Q: Can you recommend any guided salmon-fishing trips here in Idaho.
That would include boat, tackle and help in fishing for salmon.
I have little fishing experience and would like to try salmon fishing next month on the Salmon River.
LEONARD R., via email
A: The easiest place to check for outfitters for salmon fishing is to go to the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association website at ioga.org/fishing/steelhead-and-salmon.
You’ll find a number of outfitters in the Riggins area, which is a key spot for the Salmon River.
The website for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board gives a complete list of outfitters in the state. Find it at oglb.idaho.gov. Then do a search for fishing outfitters on rivers. Also check which ones offer jetboat trips and which offer driftboat trips.
The salmon season is open in Idaho and fishing has been pretty good on the Clearwater River. The time also is ripe for the Salmon River near Riggins. Fish have been caught there, too.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
Q: My husband is disabled with nerve damage in his legs and can’t walk or stand for very long.
He does have a wheelchair he can use for longer excursions. I was wondering if you could provide suggestions for handicap-accessible outings?
S.J.G, via email
A: When I was in a wheelchair with a broken leg, we did a lot of fishing off the wheelchair accessible docks at local ponds, such as ParkCenter in Boise and Wilson Springs near the Idaho Fish and Game office in Nampa. Many of the ponds in the valley have docks and plenty of trout, which are stocked by Fish and Game.
We also were able to camp in wheelchair-accessible campgrounds with paved pathways to the outhouses and also around the picnic tables. I found the camping pads and pathways pretty good for the wheelchair.
Redfish Lake campgrounds and others around Stanley have pretty good accessibility.
Idaho Power’s campground at Woodhead Park near Brownlee Reservoir has paved pathways and wheelchair access.
You might try a picnic at Celebration Park on the Snake River south of Nampa. If I recall, it was fairly easy to get around the parking area and close to the picnic tables. I also wheeled a ways down one of the dirt trails at Celebration Park.
Here are some suggestions from the Boise National Forest for wheelchair access: Shafer Butte Campground, north of Boise off Bogus Basin Road (it’s still snowed in); Shoreline Campground at Warm Lake; Silver Creek Campground near Silver Creek Plunge north of Crouch; and the rental cabin at Boiling Springs north of Crouch.
The cabin was recently updated with a ramp and the doors were widened. Go to recreation.gov for details on these campgrounds.
Have fun out there!
