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Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Ryan Chris
July 01, 2025

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Its the time of the year where everything seems to fish well, but not necessarily all day. Lots of decent action in the morning and evenings but can be tough in the heat of the day. For crappie - if you’re fishing shallow, you will likely need shade. That can be from a bush, a rock or even a bluff wall. Otherwise, look deeper - 15-25’. The schools tend to be more spread out! Choose baits that allow you to cover water - from a boat, that can mean trolling Flicker shads, Salmo’s or Shad Raps. From the bank, try baits with underspins on them like the Northland Thumper jigs. For bass, you’re likely to find some shallow fish early with walking baits, whopper ploppers and frogs but I’d have a plan to move out of the shallows once the sun is straight overhead. Junk fishing time…little bit of everything can work! Cranks that play in the 15’ range are a good option - as are drop shots, Ned rigs, jigs and senkos on an IRR Tungsten Wacky Jig. No way I’d fish in the summer without an IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig…

Boise River: Fishing well. The Dynamic Lures HD Trout and Lucky Craft Pointer 65’s are perfect for this river! Tough to beat shrimp under a float or a crappie jig under a float as well!!

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: Full! Great spot right now for both bank and boat anglers. Smallies will chomp just about anything you can throw at them - might not all be giants but the action should be steady. Try a Dry Creek Curly Tail Grub on a 1/4oz jig head, Crush City Mooch Minnow on a Cipher Fishing head, IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig with a Lunker City Karate Craw trailer, a Crush City Ned BLT on an IRR Tungsten EWG Ned head, a drop shot and a Keitech! Proverbial “junk fishing” time! Topwater early! The crappie are a bit tougher to find but if you want fish over 12”, this is the best place to find them right now. Try trolling Flicker Shads and Shad Raps in 12-25’ of water. From the bank - you have to be willing to move and need to be throwing baits that allow you to cover water. Again, huge fan of the Northland Thumper Jig Underspin!!

Snake River: Lots of weeds! Fishing well if you can deal with them - but many have just been getting frustrated by them. Best bet is to have multiple rods rigged up - here’s how I’d do it…Rod 1 would be a Neko rig with a weedless hook, Rod 2 would be a Whopper Plopper, Rod 3 would be an IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig and Rod 4 would be a Texas rigged tube or small craw like the Lunker City Karate Craw. Throw the Neko and Karate Craw with weeds around, throw the topwater and jig in the clear areas between the weeds.

Wilson Springs: No report.

Lake Lowell: Fishing well but not all day long for most. Lowell has always fished tough when the hot sun is well, hot. Early and late, expect action on topwater, chatterbaits on the edges and flipping baits like the Big Bite Baits FAFO - many of you are now seeing how effective this bait is!! When its hot, flipping seems to be the best bite.

Cascade Reservoir: Fishing well but not on fire. Perch are all over the place but the big ones are hanging out in deeper water around drop offs and off shore humps - saw several of them early last week when I was up there before the High School State Championships. Downsized Carolina rigs are completely overlooked when it comes to perch fishing - and they shouldn’t be! Small swimbaits like Keitechs on ball heads or even drop shots will work for perch - and of course, trolling the usual suspects. The bass fishing has been a little hit or miss but there are good ones to be caught! I’d have an IRR Tungsten Finesse Jig, a topwater walking bait, a 3.3 Keitech and a Carolina rig with a 5” fluke!

Horsethief Reservoir: Good reports! Powerbait, nightcrawlers and trolling wedding rings from a float tube is what a good friend of mine told me about!!

Owyhee Reservoir: Good fishing but getting a bit tougher. Still tricky to find larger crappie but not tricky at all to find little ones! Shop manager Brian found them on steeper rock walls - even caught on an IRR Tungsten jig!! Trolling is working for them - as is Keitech Easy Shiners and other soft plastic minnow baits. As you’ve heard me say about Brownlee - I like the steeper bluff walls that are close to sand/gravel transitions. Owyhee has a bunch of those! Bass will be found shallower early and then you are likely to find them in 15-25’ as the day warms up. Great time of the year for a deeper diving crankbait like a Strike King 5XD, a drop shot Roboworm or Keepers worm, a wacky jig and senko as well as a Keitech with an underspin.

Owyhee River: Fishing well - 3 baits needed!!! Lucky Craft Pointer 65, Dynamic Lures HD Trout and shrimp on a jig head under a float! Morning and evening has been the best times.

