SALMON, Idaho — An early spring report from Idaho Fish and Game shows that Steelhead fishing in the Upper Salmon River watershed is ramping up, with quality catch numbers reported these past two weeks of March.

Idaho Steelhead numbers reach a seven-year high along the Salmon River

Following the onset of warmer, spring-like temps in the mountains of central Idaho, fishing activity increased significantly, especially near Ellis, Idaho, and upstream of the East Fork. According to angler reports, “catch rates were good to excellent.”

River conditions are favorable, with clear visibility and stable flows.

Water temperatures are moving upward but remain frigid near Stanley, where the water is in the 30s to the mid-40s. Expect those temps to rise slightly as runoff begins.

Idaho Fish and Game also noted an increase in PIT-tagged steelhead detected near Salmon, Idaho. Hatchery operations are also kicking off their spawning operations. As of March 21, the Pahsimeroi Hatchery had trapped 527 adipose-clipped steelhead, and the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery trapped about 390 adult steelhead beginning March 24.

NAMPA, Idaho — To support Southern California homeowners still recovering from the devastating wildfires that plagued the state back in January, Nate Morris is working tirelessly to continue delivering crucial donations such as clothing, diapers, and even dog treats as part of the Love, Idaho charity campaign.

“The reception was very warm, and they were thankful. They thought it was amazing that the ‘State of Idaho’ would do something like this,” said Morris, the owner of Resto Clean, of the charitable effort. The donations were sent two months after the fires had been contained, thanks to a partnership with the LA Dream Center in Los Angeles.

Sid’s Garage is joining the mission to support those impacted by the Southern California Wildfires

Kelli Bradley, the executive director of programs at LA Dream Center, highlighted the ongoing challenges victims face as they begin the rebuilding process.

“You’re looking at tens of thousands of people [who were] impacted by this [disaster]. Every story is just gut-wrenching,” explained Bradley. “Many of [the victims] not only lost their homes, but their kids lost their schools.”

Significant cleanup efforts are projected to last months if not years. “We’ve been doing ash-outs every day in the community— meaning that we’re going to the burned properties at the request of homeowners and helping them sift through the ashes to try to find anything of value or sentiment that they might be looking for,” Bradley said.

Nate Morris shared photos of ash and debris infiltrating homes that were not directly affected by the flames. In April, the LA Dream Center will host an event focusing on recovery and rebuilding, with Morris and his team from Resto Clean participating. “They want us to come down and do a smoke and ash cleanup class for them,” Morris added.

Looking ahead to the future of Love, Idaho, Nate Morris is optimistic. “We’ve already got a couple of other businesses that would like to use the branding and the name, and I’m all about it. I think they can still funnel the proceeds through the Grace Center and use it for whatever they would like to use it for,” Morris says.

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Emotions and pride ran high as the sun was coming up over Gowen Field on Saturday, as families and friends waved goodbye to just over 300 Airmen from the 124^th Fighter Wing of the Idaho Air National Guard.

For security reasons, the Pentagon doesn’t release too many details at deployment; that said, the Guard did say the Airmen were headed for southwest Asia (i.e. the Middle East) “in support of combat and peacekeeping operations within the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.”

Command Chief Master Sergeant Lehi Hartwell knows all too well about deployments. He’s been on nine himself.

“I always pass on to our Airmen that a deployment is where you get to do your actual job” said Hartwell. “Every weekend we drill… we prepare to go and actually do our job. There are stresses to it. But when we go and deploy, we overcome those stressed by getting hands-on… well, everything.”

But then there is the very real issue of leaving their loved ones back home.

“I think the biggest stresses we have is leaving our loved ones and our civilian jobs in Idaho,” said Hartwell. “But we have a lot of resources. We have a Yellow Ribbon program that we walk through. And there are plenty of us at home that are well positioned to take care of that for them.”

The 124^th Fighter Wing has deployed often in recent memory – twice in 2003, plus in 2007, 2008, 2016, the largest in 2020, and others. Nearly 1,300 Airmen comprise the Idaho Air National Guard.

Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren

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