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Hook Points

Hook Points

Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
January 27, 2026

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Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Crappie, perch and trout fishing remains steady while the bass fishing has really slumped off. Best reports are coming from perch anglers. Look for schools to be hugging the bottom around 30’. Blade baits, small soft plastic minnows and drop shot style rigs are what I would be using. If the schools are moving quickly, try a heavier ball head like a 3/16oz or 1/4oz or switch to the blade bait. Trout fishing has been really productive as well. Look at 80-120’ setbacks, 1.5 to 1.8mph with Flicker Shads, Kokabow Dodgers and old school wedding rings. If it were me, I’d have a line or two without weight covering the first 10’ of the water column. I’d have another couple lines targeting that 10-20’ - see what gets bit! Crappie schools have been deep! Several guys reporting 50-60’. Sounds like the key to catching crappie is to find the schools that in 25-30’. Once on them - the same baits that are catching perch will catch the crappie - I might add a jigging rap and crappie nibbles. If you are targeting bass, plan on spending time fishing slowly and on the bottom. Try a 3.3 or 2.8 Keitech with a Cipher Fishing Tungsten jig head. Blades and drop shots can be the trick as well. Keep that drop shot shakin’ to a minimum! See what happens!

Boise River: I’d still consider the Boise fishing pretty slow. I did have a customer with a decent couple hours but I would say overall, reports have been tough. Get in the slower deeper eddies and fish with baits that can be fished slow or even still. Small Carolina rigs with shrimp can work, as can drop shots with small minnows or “buggy” baits like those from Northland Tackle or Z Man. During the warmer parts of the day - you might find a few more fish on the move in some current. Dynamic Lures HD Trout type baits can be an option then.

Brownlee: Current water level is 2058, 6’ down from last week. Its really dropping now and fishing overall has been really tough. For bass, check out the CJ Strike report and copy that in regard to baits. I like fishing up by Woodhead when Brownlee is cold like it is now. No crappie or catfish reports this week. If I was going to go looking for crappie, I’d be around Morgan Creek. Catfish? I’d be by the bridge at Steck…

Snake River: Not easy right now. Still seeing a few good ones caught but lots of guys struggling as the water temps have become sub 40. Look for deeper water, eddies and edges that have current breaks. Fish slow! Get on the bottom with drop shots, paddle tail swimbaits and blade baits. Less is more right now…

Wilson Springs: No Report.

Lake Lowell: No Report.

Cascade Reservoir: Really good reports right now for perch and quite a few bonus trout! Do yourself a favor and stop in Freedom Outdoors and talk to Jeff or see the guys at Tackle Toms for the most up to date hot areas and baits.

Horsethief Reservoir: Saw a few pics last week for some smaller trout that came through the ice over by the dam. Small spoons and small hooks rigged with meal worms were the ticket.

Owyhee Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee River: No report.

Duck valley: CAN BUY PERMITS ONLINE!!!

No Report.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: No Report

Arrowrock Reservoir: Kokes and rainbows caught here last week and it sounds like its fishing fairly consistently. Long lining was the trick - 80 to 100’ behind the boat with Orange, Pink and White Kokabow dodgers. One customer called today to thank us for our suggestion to throw the Watermelon dodger with a Pink Hoochie from our weekend fishing planner - always love hearing that kind of feedback!

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: No Report.

Local Ponds: No Reports from any ponds this week.

