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Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
July 30, 2025

SORRY FOR THE LATE NEWSLETTER!! I SPENT A FEW DAYS ON VACATION LAST WEEK!

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Better reports this week than last week for sure - for just about every species. Trout fishing for trollers has really picked up with lots of fish being caught in 20-25’ with Flicker Shads, Shad Raps and wedding rings tipped with nightcrawlers. Very likely to catch some crappie and perch like this as well! Crappie have been all over the place. For every “they’re in 25 feet” report, there’s a “we caught em shallow” report. Just means they are one the move and roaming around looking for bait. Try shallow early and late and spend some time looking around offshore humps, channels and drop offs in 20-30’ during the hottest parts of the day. Trolling works but I prefer to roll around looking at my electronics until I find a school. Then I cast and retrieve Jigging Raps, crappie jigs, Northland Underspins with Keitech Easy Shiners and Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimons. Bass fishing has been decent for small to medium sized fish. Tubes, IRR Finesse Jigs, Flukes on Carolina Rigs and some deep diving crankbaits are what I’d have rigged up for sure. A Strike King Dream Shot on a drop shot would be another great option. Hearing about a few popper bass early - could be fun! From the bank, throw a Keitech 3.3 or 3.8 on a 1/4oz ball head or underspin and cover water!

Boise River: Fishing well right now and a nice place to wet wade in the heat of the day. Spinners, drifting nightcrawlers on simple split shot rigs, shrimp on a jig head and small jerkbaits and crankbaits will get bit. Northland Lures has several small Tungsten panfish jigs that look like aquatic insects. Under a float, they are crushing!

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 2062 right now - down 7’ from last week and 15’ from full and dropping. Lots of blue green algae though I haven’t seen an official warning yet. I’d keep the kids and dogs out of it…fishing has been excellent. One good friend and customer reported lots of smallies on Neds and Drop Shots. Carolina rigged flukes and Zoom UV Speed Craws, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs and a Shakey Head or Neko rig would also be on my boat. Dealing with warm water - looking for cooler water is not a bad idea! Check out areas with creeks coming in for crappie and bass. I also really like bluff walls that are in the shade. For Crappie, trolling can be effective. The usual suspects will get the job done…Salmo’s, Flicker Shads and Shad Raps. If you are going to fish from the bank - cover water!! I fished black curly tail grubs FOREVER from the banks at Brownlee and caught smallies like crazy in the summer. Small underspins for crappie. Shade can be the deal!!

Snake River: Fishing well for both smallmouth and grass 😆 Just is what it is when you fish the river. IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs are crushing right now. As are Keitechs, Texas Rigged Zoom UV Speed Craws and Senkos rigged Neko style. Not a bad time to be throwing some larger baits. Give a 5” Daingerous swimbait a try…you might be pleasantly surprised. Old school curly tail grubs are a great choice, as are tubes Texas rigged.

Wilson Springs: No report.

Lake Lowell: Fishing really well. Flipping and frogging are on! For flipping, I’d have a heavier weight on and would be looking for the thick stuff. Love the Zoom UV Speed Craw, Crush City Clean Up Craw, a Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver in Blacklight and the Big Bite Baits FAFO - ANY COLOR! For frogging, I’ve been having success with the Berkley Swamp Lord and I know a bunch of guys are catching on the Spro popping frogs. Don’t count out a Chatterbait!! Fish the edges of the weedlines and throw these back into small openings and channels in the weeds. Walleye pics are coming in with regularity…troll the concrete and rocky areas and you just might find a few!

Cascade Reservoir: Water is dropping and overall, fishing has been a little hit or miss. Trolling seems to be the most effective way to get bit right now. Salmo Hornets, Flicker Shads and Perch colored Shad Raps all day long…start in 12-15’ and work your way out methodically to 25’ at 1.4 to 1.8mph. Likely to hit a few good trout doing this as well! Keep an eye on your electronics and mark areas with lots of life and come back and fish those with Keitechs, underspins and drop shot nightcrawler rigs - perch love em! Bass fishing has been a little tough. Some decent reports by the dam from anglers fishing Keitechs and drop shots out deep. There are some largemouth around the docks and they can be caught flipping senkos on wacky rigs or light drop shots. There are some smallies up shallow that come up to feed on the small baby perch. They just aren’t up there all day.

Horsethief Reservoir: Good reports this week from a few anglers that caught em trolling wooly buggers on fly rods and a couple bank anglers that caught several fish on Powerbait.

