If you’ve thought that fishing has been good for trout on the South Fork of the Snake River this year, a recent survey helps to explain why: The fish numbers are at record levels.

Idaho Fish and Game’s recent fall electrofishing survey estimates trout densities to be 6,302 fish per mile in the upper river.

“The most important take-home message from these surveys is that trout abundance is high in the (South Fork of the Snake River),” said Patrick Kennedy, Fish and Game fisheries research biologist, in a news release. “The total trout estimate is higher than ever estimated at Conant, since 1982.”

The 6,000 fish per mile number puts the South Fork in elite company.

“Other rivers in the Western U.S. also host estimates of trout per mile in the thousands, but few boast estimates higher than 5,000 trout/mile,” Kennedy said. “Within Idaho, the South Fork Boise, Big Lost and Henry’s Fork rivers boast some of our highest abundance estimates, but none have exceeded 6,000 fish per mile.”

What adds to the unusual character is that unlike other rivers with high concentration of trout, the upper South Fork is not supplemented with hatchery trout, he said.

“The exceptional wild trout population in the South Fork highlights the extremely high productivity observed in recent years in the river and the potential this tailwater fishery possesses,” Kennedy said. “For anglers, high abundances of trout should ensure that fishing will remain great into next year and beyond.”

Regional fisheries manager Brett High said “several years of heavy snowpack and good stream flows have been good for fish on the South Fork.”

Fish and Game surveyed two locations along the South Fork — the Conant monitoring reach and near the Lorenzo boat ramp. The Conant section topped 6,000 trout per mile and the Lorenzo location 2,650 trout per mile. The Lorenzo numbers were higher than the 10-year average of 1,889 trout per mile. The 10-year average for the Conant section is 4,710 trout per mile.

One key purpose of the annual fall survey is to see how well native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are doing, particularly in relation to nonnative rainbow trout.

Fish and Game management goals focus on protecting the “genetic integrity and population” of cutthroat in the river and reducing rainbow trout abundance to less than 10 percent of the trout in the upper river, Kennedy said. The recent survey found that rainbow trout make up 43.1 percent of the trout in the Conant reach.

“Rainbow trout still comprise more of the population in the upper South Fork than called for in the management plan,” Kennedy said. “Rainbow trout, which are the biggest threat to cutthroat trout through competition and hybridization, continue to provide management challenges.”

Fish and Game’s James Brower said the department works to limit rainbows in a few different ways. There is no limit on harvesting rainbows on the South Fork and catching rainbows is encouraged with an angler incentive program. With that program, several hundred rainbows and rainbow hybrids are tagged with money rewards of $50 to $1,000.

“They have done some and will continue to do some mechanical removal with the electrofishing program,” Brower said of other tactics to reduce rainbow numbers. “They scan those fish so they make sure they’re not taking any of the money-tagged fish from the incentive program.”

Rainbows removed from the river are planted in local fishing ponds and elsewhere.

Brower said the South Fork also has an extensive weir program on several of the nursery streams that allows them to exclude rainbow trout from spawning.

The other trout found in the South Fork survey were brown trout, making up more than 1,200 of the total fish per mile. Because brown trout are fall spawners, they don’t pose a hazard of hybridizing with cutthroats.

It takes a fierce passion to get avid anglers outside in the cold to sit for hours and stare at a hole in the ice.

“It’s because I’m Swedish, I don’t know any better,” said Arn Berglund of Idaho Falls. Berglund is a retired marine biologist who was fishing on the frozen Ririe Reservoir recently.

“Ice fishing is pretty laid back,” he said. “You should be out here when the old folks club is here drinking their homemade brandy. They get philosophical and a lot of the world’s problems are solved out on the ice.”

When the temperatures turn cold in eastern Idaho, hardy anglers head to lakes, ponds, reservoirs and frozen bends in the Snake River to bore holes in the ice and dip a lure or bait. The payback is trout, perch, kokanee and possibly a catfish.

The tools of the trade include miniature spinning rods, an auger, a slotted ladle to keep holes ice free, a chair to sit on, plenty of warm clothes, a shelter (especially on nastier weather days), a heater and a sled to pull everything across the ice. Some people enjoy using a fish finder showing what depth the fish are hanging out.

