Fish and Game postpones meetings, but announces hunting apps and fish stocks

By Reader Staff

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has canceled telephone conference calls scheduled for Thursdays, April 1 and April 15. The April 1 call was to discuss pending legislation, but the Idaho Legislature will be out of session at that time — reconvening on Tuesday, April 6. The agenda items for the April 15 meeting will be postponed and taken up during the May 7 quarterly meeting in Coeur d’Alene. 

In the meantime, the commission shared a number of news items, including the application period for controlled hunting of moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat, which opens April 1 and runs through April 30. Hunters can apply online or at any Fish and Game office, license vendor, or by telephone by calling 800-554-8685.

On the fish front, hatchery staff members have ramped up fish stocking around the state, with trout bound for water bodies in each of Fish and Game’s seven regions. About 213,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout will be stocked throughout Idaho during April — more than three times as many as they stocked in March.

With so many fish stocked in so many places, it can be hard for anglers to sift through the stocking forecasts and records to identify noteworthy stocking events. To make it easier, Fish and Game has highlighted some stocking events for the month of April. 

In Bonner County, that will include 6,600 rainbow trout in Cocolalla Lake. Located near Westmond just west of U.S. Highway 95, the 800-acre lake offers a variety of fishing opportunities, with anglers regularly having luck trolling spoons, spinners and flies throughout the lake. Fly fishing can also be a productive technique and anglers often target areas around the inlets and outlet of the lake.

Officials will also release 2,700 rainbows into Jewel Lake — a small, peaceful body of water accessed from U.S. 95 by traveling west on Dufort Road, then traveling south on Jewel Lake Road. There, anglers can catch trout, channel catfish and bluegill — the latter being especially thrilling to young fishers. Located at the lake is a single fishing dock to help with access.

Fish and Game is preparing for season setting for 2022-2024 and asking anglers what changes they would like to see for the upcoming seasons. Anglers can go to the fishing seasons webpage — idfg.idaho.gov/rules/fish/scoping — and suggest changes for each region.