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Hook Points - Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

Hook Points - Idaho's Fishing Newsletter

News, Tips, Tackle and More

Ryan Chris
June 24, 2024

Fishing Reports

CJ Strike: Lots of mixed reports this week from CJ. Seemed like crappie were willing to bite but weren’t necessarily giants. My good friend Scott HIGHLY recommends the following after a successful few days here - Ultralight Heavyweights jigs in pinks and purples as well as chartreuse and white Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swim-ons - the Swim-ons netting some perch as well. Fish were in 5-15 feet but had other reports a smidge deeper in 10-20’. Sounds like they are where they should be for right now in my opinion. Bass have moved out into deeper water and starting to hear about some good fish up the Snake River side of things. Deeper diving cranks (5 and 6XD), drop shots, Neds and a Carolina rig will take care of the deep work. I’d still have a Vixen or other topwater bait rigged as there will certainly still be some shallow fish. Catfishing and Sturgeon have been decent up the river side of things as well.

Boise River: Flows are around 1600 cfs and river is fishing really well and likely going to continue to get better. I get a lot of questions about where to find and how to catch the big browns…couple things, browns like to hide in deep water BUT shallow dark water will suffice as well! That often means precise casts in areas with good cover. The big ones like to maximize their hunting efforts as well…so you need a bait that satisfies their needs. If they are in deeper water, need a bait that can be on or near the bottom. If they are in shallow dark water, need a bait that can be fished shallow and not hang up in the cover. A decent selection of Rapalas and Dynamic Lures HD Trout will get the job done. One way to reduce the amount of snagging (and improve hook ups imo), is to replace the trebles with single hooks.

Wave Cam — Boise Whitewater Park

www.boisewhitewaterpark.com/waveshaper-cam

Brownlee: Down a few fee to 2074-ish. Lots of fish being caught but not a ton of big ones in terms of bass. Early morning topwater on shallower flats can produce some decent fish but often you need to move out deeper with them as the sun and temperatures rise. Current provides oxygen so not a bad idea to look on Google Earth for creeks and streams running into the reservoir and fish around those. Carolina rigs, Neds and Tubes should keep ya busy. Crappie have been a little trickier to find the last week or so but there are some good ones being caught. As it warms, I like to look for them around steeper banks and on the inside edge of the current…yes there is current in Brownlee. If you want a sneaky bait that is doing really well - throw a Hookup Baits!! Catfishing has been fire and don’t forget to look shallow. Bass fry are in the water and they hang out by the banks…catfish are apex predators and bass fry are like M&M’s…

Snake River: Fishing well - some complaints that the fish are small but that’s just the river at times. The smallies move around a lot - so keep on the move and keep looking. Topwater is fire right now and Brian and I have had a couple of really fun evenings throwing Reaction Innovations Trixie Sharks…get a 6/0 belly weighted EWG hook - cast and get that rod tip up and that bait moving on top! It’s a kick!! Catfish are shallow and eating! 3 Stories of cats on Whopper Ploppers last week!! That’s a topwater bass bait in case you don’t know…so they are aggressive and shallow.

Wilson Springs: Dynamic Lures HD Trout in Red and Ultralight Heavyweights in just about any color!!

Lake Lowell: Some mixed reports - normal as the temps rise. Trick right now is to cover water with a couple of different techniques. I’d have a topwater, a moving search bait and something to flip. Frog bite has been great for some and not so much for others. My suggestion is to throw that sucker in the junk not just the obvious holes and channels. A chatterbait, swim jig or spinnerbait can take care of your searching and a Man Bear Pig or Rage Craw are never bad flipping bait choices.

Cascade Reservoir: Perch fishing has been good from the bank and from boats. In both cases, spend a little time around the rocks. Flicker shads, shad raps and Keitechs have been really consistent. The bass fishing has been decent and fish are being found shallow and deep. Never a bad idea to find the grass on a hard bottom. More fish being caught middle lake to the north end on Carolina rigs, Keitechs, spinnerbaits, senkos and topwaters. A fluke is never a bad call and can be fished many different ways. I’d definitely have one.

Horsethief Reservoir: Ambassador Justin had a great time this week at Horsethief using Flicker Shads. Always good by the dam!

Owyhee Reservoir: Good fishing for both crappie and bass being reported. Crappie have been decent sized this year and plentiful. Really good sized schools have been located around the elbow. I’d throw 2” Keitech Easy Shiners and Swim-ons at em…Topwater has been effective for the bass - try a Whopper Plopper and a walking bait like a Sexy Dawg. Still plenty of fish fairly shallow but definitely a good idea to have a few deeper options as well. We will be deep cranking soon!

Owyhee River: Trout fishing has been really good at the O. For the fly guys, blue winged olive emergers and zebra midges…for the conventional tackle guys, jointed rapalas, shad raps and Berkley Power Nymphs under a float.

Duck valley: From the Tribal Website: SAME REPORT AS LAST WEEK!

