STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTO BY CARMEN NORTHEN

Old-timers tell how great the fishing on the Upper Big Lost Basin was back in the day.

The basin, which includes the Copper Basin, is an incredible geologic area with diverse habitat. And its rivers, streams and lakes are prized among anglers, offering rainbow, cutthroat, golden and brook trout, as well as grayling and the only native fish to the area—a unique strain of mountain white fish.

John Heckel, a regional fisheries biologist for Idaho Fish and Game, will take a look at the health of these fisheries from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at Whiskey Jacques in Ketchum. The free presentation is offered by Trout Unlimited Hemingway Chapter.

Idaho Fish and Game officers presented a program on this area last year. And the engaging evening prompted all kinds of questions, such as why there are fewer fish in the streams, especially among fish that are surviving and reproducing.

Questions were also raised regarding the impact of current regulations and whether adjusting regulations might be beneficial to the fisheries and the basins.

This presentation is designed to revisit those issues, looking at historical data and trends and comparing it to surveys and abundance estimates from 2019. The new information will be used to determine best management practices.

There are many resource challenges impacting the health of fish in this area, including grazing, mining, off-road vehicle use, ranching, horseback riding, camping, hunting hiking and angling. It’s believed that best management practices can help offset changing impacts.