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Hook Points

Hook Points

Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
August 26, 2025

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Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Good fishing overall this week. Lots of crappie being caught on the troll with the usual suspects - Shad Raps, Flicker Shads and Salmo Hornets. Take a look below at the pics of some new Shad Rap Elite crankbaits we just received!! These look absolutely amazing! Trout and perch are starting to show up for the guys trolling as well. As we get closer to the fall, look for more and more trout to start showing up closer to the banks by the dam, just outside of Black Sands and in the narrows. Good numbers of bass are being caught up the Snake River arm. Look for fish shallow early. Target them with Whopper Ploppers, walking baits, 8-10’ diving cranks and weightless wacky rigged senkos. As the day moves on, look deeper with drops shots, Ned rigs, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs and either a Neko Rig with a Cipher Fishing Nai Weight or a Wacky Rig with and IRR Tungsten Wacky Jig Hook - one of Brian’s favorite hooks we sell. There are some good fish to be caught in the Bruneau arm but can be a little tricky to find them. Try a Carolina rigged Green Pumpkin Fluke, a Dry Creek Tube jig on a 3/16oz head or an IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig with a Zoom Z Craw Jr. trailer.

Boise River: Browns are being caught right now! Perfect time to throw the Lucky Craft Pointer 65’s, Dynamic Lures HD Trout and if you want to try something new, take a look at a couple of Hook Up baits.

Boise River at Glenwood Bridge NR Boise ID

Monitoring location 13206000 is associated with a Stream in Ada County, Idaho. Current conditions of Discharge and Gage height are available. Water data back to 1938 are available online.

waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/13206000/#dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&period=P7D&showMedian=false

Brownlee: Sitting at 2049.3 right now - down 3’ from last week. We are on the old ramp if you launch at Spring which means no dock. You will be able to launch here until the level hits 2043. Harmful algae bloom warning is in effect. SAME REPORT AS LAST WEEK!! Several customers reported great days with this report!! If it ain’t broke…Fishing is excellent right now for 1-2# bass and some decent sized crappie are being caught. For the crappie, trolling is a great idea. I was there last week (2 weeks ago now) for a few hours and saw several schools around bluff walls sitting in 10-20’. The mouths of multiple coves had small schools of crappie as well. It is these smaller schools that we found some of the larger crappie in. We caught a few on Keitech 3.3 Fat Swing Impacts to see what they were and then moved on to looking for bass. The algae while disgusting, does not seem to impact the bass and I think because of it, I found several fish shallower than I was expecting. It provides shade and cover - and they are under it! Backs of creeks had some fish as did points around bluff walls. The IRR Tungsten Finesse jig put on an absolute clinic for me!! 30+ fish in a matter of a couple of hours…I paired the 1/2oz Smallie Bug with a Reaction Innovations Smallie Beaver, Green Pumpkin Red and just put a beat down on some bass! I’d have a tube jig as well. Its getting close to Fall - crayfish are on the move guys.

Snake River: Fishing well. Green pumpkin flukes, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs, topwater walking baits or soft plastic topwater baits, drop shots, tubes, Crush City 3.5” Mayor and senkos. ALL GREAT OPTIONS!!

Wilson Springs: No report.

Lake Lowell: The lake has been fishing well. Early mornings and evening have been the best. Flipping has been king from what we are hearing. I’d still have a frog or topwater with me. Don’t forget about the soft plastic topwater variety…Horny Toads, Lunker City Salad Spoons, etc. For flipping - love Reaction Innovations Kinky or Sweet Beavers, Keitech Crazy Flappers, Zoom Crawz and no way I’m going out here without Crush City Cleanup Craws and Bronco Bugs.

Cascade Reservoir: Started to see a few more perch pics and reports this week with fish being caught on the troll around weed edges by the golf course and also around the rocky areas by the dam. Again, if you love to troll, you need to see the Shad Rap Elite baits!! The finishes are amazing! Trout are being caught in 20’ and one customer recommends about 1.5-1.8 on the trolling speed. Bass fishing has been a little tricky. With the water low and dropping, the best reports I am getting are for bass that are on offshore gravel or deep sandy points with schools of perch around. There have been fish caught early on topwater and that bite has caught some big ones. For me that would be a walking bait! Drop shots, Carolina rigs and IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs did well in a tourney up there this weekend.

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: Fishing a bit tougher for bass but still totally worth the effort with some 3-4 pound smallies and largies being caught regularly with larger than that a good possibility. I’d start with topwater - a buzzbait or walking bait and then move to some of my favorite finesse techniques like a Neko Rig or a drop shot. Don’t sleep on the lowly tube jig either! Crappie fishing remains excellent! Your favorite plastic should do the trick. There are plenty of fish high in the water column and there are schools next to just about every kind of structure you can think of. Points and coves are full of them!

