Cooling weather and colorful leaves signal the arrival of fall. This is a busy time for fisheries biologist Tim D'Amico, as fall means a heavy rotation of river surveys to monitor fish populations across Idaho's Southwest Region. During October, Fish and Game biologists spent several days surveying multiple sections of the Boise River. While the river's trout get most of the attention, this year's surveys were looking for their often overlooked cousin: the Mountain Whitefish.

Biologists use specialized equipment to "electrofish," which as the name suggests, uses electricity to temporarily stun the fish so they can be counted and measured before being released unharmed. Information collected during the survey helps Fish and Game biologists monitor the health of the whitefish population throughout the Boise River drainage. 

Mountain Whitefish can be found in many Rocky Mountain states, including Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana. Like trout, they are a member of the Salmonidae family, but tend to specialize on eating insects near the bottom of rivers. As winter approaches and streams cool off, whitefish will spawn by spreading their eggs in rocky gravels in riffles, before migrating downstream to spend the winter in large pools. 

Mountain Whitefish are an often overlooked sportfish that can be great fun on light tackle. Here's more about fishing for whitefish. 

A large Mountain Whitefish from the Boise River.  Whitefish are fun to catch and can be found in the entire Boise River watershed.