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.
