Idaho Fish Report

The outflow has dropped to around 25 cfs, good news for the lake.  Prop rock (in the canyon by the dam) is only about two feet below the surface and the submerged island off the state park is about two and a half feet below the surface. There is also a rocky shoal near the entrance to the Hendrick’s Arm that is now within a few feet of the surface as well.  They are now a hazard to boaters, so please be careful in these areas and watch your depth finders. With surface water temperatures in the mid 70’s the trout have moved down into the water column.  This time of year, a thermocline starts to form at approximately 15 to 18 feet down, and the trout will stage just above that. Trout anglers will need to get their presentations down to 12 to 15 feet to have the best chance of catching them.  Leech patterns and the usual nymph assortment of copper Johns, hares ears, pheasant tails and chironomids should all be working.  Bait anglers should be using worms or PowerBait fished off the bottom or suspended well below a bobber.  Small spinners should also be effective, just give them plenty of time to sink deeper into the water column. The warm water has kicked bass fishing into high gear.  Bass anglers have had success with orange pumpkin and green pumpkin soft plastics as well as perch-colored crankbaits. Orange or gold has also been a good color for perch, bass and trout. Expect to catch several perch between bass and trout hookups. Wildhorse was stocked with approximately 43,500 trout this spring.  Anglers may now keep one black bass 15 inches or longer.