Dworshak produces state record bass

AHSAHKA- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released further information about the new state record smallmouth bass that was caught Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Dworshak Reservoir near Orofino.

As reported earlier this week, Dan Steigers of Juliaetta caught the 9.72-pound fish, replacing his previous 8.31-pound smallmouth bass state record also caught in Dworshak Reservoir on Oct. 14, 1995, according to an Idaho Fish and Game news release. The new record bass measured 23.75 inches in length and was 20.5 inches in girth.

"At first, I didn't really believe I'd caught another record fish. I'm pretty lucky, I guess," said Steigers, a 49-year-old Juliaetta native who spends much of his free time enjoying the outdoors. "I grew up on Dworshak...we (Steigers' family) were fishing there before it ever reached full pool after the dam was put in. I love the lake - if I'm not fishing, then I'm just bobbing around in my boat enjoying it."

Dworshak natural resource officials shared Steigers' excitement about the record catch. "We're thrilled about the state record smallmouth being caught in Dworshak Reservoir for the second time in a row," said Paul Pence, Walla Walla District natural resource manager at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. "Food source productivity in Dworshak Reservoir is low, so this is probably a very old fish - a giant for this species in this reservoir. It will be very interesting to see the effects of our nutrient supplementation program on bass and other aquatic species over the coming years."

The Corps' supplementation plan calls for adding nutrients to the water that will help bring phosphorus and nitrogen levels in the reservoir back into balance and encourage the growth of organisms to improve reservoir habitat and promote more food for fish, particularly kokanee salmon. The program is tentatively scheduled to begin in Spring 2007.

Dworshak Reservoir, located near Orofino is about 54 miles long and has a surface area of about 20,000 acres extending into the Bitterroot Mountains. The reservoir provides substantial recreational and wildlife benefits. There are about 30,000 acres of project lands surrounding the reservoir used for public recreation purposes, wildlife habitat, wildlife mitigation, and log-handling facilities. Recreation opportunities include boating, water-skiing, fishing, developed and primitive camping, picnicking, hiking, and hunting. Visitation to Dworshak during fiscal year 2005 was 134,497. For more information, call the Dworshak Visitor Center at (208) 476-1255.

Idaho sportfish records are listed in IDFG's annual fishing rule book and posted online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/ -- click on "Idaho Record Fish." State record sportfish application forms are available at IDFG offices located in Lewiston, Coeur d' Alene, Nampa, McCall, Jerome, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Salmon and Boise. Anglers who believe they have caught a record-setting fish should first get the fish weighed on a certified scale. An IDFG official must verify the catch. The national record is held by angler D. L. Hayes who caught an 11.9-pound smallmouth bass on July 9, 1955, in Dale Hollow Lake along the border between Tennessee and Kentucky.

Photo: Dale Stiegers with the Idaho State Record smallmouth bass he caught Saturday, Oct. 28. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dworshak Project)

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It added definitions that supporters say strengthen the state law and that opponents say are confusing. Whichever side is right, the changes are only minor. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE FOUND ON YOUR BALLOT *AN INITIATIVE RELATING TO EMINENT DOMAIN; AMENDING SECTION 7-701, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE LIMITATIONS ON EMINENT DOMAIN FOR PRIVATE PARTIES, AND FOR URBAN RENEAL OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES; AND PROVIDE FOR FURTHER JUDICIAL REVIEW OF PROCEEDINGS INVOLVING THE EXERCISE OF EMINENT DOMAIN; **ADDING A NEW SECTION 7-701A TO PROVIDE FOR DEFINITIONS RELATING TO HIGHEST AND BEST USE, FAIR MARKET VALUE, JUST COMPENSATION, AND LAND USE LAW; AND AMENDING CHAPTER 80, TITLE 67, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE FOR JUST COMPENSATION WHEN A REGULATORY ACTION REDUCES FAIR MARKET VALUE OF PROPERTY AND TO PROVIDE JUST COMPENSATION TO A CONDEMNEE. **Regulatory Takings The second half of the initiative is not about eminent domain; it's about what is called regulatory takings. It would make changes in state law that would require governments to pay landowners when a land-use law is changed and reduces fair market value. It redefines fair market value to mean highest and best use, which the initiative says is calculated "without consideration of any future zoning or dedication requirements imposed". What is the Difference Between Eminent Domain and Regulatory Taking Eminent domain is the inherent power of government to take private property without the owner's consent, either for its own use or by delegation of its taking power to third partied for "public uses," such as public utilities or railroads. A regulatory taking happens when a government deprives a person of the use of property with regulations that reduce the value of that property. JOIN US AND VOTE NO AGAINST PROPOSITION 2 As your locally elected officials, we care about the future of our community. As citizens, we are taking the initiative to personally tell our friends and neighbors that Proposition 2 is a very bad piece of legislation that will destroy the integrity of our Planning and Zoning regulations; will create millions of dollars in lawsuits, that you, as citizens, will have to pay; and will reduce or eliminate essential governmental services. Joe Pippenger, Roy Clay, Ryan Smathers, Marguerite McLaughlin, Mike Deitrick, Doug Donner, Ted Brown, Robin Christensen, Jeanne Johnson, Mellisa Stewart, Don Ebert, Stan Leach, Pete Curfman, Maurice Masar, MD, Lori Gilmore, Alan Hengen Paid for Individually as Citizens