Annual Spring Kokanee Kickoff Sign Up is Live!, Small Biz Highlight!, Tariff Fun, HEAVY Link Rod Updates - STILL ON PRE-SALE!!, Surprise for the Sportsmans Show

Our annual SPRING KOKANEE KICKOFF WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 21st!! Class will be taught by Alan Greenhalgh from Kokabow Fishing Tackle! Come and hear all about the latest from Idaho Fish and Game about the state of our Kokanee Fisheries! This year we will hold the class in the showroom of J and H Sales and Marine. Class will be from 10am to Noon! As per usual, we will have crazy deals on everything you need to get your Kokanee season started right! Over 120 attendees last year!! You are not going to want to miss this! REGISTRATION IS LIVE now online at idahorodandreel.com under the classes tab. You can also contact Idaho Rod and Reel at 208-586-9434 if you need help getting signed up!
I wanted to take a second to highlight a small, local business that you might not have heard of. Just a few spaces down from the shop is a small gym called API owned by Adam Kelsie. I’ll start off by saying, THIS IS NOT A PAID TESTIMONIAL!! THIS IS A PERSONAL TESTIMONIAL! My son and daughter have been training with Adam for some time and both have been able to excel in their athletic endeavors. I own 3 businesses - all with their own levels of difficulty and stress. I’m a dad, husband and passionate fisherman as you all know! Needless to say, over the past several months, it has been hard to focus on myself and my health - so I signed up with Adam and have been in the gym for the past 4-5 weeks. Adam meets me where I’m at in terms of my fitness. I’m not in the gym throwing around big huge weights and you can probably bench more than me - but I’m in there every week regaining my flexibility, core strength and just feeling strong again! Stay tuned as I document a little bit of this journey! I just hope maybe one person sees it, relates to my situation and maybe takes a minute to take care of themselves. See the ad for API below and I genuinely can’t recommend Adam enough! He played college football, played professionally overseas, coached locally and works with his wife who is conveniently an awesome nutritionist. FIRST TRAINING SESSION IS FREE!! Check Adam out: alphaperformanceinstitute.com
IF YOU WANT TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS…take advantage right now. We are seeing significant price increases with most vendors - especially in the rod and reel department. We purchased quite a bit of product BEFORE the price increases hit and have not marked this product up to the new MSRP’s. If you are thinking about new rods and reels for spring, might want to grab them now. We have started ordering and receiving product at the new pricing so these lower prices won’t be around for long.
WE WILL BE AT THE IDAHO SPORTSMAN SHOW AGAIN THIS YEAR! As always, we have jig tying for the kids, crazy deals and some LIMITED EDITION “STUFF”…you will see 😉
COUPLE LINK ROD UPDATES! If you want our top seller - the Medium Spinning Rod, we only have LESS THAN 4 left! More are on order but this is not a fast process! We were expecting to see the Heavy Casting Rods last week but they are still at port!! Take advantage of the Pre-Order pricing available until they arrive!! Order online www.idahorodandreel.com
BEGINNING BASS FISHING CLASS COMING SOON!!
Check out the new 2026 IRR Beanies! A best seller every winter at $12.99 - see the images below!
One of the things that makes us a little different is our commitment to manufacturing high quality products that improve the quality of fishing for our community. Link rods, Tungsten Finesse Jigs, Clothing, the new Forge Rods and more…WAIT TIL YOU SEE WHAT WE HAVE COMING IN 2026!! The shop theme for 2026 will be all about PB’s!! Gonna be fun…
^{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

Not fishing related….but still cool!

Technically Speaking...

After Cold Front Fishing

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Winter River Fishing!

Break out the neoprene: Winter stream fishing is a perfect opportunity to stay outdoors and catch fish

Don’t throw the waders in the closet just yet. There are still several opportunities to catch big river fish this winter with flies and bait.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/break-out-neoprene-winter-stream-fishing-perfect-opportunity-stay-outdoors-and-catch-fish

FRUITLAND WITH THE RECORD!!

Fruitland angler catches new state record rainbow trout at Dworshak Reservoir

The rainbow trout came in at 20.03 pounds and edged the former record by a mere .03 pounds. Congratulations on the new spot atop the Idaho state record books!

idfg.idaho.gov/article/fruitland-angler-catches-new-state-record-rainbow-trout-dworshak-reservoir

Steelhead/Salmon UPDATE!

Have not seen anything from Fish and Game for a while on this…

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

Popular Minnows for Scoping!