Outdoors briefs for August 4, 2011

Boat races at Carlin Bay in August

CARLIN BAY - The inaugural Carlin Bay Regatta boat races will be held each Saturday in August at the bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Cost is $10 per person, which includes a T-shirt.

Those interested can just show up.

Here is the schedule and types of boat races:

• Aug. 6, 1 p.m., buoy fun sailing;

• Aug. 13, 1 p.m., canoes and kayaks;

• Aug. 20, 8 a.m., crewing race; and

• Aug. 27, 1 p.m., paddle boards.

Carlin Bay Resort is at 33917 S. Highway 97.

For information, call Steven Lis at 765-3131.

Chinook salmon season to close

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game will close the Chinook salmon season across Idaho on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 10 at the end of fishing hours.

The closure affects waters of the Mainstem Clearwater River, the Middle Fork Clearwater River, the South Fork Clearwater River, the Lochsa River, the Snake River downstream from Hells Canyon Dam, the Little Salmon River and the Upper Salmon River.

"This has been one of the longest Chinook seasons we've had in recent years," said Pete Hassemer, Idaho Fish and Game's salmon and steelhead manager. "By this time of year, most of the Chinook have passed through the areas open to fishing on their way to hatcheries and spawning grounds and the success rate is slowing down."

In recent surveys anglers told Fish and Game they wanted longer seasons and the ability to fish in more places.

"We feel we accomplished that this year," Hassemer said. "At one point we had Chinook salmon fisheries open in the Clearwater drainage, parts of the Snake River, lower and upper Salmon Rivers, the South Fork Salmon River and Little Salmon River, all at the same time."

Some tribal fisheries will remain open and those fisheries are managed by the tribes.

Bridge to close for re-construction

SMELTERVILLE - The bridge on Road 412 by Jordan Camp will be closed for re-construction Wednesday through Sept. 1.

The bridge improvement work is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will allow continued access to the Shoshone Creek recreational area while providing jobs and income for communities in the north, a press release said.

"The bridge work has been necessary for a long time and we're glad to have this Recovery Act funding that will extend the life of the bridge and keep the public safe during bridge crossings," said Deputy District Ranger Kim Johnson. "This funding also provided an economic benefit to North Idaho."

Jordan Camp can be accessed from the north by taking Forest Road 3099 and turning east onto Forest Road 412.

Info: (208) 783-2363

Grizzly bear study sign inaccurate

SHOSHONE PARK - The blue trailhead sign warning of a grizzly bear study under way in the area near the fish hatchery is inaccurate.

According to one of the bear biologists involved with the project, black bears are the target of the research. According to Chris Servheen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are no grizzlies in the area being studied.

The signs warning of grizzly research were left over from a study done in the Cabinet Wilderness years ago, he said. The researchers had no black-bear warning signs. On Sunday the grizzly warning was posted next to a snowmobile map along the old railroad grade leading to Lookout Pass.

The two-year project investigates if and where bears cross the freeway, he said. Nine bears have been collared in western Mineral County, Mont., and one bear in Shoshone County.

The disparity reflects the built-up nature of the Silver Valley rather than a difference in Montana and Idaho bear populations, he said.

Nearly 35-pound rainbow trout caught

AMERICAN FALLS (AP) - Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say a 41-year-old Pocatello man has shattered a state record by catching a 34.74-pound rainbow trout.

Union Pacific Railroad locomotive engineer Mark Adams caught the lunker in American Falls Reservoir Monday morning. It took Adams 15 minutes to bring in the trout, which broke old state record by 14.72 pounds.

Adams tells the Idaho State Journal that he and his fishing buddy first thought the fish was a carp because it didn't have a lot of color. Adams called another friend who advised him to get his catch to a certified scale.

Regional Fisheries Biologist David Teuscher he's checking national records to see how Adams' catch measures up.

Montana records show a 33.1-pound rainbow was caught in the Kootenai River in 1997.