June 6, 2024 –With summer around the corner, much of the valley is in full bloom. Trophy trout are still reportedly caught in all reservoirs, with many biting Powerbait and metallic lures. An increase in temperature means an increase of insect activity on the water’s surface. This sees the evenings alive with ambitious fish breaking the surface, securing a meal, a common sight across all reservoirs. This warm weather will soon be followed by a gradual drop in temperatures, as the end of next week will see temperature slip into the 50’s and 60’s. It would be wise to bring a jacket when you travel.

The Billy Shaw reservoir has been open to fly fisherman April 1, 2024, with anglers out enjoying the exclusive trophy-trout fly fishing experience from a variety of non-motorized floaters and tubes; the electric-motor only waters are located along the west end of the reservation. Mountain View has been doing really good as well, where anglers are pulling big trout, and pulling daily limits constantly.

Lucky Peak Reservoir: Decent reports from Lucky Peak but does seem to be the slightly slower Kokanee fishery of the main 3. Fish are down deep between 30-50’ depending on the time of the day. Mixed bag in terms of colors that have been working but Pinks and Oranges still seem to be the hit at LP.

Arrowrock Reservoir: Some nice fish being caught at Arrowrock but not everyone is catching a limit. As with LP, Kokes have been deep. I’ve heard of a couple guys going deeper than 50’ but 30-50’ seems to be the deal right now. Darker colored blades have been working - blacks and purples.

Anderson Ranch Reservoir: Fishing a bit moody now that the heat has arrived. Kokes have been deep - 30-50’ but I have heard reports of fish in 20-25’ EARLY in the morning. Darker colors and copper blades have been working. Bass fishing has been steady and some decent fish are being caught on topwater, flukes and jigs.

Local Ponds: Ponds are starting to get a bit yucky in terms of moss and weeds making bank access a little bit trickier at some of them. For trout fishing, pay attention to the stocking reports…most of these summer stockers don’t fair well in the heat and can be pretty aggressive right after they are stocked - and then not so much after that 😐️

Shop News - Customer Appreciation Month Continues with a Food Truck! Raffles, iCast 2024, Classes!

We are still celebrating YOU! Our shop is slammed and we just want to say THANK YOU!
Raffle Tickets for three drawings are available every day - a purchase is all that is required to get entered to win a Bass Terminal Box filled with premium terminal tackle, a Kokanee/Trout prize filled with our top sellers and a Sturgeon/Catfish rod!
The Food Trough FOOD TRUCK WILL BE HERE FRIDAY FROM 11-2 and LUNCH IS ON US! All that is required is a purchase made between Tuesday the 25th and Friday the 28th. You will receive a voucher valued at $7.50 to be used at THE FOOD TROUGH!
Idaho Rod and Reel will be at iCast in July! We want to stay up on the current trends and find some new and exciting products to bring back to Idaho. We will take pics and shoot some video!
Jordan Rodriguez with Tight Lines 208 will be teaching his Panfish School class July 11th from 6pm to 8:30pm at the Idaho Rod and Reel Learning Center. Cost is $50 and comes with a tackle bag with the Panfish baits you will need to be successful. Sign up at www.tightlines208.com.
RANDOM DRAWINGS ALL MONTH!! FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA!!
Mystery Tackle Boxes will be Available this week!! These are $35 and include at least $50 worth of tackle. A great way to force yourself to fish something new and a fun way to get some great deals. Boxes for Panfish, Trout and Bass will be available.
CRAPPIE and TROUT fishers…custom rods built just for you coming SOOONN!!!
We will have our first Good Fish and Good Guppies meetings and activities in July now! Our materials have been shipped and excited to get going. Better late than never I guess!!
Rods…something very cool is coming 😉
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

Love this channel!

Technically Speaking...

Great way to catch CRAPPIE!

Shad Raps vs. Flicker Shads!

Local and National Fishing News…and other “Stuff”

Urban Fisheries

See the pond, fish the pond: The essential guide to urban/suburban fishing

Urban ponds are a huge resource for Idaho anglers. There are over 60 just in the Southwest Region alone, and they’re common throughout the state. If your local city park has a pond, chances are good to excellent it has some fish in it.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/see-pond-fish-pond-essential-guide-urbansuburban-fishing

Rules for Co-Anglers

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

Kokanee!

Salmon Reports

Summer Chinook seasons starts Thursday, June 20 on Upper Salmon and Lochsa rivers

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission met earlier this month and approved summer Chinook salmon seasons for the Upper Salmon and Lochsa rivers. The seasons will open Thursday, June 20 and remain open four days per week (Thursday-Sunday) on the Upper Salmon River and seven days per week on the Lochsa River until harvest goals are achieved or August 10, whichever comes first.

idfg.idaho.gov/article/summer-chinook-seasons-starts-thursday-june-20-upper-salmon-and-lochsa-rivers