Show 18 April 2004 i Inrermounrainirr rjni ITI I - D es t i rfa t i or n si "Its :i jjrcit 'winter fishery iiml it's Tiylnr Siyv "The next closest plice to catch something in the winter is the Soiith Fork or Henry's Fork (of the Snake Kiser)" Tlie Idaho I department of Fish and Ciame stocks the stretch frecjiiently with rainbow trout Some fish in the canyon grotv up to 17 or IS inches - blit theye while amf they'se been in the lx-e- riser For several decades only a trickle of water has flowed below' in eastern Idaho where yvater is diverted from the Bear River and piped to a hydroelectric plant below Black- Canyon The water is too shallow and warm to support fish just below the dam but a little ways downstream freshwater springs gurgle up ' the to surface in the riverbed creating the river's popular Black Canyon reach which has become a viable rainbow trout fishery from southeast Idaho and northern Utah While the fishing should continue to be good the water management of the Bear through the Black Canyon stretch should T ' change a bit in the coming years Utah Power which operates the dam and hydroelectric operatidn plans tp start releasing waterfnom the dam Into the ' river channel the Grace Dam : a educated by anglers Throughout the winter Taylor uses size IS itid smaller Parachute Adams and Griffith s ( init Hies t match his tackle with trvquYrit trudge hatches on the riser iurrently Taylor sifests iisiny: Miiall BliivAVifij ( )Jises" ' I le sas's also seseral durmjf pril thereare (iaddis hatches alony the Hear Riser Dan Boyd plies the waters of the Bear River through Black Canyon Black Canyon is located near Grace Idaho £riy brown and tan (iaddis flies at Bluk Canyon lie uses : I’siiij nymphs at Jilirk (imyon is difficult unless it vi a deep pool Taslor says the jvhiIs fill with silt vi anglers slsould stick to tin rK'k ledges when syaditi Mosvalvi builds up at Black Canyon during the summer bur is pcriuilirilly washed away'svlun water ' is releasc'd froni the dam ' For Scoft Flsinore a Monsanto 7 operator mechargc who lives in Grace Black (Canyon is'jiist a few minutes ' a way from home Tojet there take State I lij'hway H viiith rhroujjh f iraceand turn- ribt onto a sxirtsman access across from releasing the planned 80 second feet of water a roughly tvyo-mifishery wilt be expanded to a fishery said Dick Idaho Scully regional fishery manager for the Department of Fish said will Game He for and be tricky access the upper reach "I think it will improve the capacity- of that reach to provide a home for fish-- Scully said There are four main hydroelectric stations On the Bear River between Bear Lake arid the Great Salt Lake including three in ' Idaho' As a condition of Utah Rower's hydroelectric License through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the company1 must help maintain fish and wildlife habitat and recreational access Utah' Power renewed its license this winter Black Canyon is a favorite destination for kayakers as 'well as -fishermen Water levels become ideal for kayakers when Utah Bower releases water from the dam! Last summer Utah Power experimented with various flow' levels to identify which ones were best for whitewater kayaking The ' ' company recruited expert kayakers to test the waters Idaho Fish and Game officials the impacts of temporary water releases on fishing The Fish and Game study v found releasing water had no lasting adverse impact on fish ' "We know there will be very little water for iirigators" said Utah Fbwer spokesman Dave Eskelspn about the shortage of water ' thanks to an ongoing drought irj the region! "i don't think there will be any opportunity to have whitewater flows this year" By six-mi- le le ' the cemeterv outside of town Follow the access an iled dirt road to River-Road and turn left''Take a right after driving a short distance onto anothersportsman's access which leads past a L'tah Power plant through a gate" along the Bear River to Black Canyon! Flsinore iiften fishes Black '' (’an yon to wind down before or after work He says the fish at Black Canyon are active and there's always plenty offood to sustain them fI've fished it all mv life" says bait fisherman!' Flsmore a "I like the seclusion anil quiet and the uniqueness of the river It's like stairs through there with little waterfalls" ' ' - ' ! - 'ij' f i - ' : also-studie- ' ©flttllittT© fosmssam rrifelllJj itillLi ffftgriElTEi mmi akesandsprinq MMKiHiagaaaireaafaasi Wis iisll creeks qaarp ©IteiRfc |