Hook Points
Posts
Hook Points

Hook Points

Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
June 10, 2025

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Crappie fishing is really good right now. Still have some shallow fish but for the most part, best reports are for fish in 10-20’. Trolling is effective and anything from a flicker shad to an old school wedding ring to just a plastic minnow on a jig head will work. Been a little tougher for most to find larger bass but plenty of 1-2 pound fish are keeping things fun. As these bass are transitioning to their summer patterns, you need to be prepared to fish from 1’ to 25’. I’d have a topwater walking bait like a Lucky Craft Gunfish, a roboworm on a drop shot, a Spro Rk Crawler or Strike King Elite 3 or 5 XD in a chartreuse and blue, a 3.8 Keitech on an under spin and an IRR Tungsten finesse jig. Sturgeon fishing has been excellent.

Boise River: Water came up quite a bit last week and I haven’t heard anything about the fishing!!

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: Water levels are up 3’ this week to 2071 - that’s 6’ from full. Still on fire…great place to catch a lot of fish right now from bank or boat. The bass have been in that 1-2 pound range but aggressive and fun! Drop shots, tube jigs, a jerkbait/topwater popper early and late, a tungsten finesse jig and a 3.3 Keitech in white or Sexy Shad! The crappie fishing has been decent and the fish are good sized! Your best bet from the banks is to keep baits in 10-20 feet, and move a lot! Throw Northland Tackle under spins or Beetle spins. Both are great search baits. From the boat, spend some time roaming around the mouths and backs of deeper coves looking for schools on your electronics. Once you find them, Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swim Ons and Northland Tackle Mimic Minnows will take care of the rest!! Catfishing is absolutely on fire around woodhead with a customer reporting more than 20 fish, 2 evenings in a row! Cut baits and nightcrawlers did the trick!

Snake River: Decent performer right now. Sounds like it is about to rise quite a bit so expect to be dealing with lots of grass. I’d have a popper and a Keitech on a weighted EWG to try to fish efficiently around the grass. The IRR tungsten finesse jig will definitely get bit!! Reports for catfish have been mixed. The water was really low last week so many struggled in their usual spots and had to go hunt fish in deeper locales - targeting bridges and deeper pools.

Wilson Springs: No report.

Lake Lowell: Hot! Cold…Hot hot!! Really cold…Moody right now is what I am getting at!! There is a topwater bite and throwing a frog can definitely be the deal! We have several to choose from…I’d have a light and a dark in the arsenal! Try a jackall Kaera frog…great action and compact profile. I’ve been harping on the Big Bite Baits FAFO for a reason…it’s getting bit! I love a weightless senko and a 1/2oz jackhammer chatterbait would be on the boat as well.

Cascade Reservoir: Still catching perch! Little more hunting is required to find the larger fish. Lots of fish in 5-10’ of water but seems like those have been the smaller ones. Great if you have the kids with you and need to get some action!! 10-20’ seems to be holding the bigger perch. I love a drop shot this time of year. You can set these up with multiple hooks and baits, can hold them in the strike zone a long time during finicky bite windows and might catch a good bass while you’re at it! Try the ultra fine wire Ryugi Fog Shot hooks with your favorite panfish plastic or even just a bit of nightcrawler. Bass fishing has been a little tough for most. Need to cover a lot of water it seems to find fish that are on the move. Topwater around long sandy points can be a good call. I’d have an X Zone Hot Shot minnow on a drop shot, a neko rigged senko or Rapala Crush City Janitor worm, a 3.3 Keitech in Rainbow Shad or Perch and a flipping bait like the Big Bite Baits FAFO for targeting largemouth around docks.

Horsethief Reservoir: Good reports for 12-14” fish down by the dam if you are fishing from the bank. One of my fly fishing buddies caught several on a Seal Leech on a full sinking line that he was trolling from his float tube.

Owyhee Reservoir: Crappie are everywhere! Small ones but plentiful! You should have no problem flipping your favorite plastic around from the banks and catching several in the 6-8” class. The bigger fish are in smaller schools and off the banks just a bit. One customer recommended fishing more bluff walls for the bigger fish. Don’t forget the drop shot for panfish!! Works really well! Bass fishing has been excellent. I started noticing that it was dropping off a bit this weekend from the messages everyone was sending me but still a spot I’d be targeting. Topwater walking baits or poppers will get bit at certain times of the day and for the in between, I’d have a Strike King Cut-r Worm on a Neko rig with a 1/16oz Cipher Fishing Tungsten Nail Weight, a Roboworm on a drop shot (purple or green pumpkin) and I’d throw a chatterbait around a bit as well for largemouth - try something in the white camp with a gold blade like a Jackhammer Dirty White.

