Idaho Fish Report

Spring bear season opens April 1

Things to know this season

For hunters who drew a tag:

• The deadline to buy your tag is March 31.
• If you bought a Sports Pac, you still must redeem the bear tag voucher for an actual bear tag.
• Check out 9 tips to being a better bear hunter.
• All successful hunters are required to present the skull to an ODFW office within 10 days of harvest. In 2022, successful bear hunters must check in their harvest at ODFW offices in person. See page 62 of the 2022 Big Game Regulations for more details.
• Look for the 2022 spring bear hunting forecast the week of March 14 on MyODFW.com.

Sign up for a turkey workshop

ODFW and its partners are offering several wild turkey hunting workshops in early April – for both youth and adults. Sign up to learn everything you need to know to bag a tom this spring. See more details and register.

Responsible shed hunting

Deer and elk shed their antlers in the spring at a time when they are in poor body condition after the winter months. Consider postponing your shed hunting until May or June to avoid stressing animals even more. Read more tips for Responsible shed hunting.

Register your child for hunter education 

If your child hasn’t completed hunter education and wants to hunt for spring turkey, check to see where and when classes are available.

• Several lakes and ponds in the NW, SW and Willamette zones are scheduled to be stocked this week. And several more have been stocked recently. 
• The Nestucca, Wilson, Alsea and Siletz are good options for steelhead fishing this weekend.
• Several rivers in the SW Zone are still producing steelhead including the Rogue, Umpqua, Illinois and Chetco.
• Anglers might encounter a spring Chinook in the lower Rogue.
• Striped bass fishing should be picking up in the Coquille Basin, Smith River and mainstem Umpqua. 
• Middle Empire Lake and Saunders Lake have been stocked with excess hatchery steelhead.
• Anglers are catching both steelhead and Chinook in the Willamette below the Falls.
• Rockfish fishing has been good off the coast, with many anglers taking home some lingcod as well.