Lincoln Blanco

With the recent “Bull Fire,” and all the helicopters overhead, My four-year-old son had more questions for me than a census taker.

One of those questions was an interesting one. We were watching a helicopter scoop water out of the river and he asked, “Is the fire going to hurt the fishes?” That question made me sit back, and think. I then asked myself, “How does a forest fire effect fish and their habitat?”

I mean they’re in the water, water puts out fires. We all know trout are not a big fan of warm water, so we would assume they would swim to colder waters. Then watching all the helicopters scoop up water from the river and lake, I would also assume a few fish would get trapped in those water buckets. But still, how does a forest fire effect fish and their habitat?

According to a report done over a 17 year observation of fire-related disturbances in the Boise National Forest, Idaho, by the USDI Bureau of Land Management. Forest fires do significantly effect fish and their habitats. Any negative impacts are only short term, and that strongly depends on how resilient the trout are to drastic change from an uncharacteristic fire.

Over the long term, forest fires are known to improve and rejuvenate a fish’s habitat, possibly increasing the fish population. The report states, “Large fires trigger hydrologic events that remove fine sediments from stream channels, and induce debris flows that transport beneficial coarse substrates. Which anyone who has lived through a forest fire up here, has seen the water ashy with embers after a good rain storm.”

I think that would be fascinating if scientists did a report, and studied the effects of a forest fire among our fish population. And not just the government employed scientists, but an independent group. For example, a college class that is earning their degrees in ecology, or biology.

So, if you are planning on fishing within the fire zone, here is the latest. All closures have been lifted, and all campgrounds have been reopened. It is strongly recommended to exercise extreme caution when walking along the river. People have reported stepping on ash that looked like it was burnt out, but wasn’t, and ended up burning themselves. Another thing to look out for is lingering fire personal and their equipment, who are putting out smoke spots.

With the river being this low, the water is going to start warming up at the surface and around the shallows. Which means the trout are going to start heading to the deep and cooler parts of the river. The best spots are after a rapid, or in shady areas with overhanging trees. As for the lake, it’s starting to go down and turn green. I recommend fishing the deep water, near underwater obstacles. Anywhere around the flume, and rocky areas should be great this time of year.

So until next time, be safe and remember, it’s called fishing and not catching.