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Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
September 22, 2025

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Lots of fun was had fishing at CJ Strike last week and one of my buddies caught one of the biggest crappie I have ever seen there!! See his picture in the Catch Spotlight section! Trolling is still effective with the usual suspects; Flicker Shads, Shad Raps and Salmo Hornets but several great reports on quality fish from folks that were casting and retrieving soft plastics or using jigging raps. Lots of fish between 10-20’ and don’t be surprised to see fish in less than that - especially along the banks of the narrows. Should not have to fish deep this time of the year - which is great news for bank anglers. Not utilized as much as it should be in my opinion - don’t forget about the lowly float! From both boat and bank, this can be a great way to keep baits suspended in the strike zone. Take a look at our huge selection of panfish specific floats from Northland Tackle. One customer recommended the X-Zone 2.75” Stealth Minnows, Big Bite Bait Kamikaze Swimons and said that the perch were hitting on black jig heads tipped with crawlers. Don’t be scared to throw bigger soft plastics!! I love the Crush City Mooch Minnow and the 3 and 4” Minnows from Northland Tackle! Bass fishing has been excellent - though it does seem like many are struggling to find bigger fish. There are some decent fish shallow but I have heard from more than one source that they are consistently catching better fish in 15-20’ later in the day. Look shallow early, move out as the day moves on is what I am gathering. Try a Whopper Plopper, weightless fluke or jerkbait early, then explore a little deeper with IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs, a Zoom UV Speed Craw on a Cipher Tungsten Ball Head with a 2/0 hook, a Roboworm or Dream Shot on a drop shot, blue and chartreuse or silver crankbaits, an LV500 Lipless and a 4” Keitech Easy Shiner.

Boise River: Good fishing still! Water has dropped a bit - fish the deeper pools with small cranks or jerkabaits. Love brown/orange on this river! Want to try something sneaky, fish a small craw soft plastic on a drop shot with a really short leader. Learned this trick from a good buddy that is a guru on this river. TONS of crayfish in the Boise and big browns love em.

Brownlee: Water levels are at 2049.4 at the time of this newsletter publishing. Fishing is good for crappie, catfish and bass. For the crappie, look for schools at the mouths of any creeks in less than 20’ of water. We were finding them consistently at 12-15’. Just about any bait will work! Try a Northland Tackle Minnow on a VMC Ball Eye Jig….I’m sure trolling would work as well though I haven’t spoken to anyone that has been trying that out there. They are shallow enough that I think a bank angler would have some success. Try up around Woodhead! Lots of points and coves to play around with. Bass have been shallow and are feeding up on craws and crappie. If they aren’t up on the banks - we have found them in 12-15' - not far from the crappie schools. I would look for the banks with a good mix of rock, gravel and mud. Take a look at the list of baits for CJ Strike as I would use a lot of the same stuff here!! Especially the Cipher Ball Head with the Zoom Craw…

Snake River: Good fishing - some complaints about grass but that’s pretty normal for the river! IRR Tungsten Jigs are still the #1 bait. I’d have a weightless fluke, topwater and a Keitech with a Cipher Ball Head. A sleeper option would be just a Strike King Rage Menace Grub on a ball head or a free rig…

Wilson Springs: No report.

Lake Lowell: SAME REPORT AS LAST WEEK! Great time to fish lowell…the joy boating crowd is pretty small and great fishing on other bodies of water attracting anglers can result in you having what seems like the whole darn thing to yourself! Topwater bite has been ok with buzzbaits and the flipping bite remains excellent. Try a Reactions Innovations Sweet Beaver or a Dry Creek 3.5” tube. A weightless senko and/or fluke is not a bad idea!

Cascade Reservoir: A bit of mixed reviews on the bass but the reports for the perch have been consistently positive. To find the perch, spend some time around the rocky points with simple nightcrawlers on jig heads, 2.8 Keitechs and if you want to double the chances you catch perch and bass - set up the ol’ Ned rig Drop Shot…use the ned as your weight and tie on a small hook with a piece of nightcrawler or even just a small minnow bait and see what happens! Perch love Neds…the bass have been a little bit trickier! I think you’re best bet for some good fish would be to start on longer, shallower points and throw topwater early, jerkbaits as the day warms and then finish deeper with baits like Ned rigs, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs, drop shots and Neko rigs out in 20ish feet.