Owyhee Reservoir: Fishing well for both crappie and bass - just gotta stay on the move. Seems like the bass and the crappie are in small groups. For the bass, try a Trick Worm on a shakey head, Neko rig, deep diving crankbait (15’ or DEEPER) and I’d have an IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig or 3/4oz Football jig as well. Crappie are everywhere but it seems like the better ones have been deeper and underneath the really large crappie schools. Target them with nightcrawlers on drop shot rigs, Keitech Easy Shiners and even a small blade bait.

Owyhee River: Fishing is really good for fly guys right now. I love hoppers in the heat. Get those hoppers darn near ON THE BANK and don’t be afraid to slap em down on the water and skate them a bit…

Duck valley: CAN BUY PERMITS ONLINE!!! FINALLY!!! No Reports.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Doing well for Kokanee and Trout. Look for fish in 25-40’ with dark colored dodgers and baits. Starting to see several kokes that are losing that shiny silver look and starting to dull up a bit. I’m guessing we have a couple weeks left for kokanee.

Arrowrock Reservoir: Lots of trout still being caught and there are plenty of smallmouth to keep you busy. Not very big - but they’re eager!

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Still a smash fest for kokanee though I have seen several pics of red fish now. Lots of fish still in 25-40’ and not difficult to catch! Bass fishing has been excellent for small to medium sized bass. Not a ton of big ones being talked about but plenty of 1-2 pound fish. Ramps on the weekends can be crazy…be prepared.

Payette Lake: Lots of fish in 30’ and deeper later in the day is what I am being told. Dark colored dodgers and copper backed dodgers have been working. Sounds like a couple of lake trout have been caught as well! Deep! A Kokabow pro staffer is estimating roughly two weeks of fishing left.

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: Dealing with lots of moss…it kind of sucks!!

Stocked!!, Terminal Tackle Growing, Tungsten, Link and Imperium Update, Big Changes Coming

In an effort to keep our prices low, we have placed some very large orders for product that will be hit hard by tariffs. This includes rods and reels! We are fully stocked right now with the best products from Daiwa and Shimano. We received over 8 boxes of baits on Monday and more expected! We will be ready for fall fishing and for a little bit, we have tried to protect our customers from the tariffs!!
We have invested quite a bit of money to increase our selection of terminal tackle. New products from Gamakatsu, Owner, BKK, Ryugi, Idaho Rod and Reel, Gambit, VMC and more are in stock now.
Lots of IRR Tungsten products will be back in stock this week. This includes pure tungsten Tear Drop Drop Shot weights, Flipping weights and EWG Ned Rigs.
Link and Imperium Rod Update! I know several of you are waiting for the restock so I will keep updating as they become available. We were waiting for all of the Fuji components from Japan. It sounds like all that has arrived and installation has begun! Hopefully we start seeing shipment notifications soon! We are going to do everything we can to keep the price down on these! The tariffs are hitting the fishing industry hard…
The tackle industry is a tough one. Over 65 independent tackle shops closed last year…I have done everything I can to create a unique tackle shop experience for the community I care so much about. From custom rods, tungsten products, baits, reports, newsletters, events and classes - we have done everything we can think of to help everyone that supports our small shop - catch fish. We just want to share how much we love fishing with you and share the joy we feel when we catch fish! We have to keep evolving…WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHATS NEXT!!
C.A.S.T. 4 KIDS is coming up!! We need boaters! This is an absolutely amazing event!! See the flyer below for more info. Please consider helping and being part of this amazing program. Help us give these amazing kids a day they will remember for a long time.
New and In-Stock this week: Freaking every brand, no seriously!
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

Places to fish along the way!

Technically Speaking...

New boater??

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Get out of the heat!

Idaho's mountain lakes are summer destinations and great fishing adventures

Idaho has thousands of lakes, probably more than you could explore in a lifetime of summers, and Idaho Fish and Game has kept those lakes stocked with fish for decades by a variety of methods, including aircraft, horseback and backpack.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-mountain-lakes-are-summer-destinations-and-great-fishing-adventures

Trout Adventures? Yes please…

Want a summer adventure? Try the Trout Challenge!

The Western Native Trout Challenge is a multi-state trout slam hosted by our friends at the Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI). WNTI is part of the bigger National Fish Habitat Partnership program, working across 12 Western states to conserve native trout. They work hard to fund conservation efforts such as habitat restoration, removing migration barriers, fish population surveys and trout education/outreach.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/want-summer-adventure-try-trout-challenge

Salmon Update!

Upper Salmon River Chinook Fishery update: 7/15/25

idfg.idaho.gov/article/upper-salmon-river-chinook-fishery-update-71525

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

CAST for Kids!!