Showing posts with label steelhead fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steelhead fishing. Show all posts

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Snow situation looking ahead to Thanksgiving, Christmas tree permits, Steelhead in the Boise River

I took this pic on Tuesday on the River Run side of Bald Mountain in Sun Valley.

Hi all, 

The snow situation leading up to Thanksgiving next week is looking a bit thin, according to the weather forecasts, and on-the-ground conditions in the mountains. 

I did an update last night on the Idaho Daily Snow on opensnow.com, and this was my summary:

"Much-needed cooler temperatures since Tuesday are allowing Idaho's ski areas to make snow in hopes of a Thanksgiving opening. The next storm on Thursday night-Friday offers some glimmer of hope, with 4-7" possible at Tamarack and Brundage, and 6" at Schweitzer, Silver and Lookout. Sun Valley and Bogus Basin are forecast to get 1-2." Another storm next week may bring another 3-8." 

However, the weather/snow forecasts for the Thursday night/Friday/Saturday storm event vary quite a bit, and the quantity of snow associated with that storm event may not be as much as predicted. See the Idaho Daily Snow to see the snow forecast maps and details. There's another snow storm coming next Tuesday, but it may not have much quantity.

The upshot is that the ski areas with robust snow-making equipment will have the best chance of providing some skiing/snowboarding on Thanksgiving Day. Sun Valley and Bogus Basin are planning to open on Thanksgiving. Bogus will have the Mountain Coaster open as well. Other ski areas like Tamarack and Brundage are hoping to open on Friday, Nov. 26, weather permitting. See the Idaho Daily Snow for a full list of ski area projected opening dates. 

Update: Bogus Basin's Hike Park with terrain park features opens Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Access is FREE. Double R Ranch BBQ Smokehouse will be open as well.  

The reality of the situation is that the Idaho mountains had more snow depth two weeks ago than we have now, especially if they depend on Mother Nature for snowpack. The major warm-up that occurred in the second half of last week melted a lot of the mountain snow, unfortunately. Hence, it may be more promising to think about other outdoor activities while we wait to get more snow for xc sking and downhill skiing/riding. 

Fun to get kids involved in picking out a tree in the national forest.

Here are some other suggestions: 

  • Grab a permit from the Boise, Payette or Sawtooth National Forest and go cut your own Christmas tree. Fun activity. The permits are available on recreation.gov. The permits cost $10/tree. The permits stipulate that Christmas tree cutting begins on Saturday, Nov. 20. Be sure to bring a good saw for cutting the tree and some straps/ropes for lashing the tree to the top of your rig, if you don't have a pickup truck. 

    Steelhead photo courtesy IDFG
     
  • Go steelhead fishing on the Boise River. Idaho Fish and Game will be releasing about 250 steelhead into the Boise River today (Thursday, Nov. 18) at the typical spots, Barber Park, Broadway Bridge, Americana Bridge and Glenwood Bridge. Make sure you have a fishing license and a steelhead permit. See IDFG article about the special steelhead season on the Boise River. 
    Snow biking on the Deer Point road, which is a good place to go boot hiking too, early season.

  • Go boot-hiking or fat biking in the snow in the mountains for fun after the snow storm on Friday or hit the Ridge to Rivers trails after they dry out. Be sure to layer up for colder weather. 
  • Road biking or a Greenbelt ride will work great when the trails are muddy as an alternative. I rode the Cartwright 4 summits loop yesterday afternoon, and it always delivers a major workout! 

    Boot hike on the trail to Stack Rock on a previous Thanksgiving Day.

  • Go for a hike in the Owyhees. See my recent post about hiking Sage Creek or another post about three must-do hikes - Black Magic Canyon, Leslie Gulch or Mary's Creek and Sheep Creek canyons.

There you have it! Have a nice Thanksgiving and count your blessings with your family, friends and loved ones.

 -SS

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Don't miss out ... go catch a steelhead!

Rick Gerrard with a fresh Hells Canyon steelie

Steve and Quinn with B-run Clearwater River steelhead (it fed 12 people)

A wild Middle Fork Salmon River steelhead (this fish was released)

We had a great float trip on the Snake River in Hells Canyon recently, and we brought home a gorgeous steelhead on Sunday afternoon after I guided my friend Rick Gerrard into a perfect fishing hole with my 16-foot raft, and he nailed a nice one.

We had been catching rainbows and small-mouth bass frequently, so Ricky wasn't sure what he had at first ... Then after about 30 seconds, he whispered "this feels like a big fish, Stueby," to which I leaped from the captain's chair and grabbed our fish net in the bow. We brought more of a trout net than a steelhead net, so when I had a chance to net the steelhead, I scooped it up and brought the fish into the bow of the boat, only to have the dang thing leap out of the net!

Luckily I had these neoprene gloves on with special grips in the palms, so I was able to grab that thing like an oversized football and wrestle it to the floor of the boat.

We checked and it was a fin-clipped fish as expected (no wild steelhead venture into Hells Canyon anymore to my knowledge), so we kept it and ate it for dinner with about 8 people a couple days later. Yee-haw! Great way to round out an awesome cast-and-blast weekend in Hells Canyon.

My outdoor tip this week is to urge everyone to reserve some time in your busy schedule to go steelhead fishing this fall. The steelhead run this year is more than 2x the 10-year average, with 200,000+ fish forecast to move into Central Idaho to spawn the next generation. The mighty steelhead -- ocean-going rainbow trout -- are found on the Snake in Hells Canyon, the Salmon River from Riggins to Salmon, and the Clearwater River in the Lewiston-Orofino area. Go bank fishing, take your own boat or hire an outfitter and guide.

I personally am not too proud to hire a guide. It definitely can increase your chances of success. I booked a trip with the Guide Shop in Orofino a couple years ago and brought home a beautiful B-run Clearwater steelhead. I'd always heard that the B-run fish are huge (they stay two years in the ocean), and put up a great fight, and there's no doubt about that!

When I was working on my book Salmon River Country with Mark Lisk, we went steelhead fishing with Jerry Myers and Mark Troy from Idaho Adventures, and we caught a bunch of fish on a five-day trip from Corn Creek to Mackay Bar ... big Middle Fork wild steelhead that were nearly as big as the Clearwater fish I caught.

The guides are out on the river every day. They know the exact holes where they caught fish the day before. They know what kind of lures, bait or flies are working. Put some friends together and book a trip of a lifetime.

On the Salmon River, near Riggins, you can book a trip with a jet boat or a drift boat. The jet boats can go upriver or downriver and cover a lot of ground in a day. They often will pull plugs or "hotshots" and drag them on the bottom of the river in deep steelhead holes, and that often can be a very effective technique. Drift boats are very maneuverable and can fish practically every patch of fishy water as you move downstream.

Fly fishing for steelhead is another possibility for those so inclined (more skill required). Here's a web site with some tips on what kinds of bait/lures/flies to use.

So I say go for it and celebrate one of the finer things in life as an Idahoan. Even if you don't bring home a steelhead, maybe someone else in your party will, and it will be a memorable day on the river no matter what. - SS