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Hook Points

Hook Points

Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
October 28, 2025

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Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Still fishing well. Lots of decent reports last week compared to the number of bad reports. If there was a pattern, I would say that it was that the days with the best weather fished the best. There are a lot of panfish in the main bowl right now and trolling seems to be the deal. One customer mentioned he caught several trout trolling down by the dam and Air Force ramp - Flicker Shads in purple with 60 and 80’ setbacks at 1.5mph. I’d also recommend Kokabow dodgers and lures - try working close to the banks first. As the water cools, lots of trout up shallow. Crappie reports have been coming from all areas of CJ - from the bowl on into the Bruneau and up the Snake River arm. Reading your electronics is key to finding them right now. Reports of fish up against the banks of the narrows near deep water as well as some fish in Bruneau in as deep as 20’. Points, coves and humps are where I’d be focusing my efforts with small underspins, nightcrawlers and Flicker Shads/Shad Raps. One customer reported catching fish on the troll early but then had to stop and fish on top of the schools later in the day noting the trolling bite just went away. Bass fishing for good sized fish is pretty dang good. Recent tournament results indicate plenty of 2-4 pound fish are willing to eat! You’ll find a couple groups of fish…active shallow feeders and some that are starting to set up near winter spots in depths of 20-30’. For shallow bass try senko’s, tubes, jigs, jerkbaits and topwater baits - maybe even a drop shot with a lighter weight. Don’t count out a big glide either. For deeper fish, try a Carolina rigged fluke, Keitech on a Cipher Tungsten Ball Head, 4” Z Man Scented Jerk Shad, 3 or 4” Keitech Easy Shiner on a drop shot, 1/2oz or 3/4 oz football jig with a Crush City Clean Up Craw, a tube and a Neko rig.

Boise River: Good fishing! Watch out for Redds and spawning browns. I’ll include pictures of what Redds look like below. Cranks, jerks, small minnow plastics and Berkley Trout worms are all good options. Don’t forget about whities…they’ll eat little chunks of shrimp, nightcrawler or salmon eggs. Fun to catch! Not a trash fish!!! They are an Idaho native species.

How to Spot Trout Redds

Spawning trout 101

There is an important distinction between fishing to spawning trout and char and fishing during the spawn. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the latter, but practicing the former might get you drawn and quartered in some parts of the country where casting over active redds means you might be pulling big fish away from a nest or a mate.

www.hatchmag.com/articles/spawning-trout-101/7715210

Brownlee: Water levels are at 2057 - up 2 feet from last week. Algae warning is still in affect and you can launch from the Spring Rec site using the old ramp. Good reports still coming from Brownlee for bass crappie and flatheads! If you haven’t caught one these dark flatheads, you should give it a go. They are the APEX predator in Brownlee and while they will eat cut bait - they like to hunt! Lots of bass guys (including me!) have stories of catching them on jigs and crankbaits. You can troll for them with big deep diving cranks and one customer that fishes for them frequently uses cut bait with nightcrawlers as he believes the movement of the nightcrawlers will trigger them! Crappie have been on points and back in coves. There have been some really nice sized fish caught! I’d just have a good selection of 2-4” minnow style baits from Northland Tackle or Z Man. I personally like the 3.5” Crush City Mooch Minnow on a Cipher ball head - I catch bigger crappie with it and hook up frequently on larger smallies that hunt around these crappie schools. For bass, check out the CJ Strike report as a lot of that pertains to Brownlee…not all fish are deep and its not as cold to them as it is to you 😆 - so topwater and shallow tactics can still play! I have caught good fish at Brownlee this late in the year on spinnerbaits…

Snake River: Good fishing right now for smallies. Still no reports in regard to cats on the Snake so if you are willing to share, please shoot me a message. Won’t give up your spots!! Just trying to get an idea if a guy should go or not! Just like Brownlee and CJ, there will be deep ones and shallow ones. For the shallow fish, throw on a weightless fluke, jerkbait, Neko rigged senko, Keitech on a 1/8oz head and might throw a topwater as well. Jig goes without saying. For the deeper fish try a drop shot, Ned rig, tube and a jig.

Wilson Springs: One report this week from an angler that caught several small trout on an Ultralight Heavyweights jig as well as a small split shot rig with a chunk of nightcrawler. Said he had the whole place to himself!

Lake Lowell: Couple reports from a few bank anglers walking the dam throwing senkos on wacky rigs and chatterbaits. Bite was slow but consistent. Said the bite would pick up when the sun was out and then got a little slower when it went away.

Cascade Reservoir: The mixed reports continue but they leaned more towards the “fishing is good” side of things. Trolling for perch and trout is a great idea! Perch colored baits are excellent for this but don’t forget about purple! I like black and silver cranks as well as browns at Cascade as well. Good reports for fish around sand and hard bottom areas. Lots of points and coves to go explore and casting drop shot rigs with small minnow baits and nightcrawlers can catch quite a few perch. Don’t forget about a blade bait! Plenty of fish within reach of the bank for bank anglers but you’re going to have to cover water. For the bass, I’d have a lipless crank, walking bait, drop shot, Keitech paddle tail and a jerkbait. Not a bad idea to have a Carolina rig with a fluke tied on - green pumpkin or black, keep it simple!

