President's Message
Upcoming Meetings and Programs
By Richard Prange
CHAPTER MEETING ARRANGEMENTS For the past five years, the Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited has shared monthly membership meetings with the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen. A large number of people are members of both organizations. Recently, the BVFF board of directors began to feel that the separate "identities" of the two organizations were not being realized by the joint meeting format. Accordingly, BVFF has decided to pursue a separate meeting approach and will hold their membership meetings at the Maple Grove Grange on the first Tuesday of each month starting in September.
With the above change, and for the time being, the Ted Trueblood TU Chapter will plan to meet every other month, beginning in September. Our meeting months will be September, November, January, March, May and July (a scheduled chapter outing somewhere). We will continue to hold our meetings on the second Wednesday at the same location: the auditorium of the Idaho Department of Transportation, 3311 West State Street. As in the past, there will be a fly tying demonstration for one-hour starting at 6:30 p.m., with the regular meeting and featured program beginning at 7:30. You are a TU member and fish conservationist and I urge you to attend these informative bimonthly meetings.
SEPTEMBER MEETING PROGRAM - The September 10 program will feature an Idaho salmon and steelhead update presentation by staff of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Current and projected run estimates will be discussed, and topics such as hatchery management, wild fish management, and factors that influence run returns, could be covered. Your questions will be solicited. With this pending program, Iım starting to get excited about the steelhead season ahead. Before October, Iıll be working on my spey casting technique, tying some flies and generally getting myself organized for some serious fish chasing.
POTENTIAL ROLLBACK OF QUALITY FISHING REGULATION FOR THE BOISE RIVER THROUGH TOWN We have been informed that the IDFG is recommending the quality trout regulations for the Boise River reach from the East Boise River Footbridge (near Park Center Blvd.) upstream to the Loggers Creek diversion be eliminated in 2004. Currently the regulations restrict harvest to two trout over 14". I occasionally fish this stretch and have caught beautiful wild rainbow 18" in length. Whenever I go, I always catch some small wild juvenile rainbows in the Boise River through town. IDFG does not stock these fingerling size trout in the Boise. We obviously have wild brown and rainbow trout production going on here. What a community asset! Please see further discussion below on our concerns relative to the proposed regulation change and what you can do to help.
SHORT CASTS
Eagle Island Project at Western Idaho State Fair Photos of the TU stream restoration project on Eagle Island were on display at the Western Idaho State Fair. The construction and riparian planting work that occurred in March and April 2003 was part of the booth put together by the Ada County Soil Conservation District.
Meanwhile, KBCI television (Channel 2) aired a news story about the project on its 10:00 p.m. broadcast on Friday August 22. The Island Creek Project is located west of Linder Road on Eagle Island.
TU National Hires Idaho-based Staff
In July TU brought two people on board as paid staff to work on issues affecting coldwater fisheries in Idaho and other western states. Boisean Jeff Barney has been hired to work on mining issues and how mine waste clean up is important to native fish restoration in the intermountain west. Jeff maintains an office in downtown Boise and is on the road frequently.
Members may remember Jeff since he serves as the librarian at the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen meetings.
The other new employee is Scott Stouder, who is living near Pollock (near Riggins) and is working on protection of roadless areas important to native fish. Scott will be working on mobilizing TU members and other sportsmen in support of efforts to designate the Whilte Cloud Mountains as Wilderness. He is also working on support for the Owyhee Initiative collaborative effort to protect the Owyhees and provide a more certain future for the livestock growers in that county.
Development Includes Fish Protection This spring, Chapter President Richard Prange engaged the firm O'Neill Enterprises concerning the Bown Crossing development near the East End of Parkcenter Boulevard and Riverside Elementary School. TU initiated discussions with the developers on potential trout spawning and rearing habitat where the development interfaces with Loggers Creek. We recently learned that the developers have proposed that a fish screen be included in the Bown Crossing pump/water intake system on Loggers Creek. The pump will provide supplemental water to a planned water feature in the development.
Richard recently communicated the appreciation of TU for this added element, recognizing that the screen will add to the overall development costs of the project. "On behalf of Trout Unlimited and all those that enjoy trout fishing on the Boise River, I want to express my appreciation to you and your project associates," said Richard. "This will help protect the wild trout fishery that continues to evolve in this area of Boise River. It's another example of the higher environmental standards followed by the O'Neill Enterprises development undertakings. I hope we have an opportunity for some dialog again in the near future."
Please Comment to IDFG on Boise River Quality Fishing Regulations The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will adopt fishing regulations for 2004-2005 at their October meeting. The Ted Trueblood Chapter Board of Directors is concerned about one of the proposed changes in fishing regulations. The proposal is to do away with the regulation on the Boise River on the east side of town for a harvest limit of two fish, and not less than 14 inches in length. There is no restriction on gear or bait.
This regulation was put in place in the mid 1990s and it applies to the East Boise River Footbridge to the posted boundary approximately one mile downstream of Eckert Bridge where Loggers Creek is diverted from the Boise River. TU members who fish that reach have noticed a significant improvement in the numbers of fish and fishing success, and in particular there appears to be natural production of rainbow trout in the reach.
The reasons given to rollback the rule are that the area does not seem to get much angler use (a curious point because the relative solitude anglers can find along this downtown Boise reach of the river is one of the appealing things about it). Secondly, the relatively short two-mile reach is bounded by the standard six fish bag limit rules, which leads to enforcement difficulties because anglers in possession of fish less than 14 inches in the area tell game wardens that the fish were caught either upstream or downstream.
The Ted Trueblood Board feels the regulation should not be changed, and if anything should be strengthened, such as making the reach a catch and release area. As for the "sandwich argument" of a river reach of quality regulation bounded by regular fishing rules, we feel that the reach should be expanded further upstream over time. Once the side channel project at Harris Ranch is constructed Trout Unlimited believes the naturally spawning fish will need protective fishing regulations from Barber Dam downstream to the reach of quality fishing.
A creel census of the Boise River through town was conducted in 1994 and 1995 by IDFG along with TU volunteers. We found anglers fishing upstream of Broadway Bridge released 85 percent of fish caught. These facts show that even before the regulations were in place the angling public in that reach of the Boise River is for the most part supportive of quality fishing rules.
TU also believes the anecdotal evidence from members who see an improved fishery in that area is buttressed by the electofishing sampling from IDFG that indicates this reach of the Boise River has the best fish densities in the river for wild fish as well as the highest species diversity.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will make a decision on this regulation at its October meeting. You can email comments to Jeff Dillon at jdillon@idfg.state.id.us or Fred Partridge at fpartridge@idfg.state.id.us or US mail to IDFG, Box 25, Boise, Idaho 83707-0025. Please try to comment before September 8th. At a minimum people should ask that the regulations not be changed. TU believes that IDFG is willing to listen to information from anglers who would like to keep the quality fishing regulations in the river that runs through Idaho's capitol city.
Ted Trueblood Chapter website
Trout Unlimited National website