Spearfishing in Central Idaho
Bear Valley, Friday night, July 11 and Saturday, July 12, 2014
Leo Ariwite invited me out to central Idaho for the annual salmon run . Agai Dikas camp out on the various tributaries of the Salmon River and spearfish for salmon. Jared and I drove out and met Leo and Darrell Shay out at Bear Valley–Bear Creek, just south of the Frank Church Wilderness Area. The evening photos show Leo, Darrell, and family members and friends spearfishing off the bridge. The lighted Coleman gas lanterns illuminate the creek so that the salmon swimming toward the headwaters are more easily made out. The campfire was at a neighboring campsite with people taking it easy and enjoying the bridge fishing tension–waiting for someone to fling their spears.
Their spears are about 18 feet long, and they have two large hooks at the end which fall off and lodge into the salmon as the spear is thrown or shot at the fish. That’s how it worked at night. The next day, however, Leo, Darrell, Stephan, Cailan, Keva, and Derrick eventually got into the creek and walked and waded in the water more or less “hunting” for salmon. They poked into log jams or deep creek pools to scare out the salmon for others waiting to spear them. This is not the kind of fishing that most non-Indians engage in. It’s quite different. I now understand how the word “hunting” for American Indians also means fishing.
We pitched a tent, set up cots, and slept in sleeping bags both nights. Morning began with stout coffee and the tasty breakfasts Leo is famous for. Then it was off to the banks to follow the creek looking for salmon. There were no trails to follow, so walking and keeping up was a bit treacherous, at least for me.
As Saturday was growing short, Leo took me aside and pointed to a log jam saying, “there’s salmon in there.” We walked up to the jam quietly and peered into the deep pool. Darrell waded into the shallow end, poking his spear into the depths. All of a sudden, a Chinook Salmon darted out up stream. I remember shouting out and pointing to its route. Leo’s son, Stephan, had positioned himself so he was able to thrust his spear and hook the salmon.
On Saturday evening, Leo filleted a fresh water catch-of-the-day, and we ate lemon-garnished salmon for dinner that night. It was delicious. At the last minute he threw together some Bannock Bread in a Dutch Oven. It was a great end to a long day.
osvingen.com 
That was beautifully done. The pictures were remarkable and outstanding.