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: Good. Bad. Really good. Bad. Bad. Tough! Amazing! Bad….reports are a bit all over the place for the Owyhee right now 🤣! Crappie are everywhere - not tough to catch those. Plenty of schools shallow and catchable from the banks! For bass, it sounds like the most consistent baits have been Shakey Heads and ¾ or 1oz jigs. I’d be willing to give the topwater a go as well! I like the walking baits here. I’d also have a drop shot, Big TRD in green pumpkin, an IRR Tourney Tungsten PB&J jig with a green pumpkin purple Zoom craw trailer, a shakey head with an X-Zone Deception worm and a blue and chartreuse crankbait.

Owyhee River: Fished tougher this last week than I would have thought that it should have. With temps dropping, this place can absolutely turn on! Small cranks and jerkbaits!! Try a Rapala Countdown Minnow and a small Northland or Z Man plastic under a float on a jig head!

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: No report this week.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Heard that a couple of bass anglers have had some success on Ned rigs, drop shots and small topwaters but that is all I have heard!! If you know something and are willing to share, please reach out!!

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: Starting to see some stocked with trout. Check out the stocking schedule and throw light Carolina rigs with powerbait. These hatchery fish are used to small dough style baits!!

CRUSH CITY PROMOTION!!, Let IRR Help Your Student!, Link and Imperium Rods, J and H Sales and Marine,

10% off all Rapala Crush City Baits and get a FREE HAT!! Starting Tuesday 9/23, get a free Rapala Crush City hat with the purchase of any 3 packages of Crush City Baits!!
^{The Reel Life Rewards program IS NOW LIVE!! This program is designed to try to help students use the shop as a motivator to strive for academic excellence and fulfill the mission of Idaho Rod and Reel to serve in the community. Available for students in grades 4-12, sign up is available at}^{idahorodandreel.com}^{; click on the Youth Programs tab! Students can earn free baits, win grand prize drawings for amazing prizes like a NEVER RELEASED CUSTOM IDAHO ROD AND REEL SPINNING ROD!! Students will also receive weekly motivational quotes and study helps and tools! Parents have complete visibility to the program and control over what notifications are sent!!}
^{Link and Imperium rods are in Boise!! They have been since Thursday!! We are just waiting for the carrier to get their stuff together enough to deliver them!! If you would like to order one before they show up at the pre-order price, head over to}^{Idahorodandreel.com}^{and click on the “Rods” tab.}
^{Excited to announce that Cody Murray and I HAVE PURCHASED J and H Sales and Marine! We are both excited to be working together to get more people out on the water!!}
^{We will be getting a shipment soon of a custom bait from a major manufacturer that will only be available at Idaho Rod and Reel! Excited about this one!! Some of you got to see it this past weekend…}
^{If you are on Tik Tok - SO ARE WE! Take a look at Tin Rig Fishing (@}^{tin.rig.fishing}^{) - can’t wait for you to see what we have planned for this!}
^{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

This guy is one of the best!!

Technically Speaking...

The FG Knot - Worth Knowing!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Road to Horsethief

Roadwork at Horsethief Reservoir will close west-side road, facilities for about two weeks

Starting Monday, Sept. 22, at 7 a.m., a portion of Horsethief Road will be closed as road crews begin paving work on the west side of Horsethief Reservoir in Valley County. The closure will start at the cattle guard near the intersection of Horsethief Road and National Forest Development Road 433, and extend south to the YMCA camp.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/roadwork-horsethief-reservoir-will-close-west-side-road-facilities-about-two-weeks

Kokanee at Deadwood

Biologists working to understand what is driving a slow kokanee recovery at Deadwood Reservoir

Deadwood Reservoir has long been the beating heart of Idaho’s early-run kokanee program. For decades, its wild kokanee provided both a popular sport fishery and millions of eggs used to seed other waters statewide. However, the kokanee population at Deadwood has struggled recently, both in terms of numbers and average size. Biologists have been closely monitoring the fishery over the past few years, seeking answers while making adjustments to prime the kokanee population for a comeback.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/biologists-working-understand-what-driving-slow-kokanee-recovery-deadwood-reservoir

Steelhead/Salmon UPDATE!

IDAHO’S FALL CHINOOK SALMON SEASON UPDATE: 9/12/2025

idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-fall-chinook-salmon-season-update-9122025

Idaho's Steelhead Fishery Update, September 2, 2025

idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-steelhead-fishery-update-september-2-2025

Lower Granite Dam counts say one thing, but catching says another: Fall Chinook report

As of the end of trapping on Sept. 9, a total of 2,532 adult fall Chinook have been collected for broodstock at Lower Granite Dam, and 2,129 adults and jacks were returned to the river. The broodstock goal is approximately 4,000 adult fish that are at least 28 inches in length.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/lower-granite-dam-counts-say-one-thing-catching-says-another-fall-chinook-report

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

Interesting Perspective