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Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
September 30, 2025

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Fishing very well right now. If you are a panfish enthusiast, add CJ to your list of places to visit this week. Crappie, bluegill, perch and trout are all being caught with regularity. Trolling has been really effective. Flicker Shads, Shad Rap Elites and even simple rigs like wedding rings tipped with nightcrawlers and soft plastic swimbaits will all get bit. There are a lot of fish in 15’ or less of water. To reach some of the larger fish at the bottom of the schools, add a 1oz or 2oz trolling weight. If you are casting to these fish, minnow style baits are crushing. Look at the Northland Tackle selection of baits - they are absolutely crushing and because they are TPE plastic, last all day! Bass fishing has been excellent as well. Tubes, Ned rigs, drop shots, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jigs, senkos, crankbaits and jerkbaits have been working and I’d have a buzzbait! There are plenty of fish in less than 15’ of water. One customer reported having a really good day with a Carolina rigged Crush City Clean Up Craw.

Boise River: Fishing is awesome here right now. Drifting nightcrawlers and shrimp in the deeper runs is a great idea. With the water as low as it is, the pools are really easy targets. Moving baits are what I would be using…crankbaits, jerkbaits and Rapala Countdown Minnows. This is the time of the year that those old school spinners can really do the trick. Instead of just casting and cranking them back to you, try drifting them through the runs and pools by keeping enough tension on the line that the blade turns (you’ll feel it) and that the bait doesn’t bump the bottom but you’re not actually cranking the reel handle like crazy and moving the bait straight back to you. It takes a little practice but can be deadly!

Brownlee: Water levels are at 2049.5. For those asking about the Spring Rec Site ramp, yes it is still accessible - you will be launching off the old ramp. The algae bloom warning is still in effect. I fished here this weekend and felt like the algae bloom was a little worse than a few weeks ago. That warmer, sunnier weather contributing to that. The fishing was excellent. We talked to a few folks at the ramp that were struggling with just smaller bass but my dad, son and I put together a bag that any tournament angler would have been happy with. The IRR Tungsten Finesse jig was absolutely on fire! The lighter 3/8oz kept us out of the snags in the shallow water we were fishing. Darker colored 6” soft plastic worms on drop shots were also getting bit and I’d have a hard time fishing here without a tube right now. There were a couple of good ones caught on a Teckel Kicknocker and the IRR Purple jerkbait got bit so much I had to change hooks! We saw PILES of crappie out in 10-20’. If it were me, I’d throw 3.3 or 2.8 Fat Swing Impact Keitechs, Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimons and the 3” Grub from Northland Tackle. There were some crappie schools with larger crappie in them out in 20-25’ around some of the bluff walls. Catfishing is absolute fire and they are shallow!

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: Fishing has been excellent - will be closed to boaters on the 30th! It still fishes well from the bank this time of the year!! Tough to beat a wacky rigged senko and a chatterbait - green pumpkin with a white trailer!

Cascade Reservoir: Perch bite is on. Trout bite is on. Bass bite is getting better! For the perch, drop shot rigs with nightcrawlers, soft plastic swimbaits in brown/orange, green and white, small blade baits and jigging raps! Look in water between 10-20’ around the island, rocky points, the dam and even out by some of the long sandy points over by Poison Creek. the trout, trolling Flicker Shads and Shad Raps in purples and pinks will catch bass while the orange/brown and perch colored baits will catch you a mixed bag. There are quite a few trout on the south end of the reservoir - start by looking in 10’ and then move out by 5’ increments. Once customer said he found them almost on top in the early morning but finished the day out in 20’. Bass fishing has been improving! I’d have a chatterbait, Keitech, topwater walking bait, a brown or black jig, a drop shot and a 5” Daingerous Swimbait!

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: Inconsistent bites this past week for bass but tons of crappie! Bass have been biting on Neko rigs, 3.8 Keitechs in dark colors and on buzzbaits. I’d have a Yamamoto Sensei worm on a Shaky head - purple or green pumpkin - and I’d have an IRR Tungsten Tourney Jig in 3/4oz tipped with a Rapala Crush City Clean Up Craw. Some inconsistent reports on buzzbaits but decent enough that I’d have one with me. One customer reported a VERY good day on a Spro Rk Crawler - told me I could say the brand and model but not the color - fair enough for me! For the crappie - they’re everywhere and they’ll eat darn near anything! The bigger ones are in smaller schools in deeper water. One customer caught some 11-12” fish off a couple of very steep bluff walls, in 20’ of water.

Owyhee River: Good week reported on the O from a few of my regular O fishers 😆! One of them is a huge fan of any of the Luckycraft Pointer 65 jerkbaits and also throws Shad Raps - switches the trebles to singles and has a ton of success. We are getting close to brown trout spawning time - I am working with a local guide to figure out when they are actually spawning. Its a good time to leave the fishery alone imo…let’s make sure we have fish for years to come!!

Duck valley: CAN BUY PERMITS ONLINE!!! FINALLY!!!

Very few reports coming from Duck Valley. As the weather cools, the weeds will die off a bit and Duck Valley can be an excellent fall fishery. I’ll keep my ears open!!

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Only reports this week came from a few trout anglers that had quite a bit of success on wedding rings and Kokabow bugs and spinners. They said every color worked as long as it was pink 😆!

Arrowrock Reservoir: One report from a customer that said he caught close to 1000 smallmouth - nothing over a pound! But tons of action…

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: No report this week.

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!!

Our Rapala Rep Brought us more Hats!!, Let IRR Help Your Student!, Rods almost Sold OUT!, J and H Sales and Marine, HOW TO FISH THE BOISE RIVER!, New Bait Only Available at Idaho Rod and Reel

OUR RAPALA REP BROUGHT US MORE HATS!! Let’s keep running the Rapala Crush City Promotion!! 10% off all Rapala Crush City Baits and get a FREE HAT!! Get a free Rapala Crush City hat with the purchase of any 3 packages of Crush City Baits!!
We are moving through the Link Medium Spinning Rods WAY FASTER than I was planning!! We will be sold out before I can replace them for sure.
^{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!!}
^{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!!}
^{Jordan Rodriguez with Tightlines 208 will be teaching a How to Fish the Boise River class on October 16, from 6-8pm at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center! Cost is $60 and includes tons of Boise River specific tackle and prize giveaways! Sign up at www.tightlines208.com.}
^{THEY ARE HERE!! Check out the Idaho Rod and Reel EXCLUSIVE DRY CREEK TUBES!! We took our favorite Senko color, 926, to Brad at Dry Creek and he worked his magic!! The new tubes look amazing!! Check out the Double Dipped and Laminate styles! Testing went better than amazing…these are going to put fish in your boat and will only be available for a limited time.}
^{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

Crazy Video!

Technically Speaking...

Split shot rig…this works for EVERYTHING!!

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!

FALL CHINOOK SALMON AND STEELHEAD UPDATE: September 24, 2025

The harvest closure for adult adipose-clipped fall Chinook will be extended through at least October 3. Steelhead counts at Bonneville Dam indicate that Idaho will be able to provide meaningful steelhead fisheries this fall and winter.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/fall-chinook-salmon-and-steelhead-update-september-24-2025

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

Upper Salmon River Steelhead Fishing Update (09-26-2025)

idfg.idaho.gov/article/upper-salmon-river-steelhead-fishing-update-09-26-2025

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

The fuzzy dice craze…Make Your Own!