“I tell the kids it’s like a video game,” Jason Bush said of his fish finder. Bush was spending a couple of hours at the Becker Pond at Ryder Park recently. “I caught a couple trout, but I threw them back. I’ve eaten my share of trout growing up so I just put them back. My wife doesn’t care for trout.”

James Brower of Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Becker Pond is home to a variety of fish popular with ice fishers. Other popular ice fishing areas include Henry’s Lake (until it closed Jan. 2), Island Park Reservoir, the Jim Moore Pond at Roberts and Mackay Reservoir. Anglers seek trout, kokanee and perch.

Nearby Berglund at Ririe Reservoir was a couple, Corey Raichart and Sunny Hartgraves, sitting about 15 feet from each other with five ice holes, rods and a fish finder in between them.

Raichart pulled a small perch out of a hole, then released it back into the water.

“We’re hoping for some kokanee so we can have something for dinner,” Hartgraves said. She stood and approached Raichart to rebait her lure.

Raichart gave her a wary eye thinking she might use his ice hole.

“That’s where I draw the line,” he said. “I’m going to marry you but you can’t have my fishing hole.”

Sometimes the ice isn’t all that thick. That was the case Jan. 4 on Ririe Reservoir where six people were fishing on 3-inch-thick ice.

“I’m a little nervous,” Hartgraves said looking at the ice hole in front of her.

Brower said 3 inches is about the minimum for safe ice, but thicker is better. Ririe Reservoir is often the last body to freeze over. Other ponds and lakes were already several inches thick.

“Come out here tomorrow,” Berglund said of Ririe Reservoir, “and you’ll probably see a few wingnuts on four-wheelers breaking through the ice. It’s entertaining.” Fish and Game recommends 10 inches of ice to support an ATV or snow machine.

Brower said the best-reported ice fishing is currently at Mackay Reservoir.

“They’re pulling in a lot of kokanee,” he said.

Brower said Mackay Reservoir attracts elaborate shelters put up by anglers that sometimes stay up too long and fall through the ice in spring.

Brothers Kade Schaots and Kelton Beahm were spending most of their day fishing the Jim Moore Pond inside a warm shelter. At their feet on the ice were more than two dozen small perch. The pile continued to grow.

“We like to come out here and clean out some of the little perch,” Schaots said.

He said besides comfort, a dark shelter allows a fisherman to see the fish down in the ice hole.

“You can see the fish come up and take the lure,” he said.

Rules allow anglers to use up to five rods/lines at a time. The daily trout limit is generally six fish. There is no limit on perch, bluegill or crappie. There can be special limits on other fish depending on the waters. Fishing is allowed only through a hole up to 10 inches in diameter. If you leave a shelter unattended overnight on the ice, it must have the owner’s name, address and phone number on it.

For more specific regulations for specific waters, consult https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/ice-fishing.

The helicopter hovered low over the hills southeast of Kelly Mountain, snow billowing up from the ground, and deer bounded down the slope to flee the noisy monster.

Idaho Fish and Game research biologist Mark Hurley spoke into his radio to a couple of dozen Idaho Department of Fish and Game employees, biologists and volunteers.

“OK, everyone down, here he comes,” he said, referring to the helicopter.

Everyone hunkered down behind bushes or laid low on the ground like infantry avoiding detection. On the slope above, four deer charged past the people hiding and headlong into a quarter-mile long net. After the deer fell to the ground, tangled in netting, people burst from their cover and grabbed the deer. Blindfolds were pulled over the animals’ heads and people held the deer still with their weight like a wrestler working for a pin.

The fawns were measured, weighed, ear-tagged and collared with a GPS satellite tracking unit and freed within minutes. Does and bucks were released without collars.

By early in the evening, Fish and Game had collared 30 fawns as part of its annual winter mortality study to determine health and population of eastern Idaho’s mule deer herds. The capture will be repeated in several areas across the state, finishing up sometime in late February.

“Seeing how many fawns don’t make it through the winter, that helps us with our population study to know our success rate of how many were (added) to the population for the upcoming year,” said James Brower regional communications manager with Fish and Game.

