Idaho Fish Report

Multiple reports indicate that the ice is potentially hazardous. Ice thickness ranges from three to seven inches, but there are still pockets of open water. Ice anglers should exercise extreme caution. Fish with another person, wear ice cleats, and carry self-rescue ice picks and a long rope.

On Nov. 29, JD Abbott and three other anglers caught 50 fish -- the biggest was 15.5 inches -- in five hours. They fished by the dam using gold and silver Kastmasters, or tube jigs tipped with sucker meat or nightcrawlers. Abbott said that the ice thickness varied. Several other parties fished Thanksgiving weekend and reported good fishing in five to 11 feet of water. Fishing was best before 11 a.m. The bite was very light. Anglers have caught cutthroat trout in the 10- to 13-inch range and smaller rainbow trout.

On Dec. 3, an angler posted on BigFishTackle.com that there were three to four inches of ice near the dam, open water beyond the buoys and that the edges were breaking up. The angler recommended fishing on the southwest or north sides as a precaution. Another angler on the forum fished on Nov. 28-29 and reported fast fishing around the Madsen Bay boat ramp. He caught 200 chub and 100 cutthroat over the two day trip. The chubs he caught were larger than the cutthroat. One chub measured 16 inches in length.