Hello My FSHN Friends!
I picked up a copy of the 2016 Idaho Fishing Regs this weekend and was very pleased to see a new call out in the Steelhead section titled “Prepare To Release!” (attached). Although this is isn’t a regulation to enforce keeping wild steelhead and salmon in the river I believe it is a very good step to educating anglers on proper handling of steelhead and salmon.
Another important outcome of our work is that ID F&G is planning to investigate the issue further by doing an observation study of salmon and steelhead anglers and time-out-of-water which will help them determine if additional regulations are needed.
I very much appreciate and respect the cooperative and collaborative efforts to put this together with our local fishing organizations and the folks at ID F&G. Thanks again for your time and effort. I enjoyed meeting and working with you.
Troy Pearse
Boise, ID