Visit North Central Idaho for a prime hunting or fishing adventure

   Sportsmen who visit North Central Idaho keep coming back and there are plenty of reasons why. One of the biggest draws is elk hunting. In Idaho, a hunter stands a better chance to take a mature, branch-antlered bull than in any other state. Not to mention the opportunity to spend a few days in Idaho’s backcountry that can rarely be equaled anywhere else.

   When the general elk season opens in October, most hunters head into the Clearwater River country. In most areas managed for timber, a network of forest roads provides access to four-wheel-drive vehicles. For horse-packers, hikers and bikers, the rugged Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness offers a hunting experience akin to that enjoyed by the pioneers. No roads disturb the backcountry; access is by trail. By November most of the elk hunters have gone, but the hunting is far from over.

   Idaho sportsmen are discovering the appeal of white tailed deer hunting, and with good reason. Herds of this most popular of American big game animal have expanded rapidly in northern Idaho, putting the region on the map as one of the pick places to bag a good white tail buck.

   Not every outdoorsman who traverses hill and valley in North Central Idaho packs a rifle. Area shot-gunners find plenty of action as they pursue chukar and gray partridge, pheasant, quail, grouse, doves, cottontail rabbits and wild turkey.

   Cottontail rabbits are very plentiful in the Clearwater Region and provide great hunting that can be done on the spur of the moment. No expertise, special gear or pre-dawn rising is required. California quail numbers have been high and are doing well in all elevations and in the canyon lands. They typically are found in rose, hawthorn and other bushes. Gray partridge (Huns) numbers were a little above average last fall. Their habitat centers around cultivated fields, especially along wheat stubble near cover and water. Many miles of open roads and forest provide an opportunity to bag a forest grouse. Ruffed grouse like the habitat along stream corridors and brush thickets. Along gravel roads in early morning as the grouse fill their gizzards with gravel, is a prime time for hunting this game bird. Chukars are usually found along steep, rugged river breaks and pheasants seek out burrow pits, brush fields, irrigation ditches and draws especially near fields where grain is available.

   The wild turkey has become an important game bird in this area. An estimated 2,447 birds were harvested in the Clearwater Region during the 2003 hunting season. Wild turkeys are not native to Idaho, but were first introduced in 1961 near Riggins and their numbers have grown rapidly. Their habitat is wherever they can find food, in farmer’s fields, in the vegetable garden, the barnyard as well as the forest woodlands.

   Any visitor to the Orofino area who happens to pass by the Clearwater River on the opening day of steelhead season will conclude from the flotilla of boats on the water and the crowd lining the shore that people here take their fishing seriously.

   And well they should. Steelhead seasons on the area’s three large rivers run for several months with liberal creel limits to match. These sea-run rainbow trout spend half their lives in the Pacific Ocean feasting on the rich food supply found there. They return to Idaho big and powerful to challenge boat, bank and fly fishermen.

   Scenic and serene are two words that perhaps best describe the region’s pristine mountain streams. Out on a mountain stream your thoughts turn to the basics: water, sun and fish. Trophy sized cutthroat trout draw anglers to the tributaries of the North Fork Clearwater River. Highway 12 follows another famous trout stream as it descends through the Bitterroot Mountain Range; the Lochsa River. Cold and clear, the neighboring Selway River also offers excellent fishing. The lower reaches of both these streams and the Southfork and Middlefork of the Clearwater, invite anglers to wet a line for yet another variety of trout, the Dolly Varden or bull trout. Check your fishing guide for bag limits and catch and release designations.

   You don’t have to trek into the back-country or own a big boat to enjoy good fishing. It’s nearby at one of the region’s many lowland lakes. These small bodies of water support populations of rainbow trout, bass, crappie, bullhead, bluegill, whitefish and kokanee. Action picks up in the fall when most sportsmen have traded rod and reel for rifle.

   If catching the smaller fish is your thing you don’t have to wait for spring and summer. As the weather cools, Idaho reservoirs and small lowland lakes present great opportunities for trout. The best time to cast that line is when the weather cools but before the water freezes. In the spring, the best opportunities are right after the ice thaws. Think about trying Campbell’s Pond, a 7-acre reservoir near Pierce. In cold water the pond yields Brook and Rainbow Trout and when the weather is warm, bullhead cats. Sixty-one acre Elk Creek Reservoir is at Elk River. In cold water the catch is Brook and Rainbow Trout and in warm water, smallmouth bass and bullhead cats. Winchester Lake in Winchester State Park yields limits of trout, bass and crappie throughout the year.

   The Mountain Whitefish is often ignored by many sports fishermen. However, they are very good eating, quite common, put up a first-class fight and are eager biters in winter. The Mountain Whitefish are very abundant in the cold, clear streams of the Clearwater Region with the best populations located in the Clearwater River drainage. They keep in the freezer very well and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Smoked whitefish is very popular, but the flaked meat is also great for sandwiches, filets, poached or pickled. They can be harvested during the winter stream season that runs from Jan.1 to Mar. 31 and Dec. 1 to Dec. 31.

   Dworshak Reservoir with 16,000 acres of fishing yields bull and cutthroat trout, kokanee and rainbow trout when the water is cold. Both large and smallmouth bass are there for warm water sport.

   Great stream fisheries in the area include the Clearwater River for cutthroat, steelhead, rainbow and white fish when the water is cold and smallmouth bass when the water is warm. Potlatch Creek, Kelly Creek, Quartz Creek and Lolo Creek also afford great trout fishing throughout the year.

   Regardless of your favorite pastime as a sportsman in the Clearwater Region be sure and pick up a regulations pamphlet at area Idaho Fish and Game offices or private vendors such as sporting good shops. Mistakes caused by not knowing the Fish and Game regulations can be costly.