Duck valley: LOTS OF WEEDS!! 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: More Kokes starting to show up but you’re going to put in a good days work looking for them! Look in 20-30’ and I’m still pumping the pink/black and orange/silver dodgers!

Arrowrock Reservoir: Right now I’d target bass at Arrowrock if it were me! They’ll eat any number of topwater baits early - try a Damiki popper - thank me later! Drop shots, Keitechs and Ned rigs are great options! Good place to take the kids - lots of bites available.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Still a Kokanee factory! If you are new to Kokanee fishing, you couldn’t ask for a better lake to be on right now. Look for fish in 20-30’ as the day moves on but there are plenty of anglers telling me that they are hooking up in less than 10’! Get 80+ feet behind the boat and lets troll at 1.3-1.5 MPH with pinks, oranges and orange/black dodgers! Bass fishing has been really consistent. Bigger ones have become a little bit harder to catch but they sure can be. You can find them around Kokanee schools and a Pearl Mooch Minnow if you have livescope. Otherwise, play around in deeper drop offs with 15+ feet of water with a Carolina rig or an IRR Tungsten Jig.

Payette Lake: Good fishing but CROWDED! The warmer weather will push the fish down - as will the increase in boats that this lake will see - as the warmer weather shows up 😂 - that’s just what you deal with if you are going to Kokanee fish here. Get up early and get off early - Pinks, oranges and watermelon dodgers…

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: Decent pond bass being caught with topwaters. If the good ol’ frog isn’t doing it for you, give a Z Man Goat Toadz a try.

Some COOL Product avail Wednesday!, Sun Hoodies, New Class, C.A.S.T. for Kids!, Big Things Coming…

We just received 4 large boxes of hard to find tackle!! This will all be available starting on WEDNESDAY!! It will be first come first serve and when its gone, its gone for a while…
New Class being offered by Jordan Rodriguez with Tight Lines 208 - ALPINE FISHING! Class will be held at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center on July 16, from 6-8pm. Cost is $50 and includes an Alpine Fishing Starter Kit. Did you know there are over 3700 Alpine Lakes in Idaho!! Jordan does…tired of the crowds?? This is for you.
Help us as we try to raise money to send Eli and Grady to High Schools Nationals to represent Idaho!! Idaho Rod and Reel has donated a Link Casting Rod and a Daiwa Tatula SV to help the boys raise money! Tickets to win the rod and reel are $5ea and ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE BOYS!! This is an expensive trip! They’re amazing young men!! Please help if you can.
All Link and Imperium Rods are SOLD OUT except for a FEW TECH RODS!! Great for throwing light crankbaits and Keitechs up to 3/8oz. One of my personal favorite rods…
The New Idaho Rod and Reel Sun Hoodies are on their way!! MIGHT SEE THEM THIS WEEK!!!
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.
Something big is coming for Idaho Rod and Reel…hints are out there…
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!
New and In-Stock this week: Lunker City Karate Craws and more, Yamamoto Senkos, Northland Tackle Jigs, Meps and Blue Fox Spinners, Daiwa Pro Rex Reels (1 left at the time of publishing)
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

We’ve all dealt with it!

Technically Speaking...

Ultimate Alberto? Leader to braid connection stuff…

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Patriotic Fishing?

Top ‘patriotic’ places to go fishing this 4th of July

Nowadays, when you search Idaho Fish and Game’s online Fishing Planner, you quickly find that Idaho’s founding fathers weren’t just patriots, but anglers! All across the state are patriotic tips of Uncle Sam’s bucket hat to the red, white, and blue lakes where anglers can celebrate their freedoms from the bank, the boat, or the dock. Here’s a few spots to get you started.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/top-patriotic-places-go-fishing-4th-july

Salmon Update!

F&G issues closure order for adult Chinook salmon harvest on South Fork Salmon River

Effective at the end of fishing hours on July 2, Idaho Fish and Game officials are closing fishing for adult Chinook salmon on the South Fork Salmon River after the sport fishery met the allowable harvest share. Additionally, Chinook fishing for jacks only will be in effect from July 3-6.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/fg-issues-closure-order-adult-chinook-salmon-harvest-south-fork-salmon-river

South Fork Salmon Update: June 30, 2025

idfg.idaho.gov/article/south-fork-salmon-update-june-30-2025

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

CAST for Kids!!