Mountain Home Reservoir opened to fish salvage rules

By order of the Department of Fish and Game, fish bag, possession, and size limits at Mountain Home Reservoir have been suspended effective Aug. 25, through Dec. 31.

Anglers with a valid fishing license are encouraged to catch as many fish from the reservoir as they can eat.

With consecutive years of drought conditions, the reservoir is expected to be nearly dry by mid-September. "Unfortunately, two years of poor runoff translates into starting over next spring," Fish and Game fisheries manager Jeff Dillon said. "We'd like to see anglers take these fish home, rather than have them go to waste."

Like several other small reservoirs in the region, Mountain Home has suffered from poor water conditions for most of the last seven years.

"We thought we were pulling out of the drought in 2006, and stocked bass, bluegill and trout in anticipation of several years of good water," Dillon noted. "Because of existing conditions, we'll plan to stock trout again in the spring and will assess the water outlook before we stock other species."

As part of the limit suspension, licensed anglers may use rod and reel, handheld landing nets, and legal minnow seines to collect fish which must be killed prior to transport from the reservoir. All other collection methods are prohibited.

For more information, contact Jeff Dillon at the Fish and Game Nampa office, 465-8465.