Steelhead Fishing on the Salmon River

Cold temps & rising water = outstanding steelhead fishing! This am’s 38 degrees on the Salmon River coupled w/ recent downpours ensure a good run.  Are you here yet?

Steelhead count over Lower Granite Dam as of Oct 11 is a whopping 168, 557 YTD, and another 50,336 for wild, according to http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/7day-ytd_Adults.htm . Already, the count is better then the ten year average.

The recent turn in the weather to cooler temperatures, this is going to be another great week for steelhead on Idaho rivers. Anglers can be spotted up and down the Salmon River, in boats and from the banks of the river.  A recent report from Idaho Fish & Game reads: "Anglers are doing well using brad's lighted squigglers at night and hot lip lures or mag warts during the day. Bobbers with ducktail jigs and shrimp is another good set up."

All Idaho steelhead are summer run fish, which means they leave the ocean in the late summer, with most of the fish arriving in Idaho by early fall. These fish will then spend the winter in the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, and spawn the following spring.

Here at the park, we still have camping and rv-ing availability for spaces along the River, AND the good news is that spaces for Winter Storage are still available.  Give us a holler, and we'll get you in!

Salmon: 3198% Increase Over Last Year !

Yep...just have to keep the news flowing about the incredible 2010 Salmon Fishing season on the Salmon River, in north central Idaho.  Here at Swiftwater RV Park, the fishermen are beginning to dot the banks of the river, enjoying the wonderful Idaho fishing, along with Idaho vacations, and Idaho camping. Yeah!  Take a look at these counts over Lower Granite Dam, as provided by the Idaho Department of Fish and  Game (In my math book, this is a whopping 3198% increase!) :

         

White Bird Gun Club News

The White Bird Gun Club Winter Shoot officially begins this coming weekend, January  9 and 10, with practice occurring on Saturdays, and  official scores shot and recorded on Sundays.  If you’re interested, but haven’t tried trap shooting before, come on by the White Bird Gun Club.  It is located within the City limits, on the road over White Bird Creek, that runs between the Carlins and Kronke's.  There's a small sign, but if you're unsure, go to the Silver Dollar Bar, and they'll help you out.  Better yet, roll down the windows on your rig and listen for the sounds of trap gun shooting, and then just follow the noise!  

There are novices, intermediates and experienced shooters, and everyone in this Club is always willing to offer advice and thoughts on the skills of this sport. 

For Winter Storage guests from McCall to Cascade, this is a great reason to get away for the weekend.  The White Bird Gun Club is only 2 miles from Swiftwater RV Park and the Winter Shoot runs for 10 weeks.  Even if you miss a few weekend, the White Bird Gun Club members will always welcome you, and membership to the Club is VERY inexpensive!

We usually have great winter weather, though this first weekend might be a tad cold.  No worries!  The heat from the indoor wood stove will keep you hands nice and toasty in between shoots.

The kitchen is always open on Sundays, and Gladine will be serving hot dogs and flipping burgers.

WILDERNESS PICS

The RV Campground is not a hotel, but it is a beautiful place to camp, in a tent, or an RV. We've seen many more camping families this year then in the past, and everyone is welcome to enjoy the fishing, hiking, nearby rafting, and wild-life viewing at our RV Park. www.swiftwaterrv.com

The white tail deer was taken in the Nez Perce National Forest last weekend while huckleberry picking. For about five minutes, the deer was perfectly still, giving me plenty of time to awkwardly find my camera, and attempt to take a few shots. Notice the devastation of the trees in this area.

The picture of the ducks in the Salmon River, off the banks of the RV Park, were taken a week ago in the early evening. The family seemed to be hanging out splashing and enjoying their bath until they all flew away in tandem for parts unknown. Enjoyed their company.

Don't know if the hummingbirds can quality as 'wildlife', and sorry for the blurr, but these babies are fast! Its a constant battle between the h-birds and the bees, which is why the yellow bee catcher is nearby.

Ah, summer!

IDAHO HIKERS....from Alabama!

What do you do for vacation each year?

Some of us might be lucky to have a vacation, or not, but being in the hospitality and vacation business here at Swiftwater RV Park outside of White Bird, Idaho, we see vacation folks daily. Recently we had four hiking guests from Florence, Alabama. These four buddies take a week's vacation with each other every year, and the activity is always camping and hiking. Lucky for us, the 2009 destination was Idaho. They’ve been exploring many western states for the last several years, so this year it was central Idaho’s turn.

Paul, Jack, Craig and Steve begin their trip began by flying into Boise from Alabama, complete with checked luggage which included tents and camping gear. After renting a Chevy Suburban, they stuffed everything inside and headed to Stanley, Idaho to begin the week’s hiking and camping adventure.

The Sawtooth mountains were wonderful, and so was the Frank Church Wilderness, all of which added to their great store of fun memories from over the years. On this side of the mountains, they ended in White Bird, Idaho. tenting a few nights by the Salmon River at Swiftwater RV Park. Nearby hiking treks included up Rapid River, and to Heavens Gate, where at the scenic overlook, they visited with the USFS Ranger and enjoyed the fabulous views into four states. By the way, this spot in the Seven Devil Mountains is the highest viewpoint on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon. Awesome vistas were the name of the game, complimented by just about perfect hiking weather.

Music to my heart, they also exclaimed that Swiftwater RV Park is a great place to camp, and they appreciated our super clean facilities and laundromat. Since White Bird is Idaho’s shortest driving distance into Hells Canyon, we urged them to stay another day and hike from Pittsburgh Landing to the Kirkwood Historic Mansion, but their flight home couldn’t be postponed.

Back home in Florence, Alabama, one guy is a department chair at the University of North Alabama (www.una.edu), and his friend is a retired chair/professor, so they’ve been friends for years. Another guy is a economic development specialist for the Tennessee Valley Authority, who actually lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the other guy is an engineer for the FAA. It’s super to meet interesting people from other parts of this great country, and how happy I am they chose to vacation in Idaho!

In other years, they’ve camped and hiked Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon and Montana. From hiking, to fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling, and wild-life watching, the west has the best!

Sitting beneath the giant willow trees at Swiftwater RV Park, alongside the Salmon River, on the second day of their hiking trip, sharing memories, food, drink and laughs, they’re probably beginning to plan next year’s hiking and camping adventure.