Save the St. Joe and Coeur D’ Alene Cutthroats

I’m a big fan of fishing in north Idaho and I love that area’s cutthroat streams, including the Coeur d’ Alene, St. Joe, Lochsa, Selway, Kelly Creek and Clearwater. Over the past four years there have been catch-and-release only regulations on the St. Joe and Coeur d’ Alene rivers and dedicated fly fishers have seen overall numbers and size of the cutthroats in those systems increase.

Unfortunately, a vocal group of fish-whacking fanatics is pushing the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to repeal the catch-and-release regs and allow harvest of native westslope cutthroats.  This is disturbing and frustrating to myself and many others closer to the scene. Most north Idaho waters offer catch and kill seasons and it’s not like someone needs to eat a wild cutthroat trout to survive. So, there doesn’t seem to be a good reason to open a season on a fish that is pretty much threatened throughout its range, with the St. Joe and Coeur d’ Alene drainages serving as some of the final refuges for that specie.

Calvin Fuller, a north Idaho fly fisher, says, “The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is having a public scoping on their Web site regarding native cutthroat trout populations and Lake Pend Oreille rainbow trout rules.  They are checking to see if people want the Coeur d’ Alene River and St. Joe River re-opened to native cutthroat trout harvest.  They are also trying to restore Lake Pend Oreille to a trophy rainbow fishery.  Allowing catch and release in Lake Pend Oreille tributaries year round, elimiating the harvest of spawning fish in tributaries, and removing the bounty on wild Lake Pend Oreille rainbows.

“Most fishermen up here see the need for at least a few strongholds of native westslope cutthroat trout,” Fuller added. “My goal is to unite these fishermen to pressure IDFG to maintain catch-and-release fisheries on both the CDA and St. Joe Rivers.

“As for Pend Oreille, this fishery is very unique, Fuller explained. “There has been heavy lake trout suppression efforts in order to restore kokannee and cutthroat populations. There has also been other predator suppression efforts including a $15/head bounty on wild Gerrard rainbow trout in the lake system.  There has been a push, by anglers, to eliminate the rainbow trout bounty and start to rebuild the rainbow fishery.  Currently there is no limit on rainbows in the Pend Oreille system and you can catch them in the spawning tributaries, no limit, and still collect the $15/head bounty.  IDFG is scoping the next 5-8 years for rainbow management.  Over the last five years, during the suppression

Um, if it were me, I'd set the hook. North Idaho's native cutts love the dry fly.

efforts, only an average of 19 percent of the total rainbow population was harvested.  However, allowing catch-and-kill in the spawning tribs led to a drastic decline in the average size of those fish.  Where we once saw 20-28 pound rainbows, now we are seeing 12-18 pound fish.

“We are pushing for a progressive decline in rainbow trout suppression and no more bounty on their heads,” Fuller said. “Next, we would like to see catch-and-release in the spawning tribs.  After that, we would like a limited harvest in Lake Pend Oreille itself.  Finally, we would like to see a re-stocking effort consisting of pure strain Gerrard rainbows to rebuild the fishery that Pend Oreille is so famous for.”

Some of the best native cutt water in north Idaho is only accessible by foot. That lends to a unique experience and it's worth saving.

I’m down with this and I think all of us should be whether you fish the area or not. These are great fisheries for fly fishers, some of the most unique in the country, and the fish ought to be managed as such. Got a second? Please comment at https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/portal/r1fish