South Fork Regional Fishing Report

June 28, 2009

 

The water continues to rise. As of today we are seeing flows at 26,000 cfs. I wish I could tell you when the water is coming down but I would just be guessing at this point. This is a result of gross mismanagement by the bureau of reclamation through-out the year. By February snow pac in the Snake River basin was above average yet the river continued to trickle out of Palisades’s dam between 800 to 900 cfs. By March the reservoir was filling up quickly and the river continued to trickle out of the dam. Mid March somebody noticed that the whole system was filling up and the snow had not even begun to melt so they decided to start draining the Palisades reservoir.   The water went up to 18,000 cfs and the reservoir went down to 38% of capacity then the outflow went down to 10,700 cfs and still the snow had not come down. Jackson Lake at this time was near capacity. Then the rain came the water remained at 10,700. The rain continued to come yet the out flow remained the same…

Why? That’s the question on my mind and I can’t be the only one. We are heading into July and I don’t even want to know how much money this has cost all the Outfitters on the river or how much this has cost the state of Idaho(maybe we can ask for a stimulus check)not to mention all the farmers whose fields are currently underwater down river of us. Are some heads going to roll? If I performed my job in the same matter as the bureau has I would be in the soup kitchen begging for food to feed my children.

Perhaps I’m being too hard on the boys who are managing the water. I have called numerous times to get an answer but oddly enough not a soul who can answer my questions is available. So I encourage all of you who are as frustrated by this as I am to call the boys at the bureau and lets have some answerers

Bill McDonald Regional Director

Pacific Northwest Regional Office

1150 N Curtis Rd Suite 100

Boise, Id 83706

(208)378-5012

 

On a lighter note we have been taking a few trips to the Blackfoot reservoir and the Carp are in full spawn and eating aggressively so for a change of pace head up to the reservoir and hook into a few carp. If you have never done this before give it a try. They are a very challenging fish for anglers of all skill levels and I guarantee you will see the backing on your reel. Please call the shop with any questions you have and I will keep the report up to date with any changes as I get them.

Thank you,

Todd Lanning   

 

 

 

 

Call us at the shop if you have any other questions.

 

Please call South Fork Outfitters for an up to the minute report.
Phone: 1 800.483.2110
Email: info@southforkoutfitters.com