Owyhee River: Great fishing as we head into the fall! The Lucky Craft Pointer 65 is definitely one of the baits you need here and don’t forget about the little ol’ crappie jig. Under a float or just drifted along the bottom - they can be deadly!!

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

From the Reservation Website:

July 28, 2025 – Billy Shaw Reservoir remains in good condition with healthy water levels and clear visibility near the shoreline. Aquatic vegetation like moss is present along the bottom, supporting fish and insect life. Wildlife activity is high, with large numbers of ducks, pelicans, and dragonflies observed throughout the day.

Fishing conditions appear calm but active, with anglers seen kayaking and casting along the shore. Visitors are continuing to enjoy the lake with light recreation, including music and fishing. While it's a long drive, Billy Shaw continues to be a peaceful and worthwhile place to visit, offering a healthy environment for both people and wildlife.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: No report this week.

Arrowrock Reservoir: Only report this week came from an unsuccessful bank angler searching for trout.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Some decent bass caught this week by a bank angler that is new to bass fishing and fished a Ned rig we set him up with for the first time!! Love hearing stuff like this! Curious to see how the bass in Anderson do during the fall…there were plenty of 2.5 pound and heavier bass caught here this spring…

Payette Lake: No report.

QUICK THANK YOU TO ALAN WITH KOKABOW TACKLE FOR THE KOKANEE REPORTS TODAY!! THIS GUY JUST CONTINUES TO WORK SO HARD TO HELP THE COMMUNITY CATCH THESE FISH!

If you would like to book a trip with Alan, he is guiding through Fish and Fur Outfitters. Cost is $250 per seat - 2 person minimum and I can tell from first hand experience - if you want to learn how to get in the game - its worth every penny! He guides on Anderson and Payette Lake!

Local Ponds: The fall pond season can be a good one! Water temps will drop and allow IDFG to stock trout again and the moss starts to recede a bit making bank angling viable. We should start seeing more reports come in!!

Reel Life Rewards for STUDENTS!, Steelhead Classes Coming Soon, STEELHEADERS - Tons of Baits Just for You!, Major Restock for Fall Fishing,

^{PLEASE READ!!! I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!}
^{EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE “REEL LIFE REWARDS”!! A BRAND NEW PROGRAM FROM IDAHO ROD AND REEL DESIGNED TO HELP MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO DO THEIR BEST AND GET GOOD GRADES!}^{Participants will receive weekly motivational thoughts, quotes, study strategies and other great life helps! They will also have access to Participant Only events and will earn prizes from Idaho Rod and Reel for their good report cards!! Watch our socials for the announcements! “It is the mission of Idaho Rod and Reel to share our love of fishing and serve in the community that supports our shop.” I like to remind people that Idaho Rod and Reel is A SERVICE business - we want to contribute positively to the community! Selling tackle is good - but helping others is gooderer}😄
^{Excited for a projected Steelhead run for the ages! Classes coming soon!!}
^{OVER $10,000 in Steelhead tackle is on its way with tons of new stuff already on the shelves including Mag Lips in Custom Colors!!}
^{If you are on Tik Tok - check out Tin Rig Fishing - that’s ME!!! Follow us and watch for some really cool How To’s, Reviews, Tips and Entertainment!}
^{Check out the new Idaho Rod and Reel Tungsten Football jigs! These are available in 1/2, 3/4 and 1oz. Great colors specific to our fisheries!}
^{NEW TARIFF PRICES ARE IN EFFECT FOR MANY ITEMS! Idaho Rod and Reel spent thousands of dollars on pre-tariff effected items so that we can keep our prices low for as long as possible. If you are looking for new rods and reels - get them now before we replace with items affected by the tariffs!}
^{ONE STEP CLOSER!!!!! WE ARE WORKING ON A VERY UNIQUE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY!! CAN’T WAIT TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT!!}
^{Link and Imperium rods HAVE SHIPPED!! Will keep you all posted on their progress!!}
^{HUGE announcement coming NEXT WEEK!}
^{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

I love these…

Technically Speaking...

Reel Tricks!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Yes!

Summer steelhead returns way above average, surprising both anglers and biologists

Fish and wildlife populations are always surprising us — sometimes in bad ways and sometimes in good ways. This year’s steelhead return is guilty of the latter, and the recent spike in returns is worth celebrating. This year’s return has already exceeded the preseason forecast, and as of Aug. 6 there have been 76,000 A-run steelhead counted while passing Bonneville Dam.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/summer-steelhead-returns-way-above-average-surprising-both-anglers-and-biologists

FIRE SEASON!!

Hunters, anglers, campers and other recreationists: know current fire restrictions

People should know any fire restrictions if they're going to have a campfire (where and when it’s allowed), and have water and a shovel handy. Keep fires small and manageable, extinguish them completely by making sure ashes are COLD before leaving the campsite. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/hunters-anglers-campers-and-other-recreationists-know-current-fire-restrictions

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

What do you think??