Idaho fishing report june 2023

We are at the tail end of Spring fishing season and about to move into summer fishing. That said, Lake Cascade Perch we still in shallow over Memorial weekend and the fishing was amazing. Fishing in about 10 feet of water over a sandy bottom yielded a fish per cast for about as many I a person could reel in. Using a Lindy rig up and worm, I had 30-40 perch in less than 3 hours with the biggest of them being 15”. I did manage to find some seaweed starting to grow in the shallows meaning they won’t be there to much longer. If you want a shot at as many as you can catch and a 12” average size, I would hurry up and get up there and give Poison Creek, the far shoreline behind Sugarloaf, or around Boulder Creek a try.

Perch aren’t the only thing biting right now, Anderson Ranch Kokanee has continued to heat up but the water temps are going to start driving the fish deeper soon. If you want to hook into some nice ones without breaking out the down riggers, I would start out by the Curlew boat ramp and troll hoochie rigs shallow. If you aren’t finding them at 5’ deep start dropping it 5-10’ at a time until you find them. Last time I was out, it seemed like most boats were getting 10 or so bites and landing 5-6 fish in the first few hours of the morning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay long and was off the lake before 11am. While catching as many perch as I could reel in was fun, something about Kokanee and the fighting a fish that keeps flying out of the water is a blast.

One more spot to consider is CJ Strike Reservoir. The Crappie should be in full swing right now. Once you find a ball of them try tossing some basic crappie jigs or Trout Magnets out and you should have an ice chest or livewell full of them in no time. Crappie fishing should also be pretty steady at Brownlee or Owyhee Reservoir if you find either of those more appealing.

The one Negative thing I have to say about this time of year is that the spring runoff is still happening, and the Boise River is still blown out. I’m not saying it is impossible to find fish in it, but it’s definitely still not safe for wading or trying to cross anywhere, heavily restricting one’s options.

Spring Fishing is in full swing

This last couple of weeks marked the official beginning of Spring fishing in Idaho. The Boise River main is blown out from below Lucky Peak but the reservoirs above are providing some good Kokanee and Trout fishing. Arrowrock has been dropping about 1-2 feet a day recently so you might have to move around to find them each day, but you can still grab a limit. I recently pulled in some nice Kokanee, the biggest at about 18”, along with a handful of Trout topping out at 19”. Lucky Peak has been filling up slowly which should be good for fishing as the rising water picks up food off the exposed lakebed.

Down at Anderson Ranch the ice and snow have receded from the Curlew boat launch as of 4/23 but at 74% capacity the docks are out of the water. The fish are definitely active in the 40 degree water and there is a bug hatch out already. If you are looking for some Trout point your boat to where all the swallows are skimming the water and there will be fish hitting the top feeding on the same bugs. Trolling worm and corn through the dive bombing birds at about 5 feet deep produced some nice fish out there the other evening. I’m planning on heading back out there and targeting the Kokanee, but it may be hard to resist taking a shot at few trout if I see the birds back out chasing the insects.

CJ Strike would be another place to consider, the Trout fishing there should be pretty solid and fishing right below or above the dam could get you a limit. I am still waiting a bit to go there to target panfish and bass but with the upcoming warm weather that is not far off. That said, the month of May typically brings in great crappie fishing out at CJ and also some awesome perch fishing on Lake Cascade while they are still in shallow and can be clobbered from the bank.

Spring Fishing is on its way!

With Ice fishing clearly in the rearview mirror, it is time to look ahead to some exciting Spring fisheries.

With the weather warming up and water temperatures rising, fish are starting to wake up from their winter slumber. The first opportunity worth mentioning is some Boise River trout fishing. There is a small window of opportunity as the temperature outside has not risen enough to lead to massive snow melt yet. This means there are some great fishing while the reservoirs fill and before the rivers blowout with spring runoff. This also holds true for any of the other river systems headed up by a reservoir.

The second but equally exciting opportunity is the Spring Kokanee fishing! I usually use the start of April as my sign to put the batteries back in the boat and head out to Arrowrock Reservoir or Anderson Ranch for the start of Kokanee season. Kokanee will start off a little deeper and begin to shallow up in the upcoming months leading into the spawning season. Once the spawn finishes and water temperatures rise enough, they will dive back down and you will once again be stuck on a downrigger and have little chance from shore. For now, bust out those dodgers, pop-gear, and wedding rings if you have a boat or break out a slip bobber and some cocktail shrimp if your going from shore.

Another early season fishery that is worth checking out is CJ Strike. This reservoir on the Snake River offers a variety of early season fishing opportunities including Trout, Perch, and crappie. One of my favorite early season fishing spots for Trout is right below the CJ Strike Dam at Scout Park. Fishing from the bank here can result in multiple 16”+ fish days and the occasional limit of them. The bass can be a little slow waking up but perch and catfish shouldn’t be to hard to find in the month of April. Normally, I wait until about May to target the crappie but once it gets going it can be a pretty short but bountiful season. That said it seems like we are having a cold start to the year and I wouldn’t be surprised if everything was a little sluggish waking up this year.