Hook Points

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Definitely noticing a change in fish activity now. Don’t read that to say that they won’t eat and that you shouldn’t go, I just wouldn’t expect all day action. Several reports of guys sitting on top of crappie schools in the narrows for a couple hours struggling to get fish to eat that all of a sudden start feeding. So we’re looking at shorter feeding windows. So stay on em and wait - they’ll eat! Jigging raps with crappie nibbles are awesome cold water fish catchers. Drop shot rigs that hold the bait right in the school for as long as possible are a good idea as well. For perch, tip your offering with nightcrawler. To find em, I love the offshore humps and troughs that are in the narrows. Even if they are small, they’ll hold fish. Perch are usually pinned to the bottom. For both crappie and perch, don’t forget about a Keitech - 2.8” Fat Swing or 2” Easy Shiner. Bass are following a similar pattern - shorter feeding window but will eat. Good fishing for them right now in the main bowl and up the Snake River arm. Blade baits, jerkbaits, jigs and minnow baits like flukes, Keitechs and Z man Graph Shadz or scented Jerk Shadz 👍️!

Boise River: Steelhead are in the river and being caught! To catch them you will need 3 things - a decent spot, a little luck and a small selection of baits. To find them - they are often shallower than most people think - and like to be near current and have access to deeper water, but just out of both. For the luck part of the equation - try doing something nice for someone the day before, pay for a meal behind you in the drive thru or grab a couple doors for folks…hey it can’t hurt! For baits, have a couple of soft beads, a spinner and a jig. Looney Cooney’s Shrimp have been on the hook for 2 fish that I know of! They’ll definitely eat some roe but I’m lazy and don’t love the mess…and a steelhead spinner bite is one of the GREAT EATS in fishing! 110 More fish will be stocked on Wednesday, Nov. 27th! Stocking Locations:

• Glenwood Bridge, Americana Bridge, Below the Broadway Avenue Bridge behind BSU, West Parkcenter Bridge, Barber Park

Brownlee: Water is up 5’ from last week - 2060 right now. 2077 is full so plenty of water in the system. For those asking, Spring ramp is definitely open and can even launch on the new ramp - dock is not in the water. I fished here last week for bass and hoped to get on a jerkbait bite but it just never popped. I’d still have one tied on though…I’d have a blade bait, Keitech or other minnow bait and a jig. Just like CJ, you’ll be dealing with shorter feeding windows. If the bite is not hot nad heavy, slow down those retrieves and keep those baits on the bottom. The water temps are still 46 to 48 degrees - smallies will eat JUST FINE in those temps. In fact, I expect a few of you that fish for smallmouth this week to run in to a couple of REALLY GOOD bites still! We also found several crappie schools. 15 to 25’ were most common but as deep as 40’. They would eat a Keitech - plan on keeping what you catch. We tried to release the first one we hooked and he turned over right away and floated…so plan on turning what you catch into tacos!

Snake River: Fish are biting in the river but like other bass fisheries right now - being there in the feeding windows is key. Jerkbaits, blade baits, Keitechs, jigs and a senko on a wacky jig or nail weight are what I’d be throwing. For the jerkbait, get it to depth and wait. Don’t fish it too fast! For the blade baits, just lift them off the bottom enough to get them to flutter - then set them back down. Gotta find the back eddies - especially those with a clear bottom with some boulders. I have not had any reports on catfishing.

Wilson Springs: Lots of little guys being caught here right now on powerbait and nightcrawler.

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: Very few reports from Cascade this week. If you’re going and looking for perch, I’d still be trolling down near the bottom or casting neds and 2.8 Keitechs around rock piles. Bass have been a little tricky but large! I’d have a 3.3 Keitech, a jerkbait, a blade bait and probably something small and subtle like a Ned TRD.

Horsethief Reservoir: No report.

Owyhee Reservoir: They’re still catching both bass and crappie but just like the other reservoirs, we’re dealing with waiting on feeding windows. If you can luck out and get a moderately warm day with a little overcast skies and some light chop on the water - look out! Crappie have been in 15-25’ and one customer had a great day - albeit in about a 90 minute window - with the Idaho Rod and Reel hand tied jigs (I’ll try to get some more done!!) and a jigging rap - their first time using them and they are believers (thanks Josh Johnson!). For the bass, I know a few guys were still throwing some deep diving cranks but I expect that bite to be very spotty. I love a jig at Owyhee so it would be tough for me not to have one tied on. I’d also have a jerkbait, blade bait, 3.3 Keitech in Electric Shad or drop shot Roboworm in Hologram Shad and probably a Senko set up Neko style…that’s a confidence bait for me pretty much year round.

Owyhee River: Low water but I like fishing the O like this. There are fewer spots but in my opinion, with the low water, the high percentage spots are so easy to find. For flies, it’s midge time. Zebra midges under indicators (try a small parachute pattern as the indicator) are pretty tough to beat. If you tie your own flies…just wrap a couple of strands of Black Pearl Krystal Flash around a size 18 or 20 hook and finish the head with just a few turns of white thread…thank me later 😉! If you’re throwing conventional gear - shrimp on a jig head under a float, Dynamic Lures HD Trout, Lucky Craft Pointer 65’s (still my favorite) are all good options. For real subtle presentation, a simple Ultralight Heavyweights jig is $$$.

