outdoors's blog

Mountain Bike specialty plate clears House and Senate, fundraising begins

Roger Phillips — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:04:26 -0400

Assuming Gov. Butch Otter doesn't veto it, the plate should be available next year, and people interested in the plate and raising money for mountain bike trails can help make it happen now with a donation.

Assuming the plate is approved and becomes available, it would raise money for improvement and enhancement of trails open to mountain biking. A portion of every plate sold would go to Idaho Parks and Recreation into a dedicated fund for trails.

Steelhead fishing's really good

Zimo — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:53:39 -0400

Steelhead fishing has been hot down below Hells Canyon Dam.

I talked to one angler this morning who got his limit and said fishing has been consistently good and he expects it to continue.

There is a problem. Fishing can turn off really quickly like it did by mid-morning Thursday. The flow in the river below the dam was increased and the fish immediately stopped biting, he said.

Brundage sets family day

Zimo — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:40:53 -0400

Brundage Mountain at McCall is having its second annual "Celebrate Family Day" March 21 and moms and kids, 17 and under, will be given free lift tickets all day.

The ski area on March 20 is conducting its second annual O-WIMP-IC Games event. It is open to all ages and is free for anyone with a lift ticket or season pass.

This is not your traditional ski race. It’s an obstacle-course set up that challenges racers to attempt things like the limbo, hoola hoop toss and jump rope, along with some on-slope fun.

Ski areas give closing dates

Zimo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:13:24 -0400

Spring skiing and boarding is what it's all about. Sun and snow and there's still plenty of time to enjoy both.

Ski areas have announced projected closing dates, according to Ski Idaho:

Bogus Basin - April 11

Brundage Mountain - April 18

Magic Mountain - March 27

Pebble Creek - Early April

Pomerelle - Early April

Lookout Pass - April 4

Lost Trail - April 4

Silver Mountain - April 4

Grand Targhee: April 11

Schweitzer Mountain - April 11

Sun Valley - April 18

What we're hearing outdoors

Zimo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:24:16 -0400

WILDLIFE WATCHING

It’s still good wildlife watching along the Banks to Lowman Highway, alias the Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway.

Deer and elk can be seen from Garden Valley to Lowman along the South Fork of the Payette River.

A good loop to do is leaving Boise on Idaho 55 to Banks, turning east on the Banks to Lowman Highway and going to Lowman, and then heading back to Boise on Idaho 21.

Gear Tuesday: Bike trailers

Zimo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:44:44 -0400

Used to be that the BOB Trailer was for hard-core bicyclists heading out on overnight road trips or mountain bike treks.

Not anymore. The trailers are being used to ride to the farmers' market or grocery store to avoid using the car; commuting to work and carrying briefcases and other supplies or just going to the restaurant for take out to bring home.

Kokanee fishing is pretty good at Lucky Peak Reservoir

Zimo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:40:37 -0400

Kokanee fishing at Lucky Peak Reservoir is pretty hot.

I talked to two anglers who were trolling Monday afternoon and limited out.

They were using pop gear with Wedding Ring spinners tipped with corn.

The kokanee were hanging out at 40 feet deep.

The reservoir has been getting a lot of attention from trollers lately. The boat ramp on weekends can be a little crowded.

St. Paddy's Day and trout

Roger Phillips — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:39:19 -0400

What do these two things have in common? Trout Unlimited, which will host “Luck o' the Trout” on St. Patrick's Day, Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Owyhee Plaza Ballroom at 1109 West Main St. in Boise.

Admission is $10 per person for hors dourves and a no host bar.

The event will include two episodes of “On the Rise” television show sponsored by TU. One episode will show trout fishing on Rapid River and the other fishing the South Fork of the Snake.

Monday morning quarterbacking outdoors - Snow geese and Malheur Refuge

zimo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:38:54 -0400

We were driving through Burns, Ore., Sunday and saw snow geese on some of the ponds. Locals said this is a good time of the year to see them.

The nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is famous for bird watching in the spring and as early as mid-March.

Another cool thing about the area is that there are a lot of raptors and the refuge offers free raptor tours. The tours are on a first-reserved, first-served basis with space for up to six people.

Correction on Idaho's wild steelhead harvest dates

Roger Phillips — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:23:51 -0500

I was wrong on my timeline on when Idaho quit harvesting wild steelhead. In my Wednesday column I wrote that Idaho Fish and Game allowed harvest of wild steelhead until 1997 when the fish were listed under the Endangered Species Act.

I blew that one, and thanks to Sharon Kiefer and Charlie Petrosky at Fish and Game for straightening me out. The department halted the harvest of wild fish statewide in 1987, and stopped wild steelhead harvest in the Salmon River system as early as 1981.