Anglin with Anglen - 1973

Editor’s note: For 27 years, beginning Feb. 8, 1973, Ralph Anglen of Bonners Ferry wrote an outdoor column for the local paper that was widely read and used as a source of fishing and hunting information. It was called “Anglin’ with Anglen,” and was the real deal, the genuine item, written by someone whose socks were wet, whose toes were cold and who pulled no punches.

We will continue as space allows to reprint Anglen’s column solely for its pleasure and historical significance. Any typos, we leave as is. Readers are reminded that this column was written almost 50 years ago and conditions, including state fish and game regulations, have changed.

Aug. 16, 1973

This is the first week since the first of the year I haven’t been fishing: can’t call fishing at the mouth of Deep Creek, like I did Saturday morning fishing. Did catch four peanose and four squaw fish, smallones.

Some rather large fish were raising but I had neither the energy nor tackle to go after them. Enjoyed watching the geese. There were two big bunches of them and I was real close to one bunch.

Beautiful birds lmost a shame to shoot them, but they are just like a deer to me, when season comes they are just so much meat in the deep freeze. Lee Wolff has a very good article in the last Sports Afield about quality fishing. It is well worth reading, has some controversial ideas in it. My brother just came from Henrys Lake and the Yellowstone River.

In the river you can’t keep any fish and they caught sixty to seventy fish up to four pounds every day on flys. Bait fishing is prohibited in river; at Henrys Lake they catch and turn loose lots of four and five pound trout.

Now I don’t know whether I would be a sportsman enough to do that or not. Of course, they can eat only so many so I guess it doesn’t make any difference. This is just an idea that has run through my mind this past week after reading Wolffs story.

We know the trout fishing would be very poor here if the lakes weren’t stocked, even the creeks are not too good unless they are stocked.

The spiny rey fish would take care of themselves pretty much, although the different game departments are taking another look at the management practices of old bucketmouth, the bass.

They have had a complete reversal of thinking over the last twenty years. We have the limits of twenty-five and only three over seventeen inches long for the first time this year.

I have reports of lots of kokanee coming out of the river; lots of fishing going on at Leona and other places you can get to the river. We don’t need any to can so guess I won’t even fish for them.

Perch fishing is still good at McArthur if you can get room on the docks. Bullfrogging should be good out there now; I just haven’t taken time to go out. I’ve had some good reports of bass fishing at Herman lake, and I will try this next week; the perch fishing is good out there also. Bonner Lake is still open but I have no reports from there.

Irrigating the hops on the North Bench has drawn Smith lake down so low it is probably through for the year and maybe for sometime. There has been some good catches of bull heads at Morton’s Slough.