Willow Bark and Rainbows
March can be a great month for river-run rainbows. I've learned to look for the color of rust on the willow branches for a cue to good fishing. That's when you go to the river because that's when rainbow trout head upstream ahead of the murky water.
From left to right, Thomas Mackey, Justin Figgins and Kyle Cady, all Bonners Ferry men, found their way to the Clark Fork River on just the right day. These are all hen rainbows. The limit is two each so Kyle still had one to go; and they weren't done yet when I happened upon them for this photo op.
These are Gerrard Rainbows from Pend Oreille Lake caught in the act of heading up to spawn. Just like sea-run steelhead on the Clearwater River, these fine fish fell prey to roe (fish eggs) fished along the bottom on a drift.
I guessed the food value of their catch at around $120 by weight in a food mart. You'll find no better food fish than these this time of year. Catch and release is a good practice in heavily fished waters, but the predator population on Pend Oreille is under tight management. So this year, Idaho Fish & Game placed a moratorium on lake-run rainbows to encourage harvest of adult fish. Both rainbows and lake trout are known to feed heavily on the dwindling population of Kokanee still resident in the lake.
The spring run of rainbows has nothing to do with the color of willow bark except both are natural responses to warmer weather and increased length of day. The water is up in rivers because of snow-melt and spring rains. The sap is up in the willows for the same reason. Higher, silted-water acts as a stimulate for egg-laden rainbow hens and their compliment of males to move out of the lake into the spawning streams. It makes sense. The water is deeper. Larger fish can go higher up to the better spawning gravels and return before the spring run-off drops to prohibitive levels. This water flux is good for the young fry as well because it means they'll have fewer predatory fish to contend with while they grow.
As for the willows seen in this background shot of the lower Clark Fork River, that purplish rust-brown color you see on the willow branches at water's edge is a cue to my inner being. I spent many days in my youth fishing March water and that's the only time of year you'll see that color without leaves. Like trout drawn to highwater, I'm coaxed by the color of willow bark just before the leaves pop out. Later the water will get higher and muddier before subsiding for summer, so this is the time to go.
I watched from shore as they caught the largest of this day's catch. What a pleasure! That's them in the boat. Look carefully about fifteen feet in front of their bow. You can see the head of Thomas' 25-inch fish as she came out of the water on tight line.
Hmmmnn...willow bark and rainbows.
###Dwayne K. Parsons
3 comments:
Dwayne, looks like you caught us on a good day. We ended up landing five more kams and a 21 inch Brown before the day was over. An outstanding day to be on the river. Nice to meet you. -J
Hello there my American fishing friend, those are some very nice Rainbow Trout I must say. I have always wanted to fish the Clark Fork River for those scrappy big Rainbows. I am looking very forward to coming down to Idaho for a weeks worth of awesome trout fishin. I hope to see you on the Bow River in my boat very soon! Great article once again. I always enjoy reading your work. Talk to you soon. The Canadian Trout Fisherman. Mike.
Thanks for the great write-up Dwayne, you really summed up our trip well in that story. Like Justin said, we landed 5 more that day, then we got 4 more the next morning and 3 more the next. They were all beautiful fish, with the two biggest around 31 inches and 11 pounds. What a weekend. I have some more pictures if you would like, my email is keyser_soze24@hotmail.com.
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