Owyhee River: Good fishing right now for both fly and conventional tackle anglers. For flies, I’d have a good selection of black and green pumpkin streamers, small hares ears and be ready for BWO hatches (will be sporadic) and an evening caddis hatch. Little hint…I throw PMD dries even when they’re not on the water. For conventional tackle, Shad Raps in the deeper sections and shrimp on a jig head under a float just crushes trout on the “O”.d

Duck valley: RECENTLY STOCKED! From the Reservation Website:

May 23, 2025 – All reservoirs have been recently stocked May 14, and May 16 of 2025. Water temperatures for the week right around 55° C. Anglers have been dropping floaters, and boats at all reservoirs looking for some rod and reel action with reports of moderate to high fishing activity, where black and green leeches are pulling a lot of trout activity from the waters of Sheep Creek this week. Bait casters continuing to get good responses from a variety of swimbait lures, and shore casters landing fish with PowerBait, and night crawlers, and marshmallows.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Things have become a bit tougher as the recreational boaters are out in full force. The kokes don’t love it…get their early and get your baits in the 15-25’ range and get your work done early!! Pinks and oranges remain the most popular choices.

Arrowrock Reservoir: It’s a trout and small bass smash fest 😂 Trolling Kokabow dodgers and bugs in 10-20’ will catch ya all the trout you can handle…no Kokanee to speak of still. The water is warming quickly and that will push those trout deeper and deeper. Don’t forget about the bass here…especially if you’re taking kids. LOTS of 1-1.5 pounders and they’ll eat poppers and Ned rigs like crazy!

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: According to Alan with Kokabow you could pretty much throw a hot dog and catch a koke 😂 - sooooo, hot dogs are now in our bait fridge!! Just kidding…no they’re not. Bass fishing has been decent as well with tons of 1-2’ fish willing to bite. Scented Jerk Shadz on Cipher Heads, ned rigs, topwater poppers and drops shots will get you bit!

Payette Lake: Fish are bigger but anglers are dealing with the same thing as Lucky Peak. As the recreational boaters start to overrun things, the fish get deeper and tougher to catch. GET ON THE WATER EARLY AND GET OFF EARLY! If possible… 😄

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: For pond bass, weightless senkos on weedless wacky hooks, Texas rigged creature baits flipped into the weedy/bushy areas and I’d have a frog as well.

Post Spawn Bass Class Filling Up!, LOTS OF FATHERS DAY PROMOS!, Cipher News, Rods Sold Out, Something Big, Kayak Tourney

Join us for a FREE “How to Fish the Post Spawn” class taught by Cody Murray on June 12th from 6:30 to 8pm at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center. Registration will be open sometime Tuesday. As of Monday, we have 14 spots left.
WE ARE RAFFLING OFF 2 HUGE BAIT PACKAGES FOR FATHERS DAY!! One is for Panfish and Trout, the second is for Bass. Receive a raffle ticket for EVERY PURCHASE from TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY (one per customer per day)!! Drawings will be held on SUNDAY!!
FATHERS DAY GIFT CARD SALE! We have 10, $100 Gift Cards available for $80. First come, first served! Goes live first thing TUESDAY MORNING!!
We just brought in several pair of Bajio Polarized Sunglasses! Cody Meyer signed several Bajio and Idaho Rod and Reel hats and we are giving those away with every pair - ON TOP OF BEING 10% for the week of FATHERS DAY! LADIES SIZES and FRAMES AS WELL!!
I FOUND 6 or 7 of the GREEN IMPERIUM RODS behind a door!! I must have put them there and forgot!! If you would like one, please let me know! These will go VERY QUICKLY! It is the rod that I am currently strolling with as well as throwing the drop shot and Neko rig with.
The NEW HATS HAVE ARRIVED and they are selling quickly! There are 3 models - camo with a leather patch, gray with a blue logo and back by popular demand, the all black hat with leather round logo.
Can’t wait for you to see the new Cipher Fishing product that will be out soon!! Available at Tackle Warehouse and Idaho Rod and Reel first!
SOMETHING BIG is coming…the next evolution…
New and In-Stock this week: Bass Mafia Daingerous Swimbaits, Strike King Half Cut-R Worm, Keitech Everything!, Daiwa Rods and Reels, Bajio Sunglasses,
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

Some of these boats are UNREAL!!

Technically Speaking...

Need to know!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Record Carp!

Archery angler shatters state record for grass carp

Riley Farden of New Plymouth was bow fishing for carp on the Snake River when he loosed an arrow that not only hit its mark, it set a new state record for grass carp.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/archery-angler-shatters-state-record-grass-carp

Salmon Update!

Upper Salmon River Chinook update - 6/9/2025

idfg.idaho.gov/article/upper-salmon-river-chinook-update-692025

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

Free Fishing Day Activities

F&G's Southwest Region sponsoring three big Free Fishing Day events on June 14

Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 14. Fish and Game staff and reservists are sponsoring three large events throughout the Southwest Region, and providing everything you need for a fun day of fishing – including rods, reels and bait.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/fgs-southwest-region-sponsoring-three-big-free-fishing-day-events-june-14