa office at 208-465-8465.