Brower said working on the capture line is a perk for some employees and volunteers who spend most of their time working in an office.

“Normally I’m doing administrative work, so this is a treat to get outside and work with the deer,” said Melissa Abegglen, a Fish and Game employee from the Egin area. Melissa Abegglen brought along her mother, Luanne Abegglen, who gamefully pounced on a deer to hold it fast.

“This is my first time,” Luanne Abegglen said. “It’s a hoot.”

Everyone wore cold-weather garb as temperatures hovered in the single digits. Snow was ankle deep, but some drifts could be knee deep.

Brower said the helicopter used to herd deer is flown by a pilot with special low-flying certification.

“(Fish and Game biologists) know all the pilots really well,” he said. “Which is helpful because you know that you can trust them. They have to have a pretty specific skill type. Not many folks are certified to do that type of flying.”

Brower said when the chopper is in the air it costs about $1,000 an hour. Hurley said despite the cost, it is more efficient than any other method. Fish and Game population biologist Paul Atwood flew with the pilot. The pilot took directions from Atwood on different areas to herd deer while also trying to avoid the bucks if possible.

“You don’t want bucks coming into the net because they’re dangerous, basically, and that’s not what we’re after,” Brower said. “They’ll also try and spread out where they’re grabbing them from so they’re not getting them from the same spot. That gives us a better general idea of the population in an area.”

The GPS collars give biologist an idea on where the fawns are traveling and when and if they die.

“If the fawn dies, regardless of what killed it — long winter, harsh winter, nutrition, predator of some sort — as soon as that fawn tips over, if it does, we send a technician in there, we try to get there within 24 hours,” Brower said. “They’ll hike to wherever the collar is and they’ll determine the cause of death. Seeing how many fawns don’t make it through the winter, that helps us with our population to know our success rate of how many were recruited into the population for the upcoming year.”

Brower said the biologists participating in the study are able to follow the GPS signals on a computer at their desk.

People who helped with grabbing and holding the deer are called “muggers.” Some of the fawns bellowed like goats in distress as if they had been mugged, but bounded away obviously relieved when released.

The muggers, biologists and technicians appeared to be having fun.

“I think everyone was pretty happy,” Brower said the next day. “I think most of the people walked away with a smile on their face — tired but happy. It’s not something everyone gets to do every day.”

A new group hopes to tackle the tricky issue of winter use on Teton Pass and has invited all stakeholders to a series of meetings to find solutions.

The Teton Backcountry Alliance is inviting skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers and Wyoming Department of Transportation representatives to discuss the need to balance backcountry access and stewardship.

Peggy dePasquale, a spokeswoman for the group, said skier and snowboarder-triggered avalanches have closed the pass several times since 2010 “in some instances burying vehicles and endangering commuters in the process.” These incidents have gotten the attention of WYDOT.

The Teton Backcountry Alliance is holding its first “Keep Teton Pass Open” meeting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at The Coach in Wilson, Wyo.

“The formation of the group is in response to wanting to build community around many different backcountry issues,” dePasquale said. “We just really want to be proactive and gather these users together and inform them how we can take responsibility for keeping the pass open and not trigger these avalanches that threaten the lives and safety of the commuters and other backcountry users.”

DePasquale said WYDOT’s first priority is keeping Teton Pass open and safe for commuters and the alliance wants to focus on how to help with those efforts and maintain the backcountry recreation.

“We are inviting WYDOT representatives as well as different nonprofits in our community to the event,” she said. “We’re hoping to show that we’re looking to be allies with them and support them in their efforts to keep it a safe area.”

She said because of past avalanche events, access is in jeopardy. The group hopes to help inform fellow backcountry users to police each other.

“It is our understanding that at any point WYDOT has the power to say this is no longer safe for folks on the road for people skiing this terrain and will no longer provide parking … they absolutely could shut down mostly our parking and access,” she said.

Similar to a health check up, Yellowstone National Park recently took a look at its “Vital Signs.” And like a typical middle-aged American, some of the signs are OK and others are cause for concern.