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: Still fishing tough! Very few reports coming in and not as many guys targeting it. I’d personally like to get out and see what’s happening at the dam end of things. Love to try a deeper diving crank, shakey head, jerkbait and a jig around the steeper boulder walls and see what I could do. Crappie are everywhere!

Owyhee River: No report this wee.

Duck valley: CAN BUY PERMITS ONLINE!!! FINALLY!!!

No Report

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Hearing about a few Kokanee being caught with questionable food quality. Some trout being caught as well.

Arrowrock Reservoir: No Report

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Alan with Kokabow Tackle let me know that late spawn Kokes are still being caught. Long lining is working - several colors will catch them.

Payette Lake: No report.

Local Ponds: Lots of smaller bass being caught in the Boise area ponds by bank anglers with senkos and bigger glide style baits. Trout should be biting…

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Steelhead Class!!, Allonas Angels, Brian and Team Idaho at Nationals, Food Drive Starting Soon

_{FREE STEELHEAD CLASS!! Join Hells Canyon Adventures Steelhead, Salmon and Sturgeon Guide Cody Ard as he teaches us all about the fall steelhead run! He will go over the biology, routes, gear and techniques required to catch these awesome fish! Class will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5th at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Food, drinks, friends and fishing! Sign up is live at}_{idahorodandreel.com}_{under the “Classes” tab.}
We are an Allonas Angels drop off location! This is a great program that helps put together Christmas presents for Seniors in care facilities that often spend Christmas alone. Check out this link and participate!!
Allonas Angels Link: https://allonasangels.org/
We want to congratulate shop Manager and all around amazing dude on fishing the Bass Nation Championship on the Mississippi River in Lacrosse Wisconsin this last week! While the fishing was tough, Brian found a few and was able to be one of the few to ever weigh a bag on a stage as big as this! He started tournament fishing this year in an effort to become a better angler so he could serve you guys better! Got a little more out of it than he bargained for 😆! If you are interested in tournament fishing, come and talk to us! Who knows, you might end up fishing nationals next year!
We had several Idahoans in the Bass Nation Championship and all did well in tough conditions. CONGRATULATIONS to WADE DENNY for WINNING the Bass Nation Championship on the Non-Boater side!! What an incredible feat man!!
WE WILL BE STARTIN OUR ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE SOON!! Stay tuned for announcements…
^{We are SOLD OUT of the IRR Exclusive Double Dipped 9 2 Tao Tubes!! We have a few bags of the Laminate version left!!}
^{Check out the new section that will showcase some of the boats that are available at J and H!}
^{The 2 Piece Idaho Rod and Reel Spinning Rods are back in stock!! These are 30 Ton blanks and come with 2 tips - 1 medium and 1 medium light! 2 Rods in 1…INCREDIBLE PRICE! We sold over 300 of these last time we brought them in.}
Watch our social media pages as we will have several sales and discount bins coming up!!
^{ONE STEP CLOSER!!!!! WE ARE WORKING ON A VERY UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY!! CAN’T WAIT TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT!!}
^{Bait and equipment reviews coming…along with some How To’s….}
^{Is there something you’d like to see in the shop? Email me at [email protected]…one random suggestion just might end up winning you a prize.}

Worth Watching

BUCKET LIST! Insane footage…

Technically Speaking...

Tools on the boat…

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

I agree!!

Late fall and winter can be productive for stream fishing

Late fall and winter are often overlooked on Idaho's rivers and streams for the simple reason many people don't want to deal with the cold, but trout and whitefish remain fairly active during cold temperatures, and there's no reason you can't catch them.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/late-fall-and-winter-can-be-productive-stream-fishing

Steelhead/Salmon UPDATE!

Upper Salmon River Steelhead Fishing Report (10-21-2025)

idfg.idaho.gov/article/upper-salmon-river-steelhead-fishing-report-10-21-2025

Local Fish Stocking Reports

Fish Stocking Forecasts

td {width: 33%; max-width: 33%; } This report highlights the monthly fish stocking schedule. Unless noted, fish listed below are all 10 to 12 inch rainbow trout. Stocking of all waters is tentative and dependent on river/lake/pond conditions; dates may change due to weather or staffing constraints. The table below shows schedules for all known forecasted stocking and up to the last month's recent stocking schedules. It may take two weeks for stocking data to appear as Historical stocking information. Your patience is appreciated.

idfg.idaho.gov/d7/fish/stocking/forecasts?rid=3

Steelhead Dam Counts

Steelhead Dam Counts

idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/dam-counts

One of my favorite - nope, MY FAVORITE fish to catch…