Go fish! Salvage order put in place for Jensen Grove due to low water levels

BLACKFOOT — A salvage order has been put in place for Jensen Grove, enabling fishermen to catch and take as many fish as they can without limit.

The water level at Jensen Grove has gone down significantly through July, enough that the continued survival of the fish is not likely. This allows anglers to catch fish before they perish in the diminishing water.

“A salvage order is a great way for us to allow the public to get at those fish and get as many of them out of there before the conditions become so bad that the fish just die anyway,” Idaho Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson said.

Fishermen still need a valid Idaho fishing license to salvage fish from the lake. The fish may be taken from the water by any method except for the use of firearms, explosives, chemicals, electric current or prohibited baits. People are not allowed to transport live fish to another body of water.

RELATED | Here’s why the water level in Jensen Grove is so low

“The city of Blackfoot welcomes any fishermen or women with a valid license to the Grove. Please follow Idaho Fish and Game regulations for the salvage order,” said Greg Austin, Blackfoot spokesperson, on behalf of the city.

Jensen Grove is an artificial lake that is filled from a diversion in the Snake River. Earlier in the summer, the lake filled up completely. At the beginning of the season, Fish and Game stocked the lake with 4,500 rainbow trout.

By the end of June, the water level of the Snake River got low enough that it was below the inlet that diverts into the lake. Over the next two weeks, most of the lake water dried out, leaving the fish with little space to swim.

Austin said that while it’s normal for a salvage order to be issued for Jensen Grove because of the water level being dependent on the natural flow of the Snake River, normally, they don’t see one issued until the end of August.

This is partly due to water being held back in the Jackson Lake and Palisades Reservoirs to take advantage of the water storage and save it for later in the agricultural year.

It’s unclear how much longer there will still be fish in the lake, so officials say that anglers should go to the lake and fish sooner rather than later.