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Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
January 14, 2025

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: With the warm-ish temperatures that we have been seeing, fishing has been decent! The key thing to be aware of is the feeding window…most guys are reporting the same thing - good bites for about an hour to an hour and a half, and then it goes back to being a bit tough. Being there in that window is key. I wish I could just tell you exactly when that will be!! Speaking to so many friends in the shop, I can confidently say that 11-3 seems to be the peak hours. For bass, metal seems to be the #1 right now. Try a 3/8 or 1/2oz Damiki Vault blade bait in 20-30’ and fish slow! Probably not a bad idea to have a 3.3 Keitech, Crush City Ned and a senko on a nail weight. Perch and crappie are probably the most targeted species right now and they can be caught on a number of small plastics - and I mean SMALL - downsizing has been effective for sure! Try the small plastics by Eurotackle that we have in stock and make sure you tip with nightcrawler or crappie nibble. A drop shot set up is great for vertical fishing and multiple hooks can be set up on one line - highly recommend!

Boise River: Definitely a hot spot, in this cold weather. Shrimp on a jig head under a float, small Berkley trout worms on a drop shot and even soft beads have been working. If you are working a hard bait or spinner, try slowing the retrieves down. Fishing deeper pools are very likely to be productive most of the time right now - especially those that receive direct sunlight. Sun = bug activity…

Brownlee: Water levels are at 2072 - definitely a bit high for this time of the year. As such - we are dealing with quite a bit of debris in the water, including large logs. Keep your eyes open and be careful! Fishing reports have not been amazing. A few ok reports coming from guys that are fishing up by Woodhead but overall, definitely fishing tough. For bass, I’m probably rigging two rods…one with a Damiki Vault blade bait and one with a 3.3 Keitech Fat Swing Impact on a 1/4oz head. There are several crappie schools that hang out around Woodhead pretty much year round - for right now, I’d be trying to get on top of one of those schools and just fish vertically with a small plastic or a jigging rap.

Snake River: The river has been consistent for the past few weeks for both boat and bank anglers. Get in the back eddies that have access to both sunlit shallows of 4-8’ as well as access to some deeper 12-20’ of water and fish slow and on the bottom. For this time of year - I’m going to have a Keitech and a Senko on a Neko rig.

Wilson Springs: No report this week.

Lake Lowell: No report.

Motorized and Non-motorized boating are allowed April 15 to September 30. Human-powered boats are allowed 200 yards in front of the Upper and Lower Dams between October 1 and April 14. The rest of the lake is set aside for migrating and wintering wildlife.

Cascade Reservoir: Really good reports coming out of Cascade! Thicker ice on the northern end but guys are rolling all over that thing with sleds, snowmobiles and 4 wheelers - so decent ice everywhere. Lots of the slush from last week has been freezing from what I heard today. Lots of success reported from the guys fishing in 15-20’. The Eurotackle Z Vibers have been catching as have simple tungsten ice jigs tipped with mummified meal worms, nightcrawlers or other worms that I’d stop in at Tackle Toms for.

Horsethief Reservoir: Good ice and decent numbers of small trout are being caught. Jig heads with a little nightcrawler as well as small jigging spoons should do the trick!

Owyhee Reservoir: No report this week.

Owyhee River: No report.

Duck valley: Great ice fishing destination for really good sized trout! Powerbait and nightcrawlers work well here if you’re going to bait and wait. If you want to feel the bite - throw some metal at ‘em. Spoons work well as do the Eurotackle Z Vibers and T-Flashers. I have thrown flies here since I was a kiddo and caught tons of fish on San Juan worms under a bobb….I mean strike indicator (I got JOKES!)…give a Eurotackle Bloodworm on a drop shot a try - its the same idea as the San Juan worm.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Decent reports coming from Lucky Peak. Sounds like most are catching a few every trip and some are finding limits. Definitely going to have a few trout mixed in from the sounds of it! Pink and Silver Kokabow dodgers and Pink and Orange hoochies have been the ticket. Pay attention to the ramps at LP - they can get icy! Remember to barely pull your trailer out of the water and let it drain for a minute to help keep water off the ramp. A little bit of sun and that ice usually disappears but just be aware 👍️.

Arrowrock Reservoir: More trout than kokes was one comment I heard but a few others reported some decent kokanee catches. One common thread between the reports I have received is the sun…sunnier days have been better. Makes sense if you think about how and what these fish eat. Still running Pink and orange Kokabow dodgers and lures if it were me. One report of a successful trip with white dodgers. I’m lucky enough to be able to talk to Alan with Kokabow Tackle regularly and he is still recommending that the actively feeding fish are more likely to be caught in the first 15’ and he is having success on top - 80 to 100’ behind the boat, long lining and 1.3mph to 1.5.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: No report this week.

