No need to not target these
Some of you may recall a blog post from a couple of summers ago in which I was not targeting—and ended up catching—a bull trout in Idaho. The article was aptly titled, Not Targeting Bull Trout in Idaho in case you wanted to re-read it. I’ve always thought the term “targeting” was a bit vague and essentially unenforcible. I mean, who’s to say that you are targeting one species or another while fishing waters that holds more than one species of fish? That said, apparently targeting bull trout in Idaho is not disallowed. A recent comment from a reader of the UA alerted me to an article on the Idaho Fish and Game website that I found rather interesting (thanks, Tony). The article, titled Casting for bulls: fishing for Idaho’s bull trout, can be read HERE.
So there’s no need to be covert in your targeting of bull trout while fishing in Idaho. Just be sure to treat them gently and release them quickly.
I’m looking forward to my trip next spring to the Metolius. Maybe I will get lucky to catch the elusive bull trout and quickly send it on its way… Then, maybe I will just be happy to catch any fish on the Metolius! Haha
Can you legally target bull trout in Oregon? My hunch is that you will catch NOTHING on the Metolius. I only ever saw that river once, and for a brief period of time. Only had time for about 3 casts. Of course, I caught nothing. Nor did I expect to, so in that regard I wasn’t disappointed in the least.