The results of the study were included in a recently released report, “The State of Yellowstone Vital Signs and Select Park Resources 2017,” that summarizes a variety of key resources, ecosystem drivers, environmental quality and native and non-native animals within and around the park — a park inventory.

The report is a collaboration of several experts. The last such health check-up was done in 2013.

So doctor, give us the bad news first.

“There are concerns about diseases in the ecosystem like chronic wasting disease, the potential for white nose syndrome with bats and also aquatic invasive species and exotic plants moving in,” said Kristin Legg, who works for the park service as program manager of the Greater Yellowstone Network. “We’re getting a better idea of where we are with those and the potential for that to be a problem in the future.”

Legg said park staff can see where things are headed and make plans to prevent or reverse problems.

Legg used trumpeter swans and loons as an example. She said the birds are showing declines in “nesting success,” and park officials are closing areas where they know there are nesting loons and swans to help them “successfully get through their nesting period without human disturbance.”

“The park is taking action on a number of these different things,” she said.

Another area for concern is the mass of humanity — more than 4 million visitors each year — and its impact on the park.

“The park has social scientists on staff and they are doing a number of research and studies to look into what can they do in moving people around the park, what improvements can be made and should there be limits in the park,” Legg said. “They’re gathering information and exploring all options. Everything is on the table.”

Neal Herbert, park public relations officer, said studies include handing out iPads to visitors to track their movements in the park. Tablets are returned at the end of the visits and information is compiled.

“We’ve been doing this study one week a month from May through September,” Herbert said. “I’m sure it will take them a while to crunch their data.”

The park has seven different projects involving hired researchers, staff and volunteers to make observations and surveys concerning “visitor use management.”

“For example, a volunteer may sit in the parking lot at Mammoth Hot Springs for a period of time and record how many cars are usually in the lot, how many people come and go from that area,” Herbert said.

He said once the data is gathered and compiled from the projects, the park hopes to have an idea of specific challenges and possible solutions.

“It’s easy to make assumptions about what’s happening with visitation that don’t stand up with actual data collection,” he said.

Another negative on park health is climate change.

“There is a shift in snowpack and decreases in snowpack over time and the snowpack is shortening in season. It’s not around as long which affects stream flows and river flows,” Legg said. “We’re going to start seeing peaks in spring runoffs earlier because the snowpack is melting off earlier. We’re also going to see low flows earlier in the year. … We’re also seeing wetlands drying as well. And how having wetlands more frequently drying affects not only amphibians but other species that rely on wetlands.”

But the Vital Signs report is not all bad news. Some animals have rebounded from poor numbers or situations.

“I think the grizzly bear work is a really great example of how working together collaboratively across multiple agencies and partners is a success story of how the population of grizzly bears has grown to the point of where it’s being delisted,” Legg said.

Another positive sign mentioned in the report and in recent news headlines is the restoration efforts of native cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake and elsewhere.

“Consistent, annual monitoring programs indicate an increase in the number of juvenile cutthroat trout since 2012. Angler success for cutthroat trout has also increased, and grizzly and black bears have returned to feed on spawning cutthroat trout in some tributary streams,” according to the report.

The report lists an example of improved water quality in the park with a reclamation effort on Soda Butte Creek in the northeast corner of the park. Tailings from a old mine site outside the park turned the water “an intense orange color” but after a collaborative cleanup effort, trout have returned to the stream and the greater Lamar River watershed.

Past Vital Signs reports did not mention cultural resources — things such as Old Faithful Lodge, historic buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs and museum collections.

“One of the cool things is that the park is entering into its collections museum objects for park use and researchers,” Legg said.

She said the park catalogs documents, plants, animals and even furnishings for park staff, researchers and families who have historical ties to the park to review. Many will go on display at the park’s museum.

“Even those yellow tour buses, that’s part of the museum collection. There’s one in a garage somewhere,” Legg said. “It’s an example of the type of things parks collect.”

Legg said that overall the Vital Signs report is a useful tool for scientists, staff and researchers.

“There is value in continuing this type of work, then pulling it together into one document so that we’re able to look at the big picture.” she said.

To read the complete “Vital Signs” report, go to www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/vitalsigns.htm.