09-22-2012, 03:48 PM
Howdy, BFT Folks. Fall officially began at 8:49 am MST today. As if on cue, it might even rain on the Halstead and Mustang Fires in the next day or so.
The Salmon River in the SNRA opens back up tomorrow. It's been closed for salmon spawning. Meanwhile, nobody's been fishing it because of all the fire-related stuff and the dense smoke an so forth. The Stanley merchants have been pretty glum about a steep drop in business during the nearly 2-month-old Halstead Fire.
So, if a little rain damps down the smoke, ya'll might have some fun fishing up in that neck of the woods. IDFG stocked thousands of sterile rainbows there this summer but the fire basically eliminated most of the typical fishing pressure. Ditto with the Sawtooth-area lakes. Meanwhile the USFS is keeping the Salmon River campground open so there are actually places to camp. The fire didn't burn across the river so it still looks pretty much the same as always. There's a good chance the smoke might not be so bad in the days ahead.
You can follow our ongoing Halstead coverage here:
http://www.salmonriveridaho.net/2012/08/...almon.html
OK, what about the Salmon down by North Fork? Well, everything pretty much OK down that way. The fire crews "saved" all the houses along the US 93 corridor but it's black as a coal mine from there down to Corn Creek (and way below into the wilderness, too). It's still real busy with fire traffic but they are reducing fire personnel. Unless and until heavy rainfall turns the river black with ash, it might be a good time to head on down to your favorite spots there. IDFG will issues it's first steelhead report in early October. Should be a real interesting read.
You may have heard about possible "radioactive smoke" around North Fork. Don't worry about it. It's just a part of the locals getting all riled up there in North Fork Country. We know retired guys who've worked nuclear stuff their whole lives and they practically fall out of their chairs laughing at the notion.
The trouble with hanging out between Salmon, Idaho, and Corn Creek will be the smoke. It's horrendous up there right now, radioactive or not. Heck, the high school football team can't even play home games! They play down in Mud Lake.
The smoke is truly a genuine health hazard there and it ain't goin' away until rain or snow damps down the Mustang Fire. Maybe the upcoming rain will do the trick an maybe it won't.
The Stanley-Sawtooth area is a much better bet to be out of the smoke. Active portions of the Halstead are 20-25 miles north of Stanley to begin with.
Just a misc. factoid--the combined cost of fighting those two fires is now approaching $55-million.
We will be taking a closer look at the steelhead situation early next week after talking to a lot of folks. We'll keep you posted.
Have a great first day of Fall and Happy Fishing! jp
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The Salmon River in the SNRA opens back up tomorrow. It's been closed for salmon spawning. Meanwhile, nobody's been fishing it because of all the fire-related stuff and the dense smoke an so forth. The Stanley merchants have been pretty glum about a steep drop in business during the nearly 2-month-old Halstead Fire.
So, if a little rain damps down the smoke, ya'll might have some fun fishing up in that neck of the woods. IDFG stocked thousands of sterile rainbows there this summer but the fire basically eliminated most of the typical fishing pressure. Ditto with the Sawtooth-area lakes. Meanwhile the USFS is keeping the Salmon River campground open so there are actually places to camp. The fire didn't burn across the river so it still looks pretty much the same as always. There's a good chance the smoke might not be so bad in the days ahead.
You can follow our ongoing Halstead coverage here:
http://www.salmonriveridaho.net/2012/08/...almon.html
OK, what about the Salmon down by North Fork? Well, everything pretty much OK down that way. The fire crews "saved" all the houses along the US 93 corridor but it's black as a coal mine from there down to Corn Creek (and way below into the wilderness, too). It's still real busy with fire traffic but they are reducing fire personnel. Unless and until heavy rainfall turns the river black with ash, it might be a good time to head on down to your favorite spots there. IDFG will issues it's first steelhead report in early October. Should be a real interesting read.
You may have heard about possible "radioactive smoke" around North Fork. Don't worry about it. It's just a part of the locals getting all riled up there in North Fork Country. We know retired guys who've worked nuclear stuff their whole lives and they practically fall out of their chairs laughing at the notion.
The trouble with hanging out between Salmon, Idaho, and Corn Creek will be the smoke. It's horrendous up there right now, radioactive or not. Heck, the high school football team can't even play home games! They play down in Mud Lake.
The smoke is truly a genuine health hazard there and it ain't goin' away until rain or snow damps down the Mustang Fire. Maybe the upcoming rain will do the trick an maybe it won't.
The Stanley-Sawtooth area is a much better bet to be out of the smoke. Active portions of the Halstead are 20-25 miles north of Stanley to begin with.
Just a misc. factoid--the combined cost of fighting those two fires is now approaching $55-million.
We will be taking a closer look at the steelhead situation early next week after talking to a lot of folks. We'll keep you posted.
Have a great first day of Fall and Happy Fishing! jp
[signature]