The Little Lost
I liken bull trout to lions on the Serengeti. They lounge around for hours at a time, but when they are on the feed, watch out. Bull trout can be voracious. I once watched a 16” bull take a silver dollar-sized chunk out of a 11” whitefish. And this is not a unique story. Every serious angler in the upper Columbia River Basin has a few good bull trout tales.

The bull trout in the Little Lost have been isolated from their brethren. How did these fish end up in a landlocked basin? Well, that depends on who you ask. The general consensus is that geologic shifting and a mountain uplifting event trapped bull trout in this basin a long time ago. The less elegant possibility is that a hungry settler simply brought the trout over in a bucket.

Regardless of how they got here, these fish are now an important population for conservation biology purposes.

In the past, bull trout were outright persecuted because they eat “more sporting” fish like rainbows and cutthroats. While the bounty has been lifted off the bull trout’s head, habitat degradation is still an issue.

Bull trout are highly sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances, especially sedimentation. Sedimentation from over-grazing, poor timber harvest practices, and road-building have severely reduced bull trout habitat over the years. Today, roadless areas are strongholds for bull trout, yet another important reason to protect these areas.

The construction of dams has also negatively impacted bull trout. Bull trout are highly migratory and dams have reduced the ability of these fish to move from feeding habitat to spawning grounds.

Because bull trout have been reduced to a fraction of their original range, we need to do what we can to protect the remaining populations.

Based on outward appearance, Kim Goodman and Jim Gregory form an unlikely dynamic duo. Jim wears the uniform of a western rancher. His button-up shirt and Wranglers are dusty from working hard on his ranch. Kim embodies the “new west” in her Chaco sandals and shorts. Her legs are ripped from mountain biking and skiing.

However, when you talk with these two, you quickly realize that they aren’t as different as their choice in garb implies. Both are Eastern Idaho natives and both earned master’s degrees in fish-related disciplines. Furthermore, Kim and Jim are both committed to preserving the bull trout in the Little Lost.

Kim serves as the Director of TU’s Idaho Water Project. Jim is an independent Fisheries Biologist who TU has contracted to help with the work in the area. The two are working closely with the irrigators in the valley to increase irrigation efficiency and help the bull trout.

A big part of the effort is replacing old irrigation diversions with models that are more fish friendly. Just like dams, irrigation diversions can block fish passage. Kim and Jim are working with landowners to replace 7 irrigation diversions to promote fish passage in the drainage.

Kim and Jim are also currently spearheading a project on Badger Creek, a tributary to the Little Lost. Historically, much of the water in Badger Creek was diverted for irrigation purposes. Kim and Jim have worked with the irrigator to divert from the Little Lost instead, allowing the water from Badger Creek to flow into the river. This is beneficial to the trout because the water from Badger Creek is colder than the water in the mainstem, so it recharges the Little Lost with a healthy flow. The Badger Creek project is certainly a creative solution that helps the bull trout without negatively impacting the local ranchers.

The next phase of this effort is in-stream restoration work on Badger Creek. The plan is to restore the natural stream channel, opening up new spawning and rearing habitat.

To orchestrate these efforts, Kim and Jim must work closely with landowners and state and federal agencies. Without the cooperation of irrigators and the technical support and funding of the government, these projects would not be possible.

After touring the project site, we headed upstream to try our luck with the fly rod. Our party of five was a little big for the little stream (Chris Hunt, TU’s Public Lands Initiative Communications Director and an avid angler, and John O’Connell, a writer and editor for the Great Outdoors section of the Idaho State Journal, also enjoyed the educational tour on the Little Lost), so we opted to split into two groups.

Jim and I headed upstream, trading shots at spunky rainbows and a couple brook trout. The sight of brook trout in the stream is a little disheartening as this species can hybridize with bull trout, diluting the genetic purity of the native fish. Jim and I did not see any bulls, but when we met up with the rest of our cohort, we learned that Kim caught and gently released one!

It was a beautiful day on a sparkling mountain stream. I hope you will take a look at my photos be clicking HERE.

A Little Lost River Basin rainbow

The Big Lost
Most anglers consider whitefish to be “trash fish.” In actuality, whitefish are a native species and they are members of the Salmonidae (trout and salmon) family.

I find it fascinating how the tastes of sports-men and -women change with time. Not too long ago, hunters preferred cow elk over bulls and anglers persecuted bull trout. Now, bull trout and bull elk are revered. I wonder if the under-appreciated whitefish will ever gain such respect.

There is one population of whitefish that needs our support now. The whitefish in the Big Lost River are so genetically distinct that one day they may even be recognized as a unique species. They are the only native salmonid in the Big Lost River Basin.

A decade long drought coupled with high water demand for irrigation has severely impacted whitefish (and other introduced trout) habitat in the Big Lost River. Whitefish numbers are down so dramatically that a petition has been filed to protect this population under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Regardless of whether or not the Big Lost River whitefish get listed under ESA, local agencies are doing what they can to help the fish. Chris Hunt and I joined Jim Gregory and fish sampling crews from Idaho Fish and Game and the US Forest Service to assist with a whitefish rescue.

High spring runoff trapped about a 1000 juvenile whitefish in a gravel pit near Mackay, ID. The government crews were electrofishing the gravel pits to capture the whitefish and move them back into the river. Electrofishing is a commonly used scientific research method that involves sending an electrical current through the water to momentarily stun the fish, causing them to float towards the surface where they can be netted. After the fish were collected, they were loaded into a fish stocking truck and driven back to the Big Lost.

After the rescue, we dropped downstream to fish the Big Lost River below Mackay Dam. This tailwater stretch of river holds big fish, some of the biggest in the west, but public access is limited and relatively few anglers fish this river.

The fly of the day was the Mackay Special, a local cranefly imitation. Midge larvae and small grasshoppers also produced a few nice trout.

While the possibility of hooking a trout as thick as your thigh makes angling the Big Lost an appealing proposition, it is not the only reason to visit this remote river. The Big Lost drains the highest peaks in the state and the views are stunning.

These unique fisheries have certainly found a beautiful part of the country to call home. It’s good to know that folks like Kim Goodman, Chris Hunt, and Jim Gregory are working to conserve these important coldwater resources.

Take a look at THESE PHOTOS to see electrofishing in action under the highest peaks in Idaho.