Duck valley: No report.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: We have some open ramps and sounds like a few guys are fishing it. I haven’t heard anything on the quality of the fishing but I have to believe there are at least a bunch of trout that miss seeing your faces 🤣 

Arrowrock Reservoir: Only reports this week are in regard to bass fishing. Couple guys went up there to “mess around” and caught a bunch of 1-2 pound bass on Ned rigs. I’d have a hard time believing the kokanee and trout aren’t biting. I’d be fishing on top or pretty close to it - pinks and whites are good shallow colors for both dodgers and baits. I have a feeling that the closer you get to the bank, the more rainbows you will catch.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: OK reports for bass and kokanee with some warnings to check road conditions and beware of boat ramp conditions. If you are targeting bass up here, you’ll be dealing with colder water than most of our lower reservoirs. Slow those retrieves way down and keep your baits pinned to the bottom. A keitech or a ned rig might be your best bets. For kokanee, keep it on top and like Arrowrock, I’m throwing pinks and whites for my dodgers and lures. Kokabow being my preference by a mile!

Local Ponds: Decent reports for stocked trout in several ponds. Take a look at the stocking report below and target the ponds that have been stocked most recently. Nightcrawlers and powerbait!

Shop News - Food Drive, Black Friday, Christmas Mystery Tackle Boxes, New Apparel

• Just wanted to take a quick second to say “THANK YOU” for all of your help with our annual food drive. We have already had our first large load of food delivered to an organization that serves a bunch of meals everyday and will serve several hundred people for Thanksgiving. We will continue up until a couple days before Christmas! I’ll trade you a hat for your canned food! Please just 1 per person not per donation.

• Idaho Rod and Reel will take a portion of our profits generated during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season to help families in our valley that fins themselves in a tough spot this year. If you happen to find yourself in a tough spot, or know someone that is, we’d love to talk to you about helping put a few packages under a tree or a nice meal on a table.

• We will be OPEN at 8am on BLACK FRIDAY. We will have some crazy prices on rods and reels by Daiwa and Shimano, door prizes for the first 5 customers, raffle tickets with each purchase for an Idaho Rod and Reel Imperium spinning rod, discounted baits and terminal tackle, we will have 10, $100 gift cards for only $75 - first come first served, all $100 gift cards will be on sale for $90. All Christmas Mystery Tackle Boxes purchased this week will include a FREE $10 gift card as well!

• Christmas Mystery Tackle Boxes will be PACKAGED in DAIWA CINCH BAGS THIS YEAR! If you’re significant other never knows what to get you for Christmas - or the angler in your life is tough to shop for…We will start taking orders for our Christmas Mystery Tackle Boxes! These are hand curated boxes meant to make Christmas shopping for that tackle junky in your life simple and fun! There are $50, $100 and $150 available but we will build to whatever dollar amount fits your budget. Each box comes with a FREE RAFFLE TICKET for an Idaho Rod and Reel Link or Imperium Rod that will be raffled off a few days after Christmas! FREE $10 GIFT CARD IF PURCHASED THIS WEEK!

• Limited run HOODIES, T’s and BEANIES coming soon!

• If you are interested in ordering Tungsten products in bulk and saving some money, contact us and we will get you the order form! The more we have that participate, the lower the price we can get!

• Here’s a cool Christmas gift idea for you…Grab a Daiwa Kage Rod for $199. It comes with a Daiwa Kage Dry Bag Backpack AND I WILL THROW IN A FREE $10 GIFT CARD! Get it on Black Friday and you’ll also receive a raffle Ticket for an Idaho Rod and Reel Imperium Spinning Rod. I’ll offer this to all Newsletter readers first and will let you message me to reserve this gift package! Reply to the email that this newsletter arrived with and the first 2 that respond will get this gift package!

• The FIRST EPISODE OF TACKLE TALK TUESDAY will launch this week!! I hope! Its recorded, now I just gotta edit the dang thing!

• IN STOCK NOW: Rapala DT 16’s and 20’s, Mag Lips, Soft Beads, Aerojigs Steelhead Jigs, Lucky Craft Restock! Check out the new Stacy 110’s!!, Lucky Craft Pointer 65’s

• 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

You probably think bass are my favorite fish to catch…you’d be wrong!

Technically Speaking...

Must know for all species anglers! Don’t sleep on this bait!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

More Steelies!

Current Trout Stocking

Steelhead Dam Counts

Steelhead Reports

Adding Weights to Jerkbaits

Twitching Jigs for Trout - Have You Tried it?

Don’t Screw up the Turkey!

Steelhead Float and Jig Set Ups - How to Fish Shallow…Hint Hint for Boise River!

Cold Water Crappie

I Found this Interesting! For All Species - Some Great Info Here

Some What Not to Do’s for Jerkbait Fishing

It’s Winter - Clean Up Your Mess!

New in the Shop

Daiwa Bags for Christmas Mystery Tackle Boxes

Staysee 90 V2 New Colors

New Staysee 110’s - perfect for COLD WATER

Catch Spotlight

Submit your own entry to be featured in Hook Points to: [email protected], Subject: Catch Spotlight

Paul found one with a LINK rod in Louisiana!

Check Molly Out!

JJ with his new PB smallie!! In the 3# club now!

Lance and Cody Murray found a couple of decent smallies!

Igor with an awesome Boise River Steelie!

Taylor finding a few whitefish with the fly rod!

Scott doing what Scott does…CATCH FISH!