River Dreams

It's that time of year. I can't drive by a body of water without thinking about the fish in it. This photo was taken just two days ago on the Lower Clark Fork River at the mouth of Lightning Creek, a primary spawning tributary for Lake Pend Oreille's Gerrard Rainbow strain of trout.

This year, holding firm on a controversial decision, Idaho Fish & Game (see Panhandle Region Map and Exceptions) has opened up this and other tributaries to this large body of water April 1st with no limit on rainbows in hopes that catching many of the lake's spawners will diminish the large trout population sufficiently to allow a once prolific fishery for freshwater sockeye salmon (Kokanee) to return.

Stay tuned. We'll be monitoring this process. Hope it works. Meanwhile, a lot of big rainbows are in a vulnerable position as they move up and down the narrow streams. Fact is, you might catch one like this river-run rainbow hen taken by Thomas Mackey, photo courtesy of Kyle Cady, both of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

The trout are in the stream now and the waters are not yet too high. But as the snow melts in the Cabinet, Bitterroot and Selkirk mountains, run-off will create muddied conditions and the trout will be more difficult to find.

You'll want to be cautious as well on these freestone streams. Round rocks are slippery when wet and the currents are strong enough to take you under.

### Dwayne K. Parsons