Hook Points
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Hook Points

Hook Points

Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
November 05, 2024

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Good fishing right now at CJ. Crappie have been biting and schooling up around humps and points of coves. There are a bunch of fish in the narrows as per usual. There are great spots for crappie in areas less crowded than the narrows!! Humps are the deal! If you can find them, they’ll eat! I highly recommend a big bite baits kamikaze swimon in the blue pearl salt and pepper color - it’s crushing! Perch are on the bottom and will eat a Ned rig and small minnow style plastics and nightcrawlers on drop shots. Bass are biting once you find them. Cover water with jerkbaits, crankbaits and lipless cranks. I’d have a jig tied on as well. They can be spread out looking for bait so look shallow and deep. With things cooling off a bit, you might need to slow down that presentation and work deeper water. Sturgeon fishing has been really good on the main reservoir and below the dam. Days are getting shorter and temps are dropping…fish are looking to bulk up!

Boise River: Lots of good fish being caught right now. In the lower stretches near Caldwell, Middleton…tons of pike minnows being caught. Closer to Boise you’re likely to find more trout and whitefish. With the lower, ultra clear water, throw something more natural in color and not a bad time to downsize. A simple soft bead is not a bad idea. I’d also consider ultralight heavyweights jigs. These were developed for finicky clear water trout!! Just a little bit of a nightcrawler on an easy to rig split shot set up could be the deal.

Brownlee: Harmful Algae Bloom Warning In Effect. Water is up - 2052. Fishing has been excellent overall. It seems as though it has not been necessarily an all day thing so my suggestion is cover water and don’t leave too early. As it gets colder, that sunlight might need a minute to get the whole thing going! For bass, flats and rockier main lake points and shallow sloping banks are where I’d be looking. Try a spro RK Crawler or a strike king 5xd crankbait, a lipless with either a crayfish pattern or something white and chartreuse, a jerkbait (try the Idaho Rod and Reel perch jerkbait), a drop shot and an all brown tungsten finesse jug with a uv speed craw! Not a ton of crappie reports but I personally found a couple very large ones out in 15-25’ on offshore humps that would eat the 3.3 Keitech I was throwing for bass…

Rumor has it that the catfish are chomping HARD here! Both flatheads and channel cats seem to be biting and from a VERY trusted source that they are not as deep as you think!

Snake River: Most sections are fishing well. I would be hunting for bigger eddies with access to deeper water and something other than just sand on the bottom. The water is clear in most sections. For me, that means more subtle jerkbaits and natural colored cranks (reds, browns, olives), tungsten finesse jigs (the all brown worked well for me this weekend!!) and maybe a Texas rigged Reaction Innovations smallie beaver. I saw multiple catfish while bass fishing and they were all SHALLOW.

Wilson Springs: No report

Lake Lowell: Only one report this week from an angler that had an enjoyable afternoon walking the edges and tossing a wacky rig around. Said he didn’t catch anything but that it was an enjoyable afternoon 😁

Motorized and Non-motorized boating are allowed April 15 to September 30. Human-powered boats are allowed 200 yards in front of the Upper and Lower Dams between October 1 and April 14. The rest of the lake is set aside for migrating and wintering wildlife.

Cascade Reservoir: Trout fishing is still on fire! Flicker shads and Salmos!! Trolling those same baits will likely catch you a few perch as well! Bass have been shallower and a lipless and a jerkbait are good options for those. For deeper searching, try a fluke on a Carolina rig, a tungsten finesse jig and a roboworm on a drop shot. Try it wacky rigged. pay attention to the weather!! Rain here in the valley might mean snow in Cascade.

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: Bass fishing was decent last week - with a few reports that it was tough for most of the day and then got hot for a few hours in the afternoon. Deep cranking and tungsten finesse jigs were getting bit. For cranking, try a Strike King 5 or 6XD. If you are fishing with FFS, give the Keitech Live Impact 4” a try. If you haven’t seen that bait before, check out the pics later on in this newsletter. With the cooler temps moving in, I expect the fishing to be hot and cold…little bit of a lottery ticket. Watch the weather and see if you can catch it during a warming trend…even if it doesn’t seem “warm” to you…it can be for the fish! Crappie were a little trickier to find but would eat once you did find them. Humps are the deal!!

Owyhee River: Water is low. Downsize your presentations and throw more neutral colored baits. Keep your eyes in the water for brown trout redds!

Duck valley: No report.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: No report.

Arrowrock Reservoir: Not the easiest to launch a boat right now but if you’re comfortable beach launching, there are some decent Kokanee being caught. Same pattern as Anderson…on top with Kokabow dodgers in white and pink.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Good Kokanee fishing right now for smaller fish. Fish have been on top and I’d have Kokabow white and pink dodgers with matching hoochies and spinners. You’re gonna catch a few trout as well and I have one report of an angler catching a few smallies on an orange hoochie.

