Idaho Fish Report

ANGEL LAKE

Fishing has been good here depending upon the day.  Worms or PowerBait fished off the bottom using a slip sinker have been working.  Bobber fishing is picking up.  Good flies for stripping include small leeches, crystal buggers, slumpbusters and wooly buggers. This is the perfect water for a dry and a dropper.  Dries should include elk hair caddis, small hoppers, yellow stimulators, royal trudes, royal Wulff’s and red or yellow humpies.  Nymphs such as PT’s, hares ears, zebra midges, soft hackles and chironomids fished under the dry flies should be productive. This lake was stocked with approximately 2,200 rainbow trout in early July for a total of approximately 4,800 fish so far this year.

CAVE LAKE

Cave Lake is sitting approximately 15 feet below normal water level.  Fishing has been good for 8 to 10-inch trout using worms, PowerBait or small spinners.  Fly rodders should be using small nymphs, chironomids or buggers. When the trout are dimpling the surface in the morning or evening, the usual assortment of dry flies in sizes 14 to 18 should work. Patterns to try include elk hair caddis, Adams, mosquitos, blue wing olives, pale morning duns and any of the royal colored dry flies.  Cave Lake was stocked with approximately 5,000 rainbow trout this spring.   

COLD CREEK RESERVOIR

The work on the dam is complete here and the water level has come back up.  Cold Creek was stocked with approximately 2,400 trout in June. Trout fishing has been fair to good with trout hitting dry flies before the day heats up and subsurface later in the day.  Bass fishing has been good.  The same flies, lures and techniques that work at South Fork should work here for both trout and bass.

COMINS LAKE

Despite the hot weather, fishing continues to be good for trout and bass both.  Bass are averaging 10-12 inches with the occasional 15 incher.  Fat trout between 13 and 16 inches are the norm here.  Anglers shouldn’t be surprised if they catch a Bluegill from time to time but we are asking that those fish not be harvested since they are the founder population of what could be a fun pan fishery. They were stocked earlier this summer with fish salvaged from Jiggs Reservoir.  Anglers will catch trout on nightcrawlers, spinners, wet flies behind a bubble, and wooly buggers. Bass have been hitting on spinner baits, crank baits, and poppers. Minnow imitations and large streamer patterns have been working for northern pike.  Anglers, please note that NDOW has placed radio tags in several Northern Pike.  These pike will have an orange floy tag near their dorsal fin and a small antenna coming from their stomach. Please return these fish to the water for research purposes.  If the pike doesn’t have the transmitter tag, please humanely dispatch the fish.  Do not put it back in the lake.  Comins Lake has been stocked with approximately 17,500 trout this spring.

ILLIPAH

Expect water levels to drop with irrigation.  There are large vegetation mats on the south end of the reservoir that are producing sizable insect hatches. Fish the edges from a boat or float tube.  Rainbow Trout will be the dominant species to catch at Illipah Creek with the occasional Brown Trout being caught. Anglers will do well on beadhead pheasant tails, wooly buggers, chironomids and parachute Adams.  Spinners, PowerBait, and nightcrawlers will do well for the spincasting crowd.Illipah has been stocked with approximately 24,000 rainbow trout this spring.

JAKE'S / BOIES RESERVOIR

The water level is still dropping as irrigation continues.  This is normal.  Aquatic vegetation is thick so shore fishing is difficult. Best results are from a float tube or small cartop boat.  Expect good fishing for bass and slow to fair fishing for trout, though a few trout in the 13” to 15” range have been caught.  The catfish are cooperating as are the bass with bass averaging 10 to 13 inches.  The usual worms and PowerBait, as well as small spinners, rooster tails, and panther Martins should work. Fly rodders should be using black or olive wooly buggers or leech patterns, hares ears, PT nymphs and chironomid patterns.  The same soft plastics that work at Ruby Lake NWR should work here for bass. Jakes Creek was stocked with approximately 3,000 trout this spring..

