Evin Oneale, the regional conservation educator of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Southwest Region, submitted this article regarding poaching in the state's Lake Lowell.
NAMPA, Idaho — Ask any bass fisherman in the know and he will tell you: Largemouth bass fishing has never been better at Lake Lowell. Larger bass are numerous, and both bank and boat anglers are regularly catching 4- and 5-pound fish. Smaller 2- and 3-pound fish are even more plentiful.
But all is not rosy at Lake Lowell. Rules that have helped produce the reservoir’s robust fishery are being ignored by too many anglers. In response, Fish and Game staff members have stepped up efforts to minimize this behavior.
Unlike most water bodies in Idaho where general six-bass limits apply, Lake Lowell’s bass population is managed under special rules. While bass fishing is allowed year-round, a catch and release provision is in place from Jan. 1 through June 30. The second half of the year, a slot limit allows for a daily harvest of two bass, but none between 12 and 16 inches. The slot limit rule allows the reservoir’s slow-growing bass to reach maturity and reproduce, and so perpetuate Lake Lowell’s bass population into the future.
In 2013, Lake Lowell’s bass fishing was nearly as good as it is this year, and too many anglers either didn’t know the rules or simply chose not to abide by them. Fish and Game officers stayed busy contacting and educating anglers about the special rules. Both warnings and citations were issued to offenders.
Anticipating a robust bass fishery in 2014, Fish and Game ramped up enforcement efforts beginning April 15, in cooperation with the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s safe to say that Lake Lowell received more enforcement attention this past spring than ever before. The high visibility enforcement effort resulted in more than 500 anglers being contacted, both on shore and on the water. Responsible anglers helped in the effort, by calling the Citizens Against Poaching hotline when they suspected illegal bass harvest. Officers were diligent in their efforts to balance education with enforcement; tickets were written as were warnings in some cases.
During the effort, many illegal — but live — fish were documented and returned to Lake Lowell. In other cases, illegal dead fish were discovered and confiscated. Officers engaged in one of several early June boat patrols discovered 10 bass in two livewells. Remember that catch-and-release rules require that fish be released immediately upon being landed.
From April 15 through June 30, 63 bass fishing violations were detected at Lake Lowell, ranging from fishing without a license to possession of illegal bass. Forty-one of those violations led to citations; warnings were written for the remainder. Sadly, most of the anglers found in violation were fully aware of the rules.
Things didn’t improve much after July 1, when the harvest and slot limit rules came to bear. Multiple violations of the slot limit were detected, clear evidence that additional education efforts are needed. To help in this effort, a new business-card-sized rule card has been produced and is being distributed by enforcement and other personnel to every Lake Lowell angler contacted.
As with most enforcement efforts, responsible anglers remain a good line of defense. If you witness a suspected violation, get the details — a boat registration number or a license plate number — then call the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999.