Local Ponds: Good reports for trout! Take a look at the stocking report link below and go to the most recently stocked ponds! Keep it simple…powerbait is awesome for recently stocked trout as they are used to feeding on dough-ish style baits in the hatchery.

Shop News - Link Rods IN STOCK THIS WEEK!, Say HELLO to the IRR Imperium Rod for Panfish!, Ladies Only Class, Jig Tying Competition, Bulk Tungsten Order Sheet Available Now

LINK ROD UPDATE: LINK RODS WILL BE IN STOCK ON THURSDAY!! If you would like to purchase one at the pre-order price of $124.99, that is available until midnight on Wednesday 11/6!! Retail price will be $134.99. If you purchased a rod during our pre-order sale, they will be available for pick up on Thursday, 11/7 at 10am. There are currently 5 models available!! We have a 7’1” Medium and 7’3” MH Casting (multi-purpose rods), a 6’7” Jerkbait rod (casting), a 7’1” Medium Fast multi-purpose spinning rod and…
New to Idaho Rod and Reel and specifically designed for trout and crappie anglers - the Imperium rod will be in stock on Thursday! These are beautiful, 7’, 1-piece rods built on a BLUE Idaho Rod and Reel exclusive blank with all Genuine Fuji components and a premium cork grip. I wanted to provide a premium rod for a group of anglers that I feel have been seriously overlooked. If you hunt trout, crappie and big Cascade perch, this rod is something you might want to check out!
DATES CHANGED…again - because I can’t get my crap together long enough to kick this off right!! Hey Jig Tyers! Let’s have some fun and show off your skills! JIG CONTEST!! Each participant can enter 2 jigs. We will be accepting jigs on 10/22 thru 11/15 and voting will begin shortly thereafter! We will have a display area in the shop set up and customers can vote on their favorites! We will also post and give you a shout out on our social media platforms! Voting can be done in the shop only and one vote per customer, per visit, per day is allowed. Prizes will include Idaho Rod and Reel product, gift cards and Apple Air Pods! MORE INFO TO FOLLOW!
BULK TUNGSTEN ORDERS! If you are an angler that uses Tungsten as religiously as I do, we will be offering a one time bulk ordering opportunity. We will have an ordering sheet available in the next few days. Get ready for next season and save a ton of money - some items as much as 40% off. If we are able to order enough as a group, on top of the stocking orders for the shop, we can all benefit! ORDER SHEET IS READY! STOP BY THE SHOP OR CONTACT US TO GET YOURS!
6 Daiwa Kage Dry Bags Left!! Purchase a Daiwa Kage Rod and or reel and receive a free Kage Dry Bag!
LADIES ONLY CLASS! Join us November 14th, 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center to learn about “Fishing Local!” where we will learn about common fish in our area, where to find them and how to catch them! Taught by LOCAL ANGLER ASHLEY RICHARDS! Ladies! This is 100% for you! Food, fishing, friends and fun! Sign up online!
Keep an eye out for something new…TACKLE TALK TUESDAYS coming soon!
IN STOCK NOW: Damiki vault blade baits 1/4oz to 3/4oz, zoom flukes, spro power swivels, Daiwa j braid grand braided line, Daiwa Kage rods, Daiwa Fuego spinning reels, Aerojigs Steelhead jigs, Daiwa 300 sized Tatula baitcasting reels for steelhead and big baits
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

Enjoyed this!

Technically Speaking...

Frequently asked about in the shop!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Steelheaders!! Great News!

Steelhead returns so far mark the highest annual returns in last 7 year, and could climb

If you’ve been waiting for some of the best news of the year for anglers, hold on to your fishing rods. Idaho’s annual steelhead returns through the month of October are the highest they’ve been in over seven years…and still counting.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/steelhead-returns-so-far-mark-highest-annual-returns-last-7-year-and-could-climb

Sucks this is even a thing…

F&G seeks information about four separate cases of mule deer left to waste near Council

Fish and Game conservation officers are asking the public for information regarding four separate cases of mule deer being shot and left to waste near Council. Anyone with information that may be helpful in these cases is encouraged to call the McCall Office at 208-634-8137, the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999, or report online at idfg.idaho.gov/poacher. Callers can remain anonymous, and a reward is being offered for information that leads to a citation.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/fg-seeks-information-about-four-separate-cases-mule-deer-left-waste-near-council

It’s taking over

Current Trout Stocking

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 Set Up!

Steelhead Dam Counts

Steelhead Dam Counts

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

Steelhead Updates (article dated incorrectly)

Idaho's Steelhead Update 10/4/2024

idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-steelhead-update-1042024

Hot Topic

Bassmaster Elites no longer pay to play

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Professional bass fishing will never be the same. Ever. That’s a huge statement. In this case, it’s true. B.A.S.S. just announced that the Bassmaster Elite Series, heading into its 20th season, will no longer require entry fees. Yes, you heard that correctly. In 2025, competitors of the most prestigi

bass365.com/blogs/news/bassmaster-elites-no-longer-pay-to-play