JIGGS / ZUNINO RESERVOIR

The lake has very low water levels and there was a trout die off last summer, so no trout in this lake.   NDOW salvaged approximately 3,000 blue gill and several hundred black bass that were taken to other appropriate waters in the state. Expect this small impoundment to dry up this summer. 

MOUNTAIN STREAMS

Flows are very low and most are only 10 to 20% of normal for this time of year. Some, like the Bruneau are so low that the pools and deeper runs are the only place holding fish.  This means trouble for them as we get into the dry heat of August. Pray for some monsoonal moisture to hit this weekend. With the low warm water conditions, catch and release may not be a good idea.  Keep fish up to the legal limit.  As of July 29, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 21 cfs, the Bruneau River down to a very low 3.8 cfs, the Jarbidge at 6.1 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 12 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 8 cfs, the South Fork a trickle at 5 to 8 cfs, Cleve Creek at 3.9 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.5 cfs and Kingston Creek at 5.6 cfs. 

High Alpine Lakes

Access is good and fishing the high alpine lakes is a great way to beat the heat.  The same tactics and presentations that work at Angel Lake should work here.  The further you get from the trailheads, the better the fishing.  However, with thunderstorms forecast for the weekend, anglers may want to wait until Monday before heading into the high country. 

RUBY LAKE NWR

No change here as trout fishing in the collection ditch continues to be fair to good depending upon the day and location.  Bass fishing is good for numbers and fair for size in the South Marsh. Water levels in the South Marsh have dropped a bit and the aquatic vegetation is coming on strong.  While there is no problem launching at the main boat ramp, Narciss is so weedy that only shallow drafting vessels without motors (canoes and kayaks) are able to get through. With the hot weather the usual assortment of dry flies including hoppers, damsels, elk hair caddis or yellow stimulators are working for trout in the collection ditch.  When dries aren’t working switch to leech patterns, balanced leeches, crystal buggers, #14-16 hare’s ears, and #16-18 PT nymphs.  Other flies working include the usual small nymphs, olive soft hackles, red or blue copper Johns, and prince nymphs. Small brightly colored spinners were doing fair to good for spin fishermen. Anglers may now fish the water behind and downstream of the hatchery.  Please follow the signs for access and don’t walk through the hatchery itself. For bass in the units and South Marsh, dark colored soft plastic grubs and worms with contrasting sparkle flakes rigged weedless are working for bass.  Colors include dark green, motor oil, black, purple or blue. Casting into the tules/cattails or into the shadows caused by them is your best bet.  Expect to lose some tackle.

SOUTH FORK RESERVOIR

Fishing for bass continues to be good while fishing for trout is fair for numbers and good for size.  The surface water temperature is about 75 degrees, is turning green with algae and aquatic vegetation is growing in the shallows.  The warmer water is helping the bass bite but slowing the trout.  Fish deeper water for trout and fish structure for bass.  Spinner baits, blade baits, soft plastics have all been working for bass. In low light conditions, topwater action has been good on still mornings and evenings.  Anglers are also having some success with both worms and PowerBait catching trout averaging 15 to 18 inches and a few over 20.  Flies that have caught fish include leech patterns, red copper Johns, wooly buggers, hares ears and chironomids (midge larva) patterns. Ice cream cones, red butt buzzers, red and silver zebra midges, red brassies and frostbite chironomids are all working if you can get them deep enough.  Fishing at Jet Ski Beach has been fair for trout. 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.  They must be released immediately after being caught. South Fork Reservoir has been stocked with approximately 58,000 trout this spring. Anglers may now keep one black bass 15 inches or longer.

WILDHORSE RESERVOIR

The outflow has dropped to around 20 cfs, good news for the lake which is a bit above 50% of capacity.  Prop rock (in the canyon by the dam) is just below 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 hazards to boaters, so please be careful in these areas.  Slow down and watch your depth finders. The water is also very green with a heavy algae load.  Trout fishing is slow to fair while bass and perch fishing are good. 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 keep one black bass 15 inches or longer.

WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR

No fish

WILSON RESERVOIR