Idaho F&G Plan Youth Waterfowl Hunting Opportunity

Idaho Fish and Game has scheduled three mentored waterfowl hunting opportunities for youth aged 15 and under.

The hunts are planned for September 24, the opening day of the annual youth-only waterfowl season which is open only to hunters aged 15 and under. The mentored hunting clinics will be at Boundary Creek Wildlife Management Area, Heyburn State Park and the Clark Fork River delta.

Participation will be by advance reservation, and space is limited. Anyone interested should call to reserve a spot at one of the three clinics and to obtain additional details.

For the Boundary Creek and Heyburn hunts, contact Dave Leptich at 769-1414.

For the Clark Fork hunt contact Ray Millard at 264-5252.

Young hunters will need to be accompanied by a nonhunting adult and bring a shotgun and ammunition. Young hunters will also need to secure a youth or small game license ($7.25) with a federal migratory bird permit ($1.75) before the event.

Youth participants and a guardian will have the opportunity to spend a morning hunting with an experienced waterfowl hunter. Following a morning hunt, all will be treated to a free barbeque and waterfowl hunting skills clinic.

The idea is to expose youth to a quality hunting experience and provide their guardian with enough training to repeat the experience independently.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is also soliciting experienced waterfowl hunters willing to assist with the clinics. Anyone who wants to help pass on the tradition of waterfowl hunting, may call either of the numbers listed above.

Anglers Allowed to Retain Unclipped Chinook Salmon on North Fork Lewis River

Allow anglers on North Fork Lewis River
to retain unclipped chinook salmon

Action: Open North Fork Lewis River to the retention of unclipped chinook salmon.

Species affected: Chinook salmon.

Effective dates: Sept. 10 through Sept. 30, 2011.

Location: Clark/Cowlitz Counties, from mouth to Merwin Dam.

Other information: The North Fork Lewis River contains a healthy wild population of fall bright chinook salmon. Starting Oct. 1, retention of unclipped chinook salmon is allowed. There are sufficient numbers of returning fish to allow retention of unclipped chinook prior to Oct. 1. Daily limit of 6 salmon, of which no more than 2 may be adult chinook. Minimum size 12 inches in length, release all salmon other than chinook and hatchery coho.

Reason for action: Returning fall bright chinook to the North Fork Lewis River are expected to exceed spawning production goals, and provide significant harvest opportunity. The escapement goal for the North Fork Lewis Fall bright Chinook is 5700. Over 10,000 are expected back to the river.

Free Festival Celebrates Columbia River Sturgeon

VANCOUVER, Wash. - The Columbia River ecosystem and its primitive inhabitant, the sturgeon, will be honored here Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Fifteenth Annual Sturgeon Festival.
The free, one-day festival runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way in Vancouver. The festival is hosted by the City of Vancouver, with participation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The popular event includes entertaining and educational activities for all ages. Special events include Creature Feature Reptile Zoo.

Prize drawings for the fun and interactive photo challenge - titled "Scene a sturgeon lately?" - will take place on the day of the event. Entries must be turned in to the Water Center by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12. Details about the contest can be obtained from http://www.cityofvancouver.us/watercenter.asp

Also on display will be the entries for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Clark County Fair coloring contest, and the Washington Federal Junior Duck Stamp contest.

In addition, teens and adults will have an opportunity to learn about recycling, watershed stewardship, and sturgeon anatomy. They will also have a chance to discuss environmental issues and career opportunities with staff from natural resource agencies and environmental organizations.

The sturgeon, prevalent in the Columbia River, is a primitive fish that has not changed substantially since it emerged in the Jurassic period. Sturgeon are a long-lived species, reaching 5 to 6 feet in length by the age of maturity. A few sturgeon in the Columbia River have been verified to be over 100 years old.

McAllister Creek open to salmon retention

 Action: Open salmon retention on McAllister Creek (Thurston County).

Effective date: Immediately through Nov. 30, 2011.

Species affected: All salmon species.

Location: McAllister Creek from the mouth upstream to Steilacoom Road Bridge.

Reason for action: The fishery was approved during the North of Falcon preseason planning process, but was inadvertently omitted from the 2011/12 Sportfishing Rules Pamphlet.

Other information: Daily limit is six. Up to two adults may be retained. Selective gear rules will be in effect, except that bait is allowed.

Anglers can fish without limits in 3 Okanogan County Lakes

OLYMPIA - Starting immediately, licensed anglers can catch and keep as many game fish as they want at three lakes in Okanogan County scheduled for rehabilitation next month.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has suspended daily fishing limits at Alta Lake, Fish Lake and Schallow Pond prior to treating those waters with rotenone to eradicate undesirable fish species.

"There’s no reason why anglers can’t catch as many trout, perch and other gamefish as they can find prior to the lake treatments," said Jeff Korth, WDFW fish manager in Ephrata. "There are still some nice fish in those waters, along with the bullheads and goldfish."

The no-limits fishing opportunity will run through Sept. 30 on Alta Lake and through Oct. 22 on Fish Lake and Schallow Pond.

All three lakes will close to fishing before the treatments begin. Anglers will be prohibited from gathering fish from those waters during and after rehabilitations.