Franklin County Lakes & Invasive Species Update

A big story this spring in Franklin County has been the threat to close access to lakes because of the concern of invasive mussels. The situation seems to be constantly evolving, but here is the most current information as we have heard it. The whole situation is very confusing, so interpret this information as you wish, hopefully things are clarified here shortly.

All Franklin County Reservoirs: No ballast compartment boats allowed (wake board boats)

Twin Lakes : $5 launching fee, all watercraft using Twin Lakes must have been recently inspected by an inspection station operated by and for the ISDA and have in its possession written certification. You have to stop at Twin Lakes e to show this.

Glendale Reservoir: The barricades will be open tomorrow May 15 at 7:00 a.m. A verification checkpoint will be staffed 7 days a week from 7 am to 7 pm The cost for verification per watercraft will be $10.00 for Franklin county residents and $20.00 for out of county. The license plate of the tow vehicle and driver license will prove residency. No cash accepted just debit/credit cards and local checks.
The verification staff will be asking for proof of a ISDA inspection form/passbook for any watercraft that has left the county AND a 2016 invasive sticker attached to vessel or Idaho boat registration. The ISDA form must then be displayed on the dashboard of tow vehicle. County residents need to visit the ISDA station within 5 days of launching or have an ISDA trailer/boat orange tag.

ISDA stations are open all daylight hours. One is located at Highway 91 in Franklin City. Others at state line roads throughout Idaho.”

These are the two main lakes we have heard information about. You can safely assume that all lakes owned by the Twin Lakes Canal company will have these regulations in place.As of this writing, nothing has been posted or made known to us about Treasureton Reservoir.

Speaking of Treasureton…… For those who fish Treasureton, this is a big year for the lake. For several years the Fish and Game has been monitoring the situation at the lake with illegally introduced Largemouth Bass. There is talk of poisoning the reservoir this fall and starting over. We have been talking to biologist Dave Teuscher about this and have mixed feelings. Here is a message from Dave regarding the situation;

“We have been considering a treatment since bass were illegally introduced about 10 years ago. As you know, we have many bass fisheries in Franklin County and Treasureton Reservoir is managed as a trophy trout water. I am preparing a data summary for the reservoir that shows the changes that have occurred in the fishery and what actions IDFG has completed to limit bass expansion (e.g., no harvest or size limit on bass and moving bass from Treasureton to other bass fisheries).

We plan to have that summary done in the next week or so. Please check back with me for a copy.

Prior to making a final decision, we will hold a meeting in Preston to discuss options. I will also be trying to meet with the irrigation company to get their input. The irrigation company has been excellent to work with and very supportive of the fishery.”

We will be sure to update conditions as they progress, as well as when this meeting will take place. Dropping an email to the Idaho Fish and Game would be a great way to voice your opinion as well.