Idaho Fish Report

Surface water temperatures were 49 degrees on April 8th and fishing is picking up.  The dock is in at the main boat ramp and the water level is good for launching a boat here. However, the boat ramp at Jet Ski Beach is not useable due to a drop off at the end of the ramp which will get your trailer tires stuck.  Anglers are having success with both worms and PowerBait with fish averaging 15 to 18 inches and a few over 20. The catch rate is fair to good depending upon the day.  Fish have moved closer to shore, with trout being caught 20 to 30 feet from shore.  Flies that have caught fish include leech patterns, red copper Johns, wooly buggers, hares ears and midge patterns. Midges are starting to hatch with this warm weather and can make up almost 50% of a trout’s diet on our high desert reservoirs and up to 80% in the spring.  Fly rodders should start fishing midge patterns for success.  Ice cream cones, red butt buzzers, red and silver zebra midges, chromies and frostbite chironomids are all working.  Red seems to be the magic color.  On windy days with the waves stirring up the muddy bottom, fly fishermen should do well fishing the edges of the mud plumes with chironomids (midges).   Fishing at Jet Ski Beach has been fair to good depending upon the day.  Fishing on either side of the dam has been good as has been the south end of the lake where the river empties into the lake.  Fishing in the river below the dam and above the reservoir has been slow with very low flows though they are increasing. The long term mean flows for this time of year are around 140 cfs and current flows are only around 20 cfs, up from 10 to 12 cfs last week.