Local Ponds: Stocker trout are available in most of the ponds right now. Take a look at the stocking report below. Try the Eurotackle Mummified Meal Worms under a float!

Shop News - New Link/Imperium Rod Update, Spring Kokanee Kick Off!, Cody Meyer, Cipher Fishing, Sturgeon Class, Beginner Bass!, Youth Day!, BIG CHANGES COMING

JOIN US FOR A FREE KOKANEE SEMINAR with Locally Owned, KOKABOW FISHING TACKLE! Sign up at idahorodandreel.com under the “Classes” tab. We will have 2 SESSIONS on February 8 from 10am to noon and then 1pm to 3pm! HUGE discounts on Kokanee rods, reels and tackle will be available to attendees! MANY people wait for this sale to gear up for the Kokanee season - that’s how good the sales are!
The new LINK and IMPERIUM rods are expected to arrive at the end of this week. PRE-ORDER now on our website to save $10. This price will be unavailable once the rods are in the shop. Models coming: 7’5” H, Fast Casting. 7’6” ML XF Casting for Keitechs and other lighter applications, 7’1” ML, Fast spinning, 7’ Light, XF Spinning Imperium for FINESSE fishing lovers and for trout/panfish anglers that like to throw hardware, 6’6” UL, XF Spinning - designed to be the ultimate panfish rod built on a 44 ton blank and weighing it at LESS than 3 ounces.
Lots of classes in the works! Idaho Rod and Reel is going to do EVERYTHING we can do get you on fish in 2025! Coming soon: Spring Kokanee Kickoff (see info above), Sturgeon Fishing with Hells Canyon guide Cody Ard, Bass Fishing for Beginners (taught by this crazy dude that owns Idaho Rod and Reel 😂 ) and another Ladies Only Night at Idaho Rod and Reel will be in the works soon!
KIDS YOUTH DAY COMING SOON! Let’s get those kids out of the house and having some fun learning some new techniques, making their own lures and might even be raffling of something cool 😎
BIG CHANGES at the shop coming in 2025! We are more committed to your success than we ever have been and we want you to know how passionate we are about taking care of the people that take care of our little shop! We still think the #smallshoplife is the best life…you’ll see 😉!
I am excited to have the new CIPHER FISHING products in the shop! This has been a two year project that myself, former FLW Professional and IRR Instructor Cody Murray and NOW Bassmaster Elite Series angler CODY MEYER have been working on. I know for a fact that the Idaho Rod and Reel line of products are as good as some and way better than most of the big name products on the market. Cipher is the result of that. We combined the experience and knowledge of 2 professional anglers and my knowledge of manufacturing to create WITHOUT a doubt, some of the best products on the market. We would love to have your support as we launch this new company! Many have asked how you can help - please follow us on Instagram and Facebook (@cipherfishing), like, share and interact with our posts, leave reviews of the product on Tackle Warehouse, Omni Fishing and with our other partners and most importantly, just catch fish with it. It really is the best of the best.
Link Rod Inventory Update: 7’1” Link Medium Spinning - Cork Handle are SOLD OUT. 7’1” Link Medium Spinning - GRAPHITE handle - 2 LEFT. 7’3” MH Casting in both CORK and GRAPHITE are almost sold out. 7’ Imperium - almost sold out.
BEANIES! In Stock and a steal at $12.99
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

So good!

Technically Speaking...

Now this is INTERESTING!! Definitely worth a watch if you tie lures on your line 🤣

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Love this for our Trout Anglers!

Idaho Fish and Game partnering with City of McCall to improve access on the North Fork Payette River in McCall

Idaho Fish and Game and the City of McCall are planning to submit a funding proposal for a project to improve conditions at an existing access area on the North Fork Payette River in McCall.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/idaho-fish-and-game-partnering-city-mccall-improve-access-north-fork-payette-river-mccall

I love catching these!

Anglers: Take advantage of this overlooked ‘mountain’ fishing opportunity as winter picks up

Hunkered down along the cobbles of nearly every Idaho river or stream is a plentiful opportunity with a misguided reputation. As winter picks up, take advantage of this “mountain” fishing opportunity and set your sights on the mountain whitefish.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/anglers-take-advantage-overlooked-mountain-fishing-opportunity-winter-picks

Current Trout Stocking

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

Steelhead Reports

Upper Salmon River Fall 2024 Steelhead Fishing Update (12-03-2024)

idfg.idaho.gov/article/upper-salmon-river-fall-2024-steelhead-fishing-update-12-03-2024