Report Date:
http://www.ndow.orgWhile talking with a couple of local hikers in Lamoille Canyon last week, the discussion turned to trash and how disappointed we were that along trails and waters there always seemed to be garbage left behind by inconsiderate people.
They told me that they had volunteered out at the Spring Creek Marina one afternoon to pick up garbage and were shocked at just how much trash they had picked up around the lake in just a couple of hours. Of major concern were the Styrofoam worm containers that they had collected.
Some researchers believe that Styrofoam breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces but never totally disappears. These small bits are often mistaken for food by aquatic species. Of course, it has no nutritional value and can lead to poor nutrition for those animals that eat it. It is believed that 80% of marine garbage originates on land.
Besides practicing “Leave No Trace” by taking out what we brought in, anglers should consider purchasing worms in containers that are either biodegradable or recyclable.
There are companies that use biodegradable paperboard for worm containers instead of the Styrofoam. Anglers could even ask the store where Styrofoam worm containers are sold to see if they could ask their source to change or switch to another vendor that uses the biodegradable containers.
The thing that gets me is that people can bring them in full when they take up more space and weigh more, but can’t be bothered to take the empty, lighter, and if crushed taking up less space, items out. It’s very sad and frustrating.
If you see someone littering, call them on it. If they still leave it, report them. I do know that many of you are responsible recreationists and I have seen many people taking out trash that wasn’t theirs. Kudos to all of you who do that.
The road is open and the lake is ice free. The parking lot is free of snow, though anglers may encounter some snow on the back side of the lake. Fishing has been slow but with warming water temperatures expect it to pick up. This lake was stocked with just under 1,500 trout last week which should also help to improve fishing success
Cave Lake is sitting approximately 15 feet below normal water level. Fishing has been good here using worms, PowerBait or small spinners. Fly rodders should be using small nymphs, chironomids or buggers. Cave Lake was stocked with approximately 5,000 rainbow trout this spring.
Cold Creek Reservoir is now at minimum pool due to outlet structure repair being done by Kinross. There is very little water and is mostly ice free. .
Work is being done to put in an improved boat ramp at Comins which is affecting access to the lake. Do not expect to be able to launch a large boat for the foreseeable future as volunteers and contractors are cutting brush and moving dirt to prepare for the boat ramp. This is taking place where people have usually launched boats and that area is currently not accessible. Very little change here as far fishing conditions which has been good this spring with 16-to-20-inch Rainbow Trout being caught. Bass fishing is good. Anglers will do well on nightcrawlers, a variety of spinners, wet flies behind a bubble, and even PowerBait. Minnow imitations and large streamer patterns have been working for northern pike, many of which have been staged for spawning on the southeast shoreline. 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 14,000 trout this spring.
The water level is down as water is being taken out for irrigation. Fishing continues to be good. Anglers will do well on nightcrawlers, spinners, and PowerBait. Fly rodders should be using olive or black wooly buggers, black leeches, red copper Johns, GR hares ears, PT nymphs and prince nymphs. Illipah has been stocked with approximately 24,000 rainbow trout this spring.
The water level is down about a foot and aquatic vegetation is building. Shore fishing is becoming more difficult due to the vegetation. Best results are from a float tube or small cartop boat. Expect good fishing for both trout and bass. 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.
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 this past week that were taken to other appropriate waters in the state. Expect this small impoundment to dry up this summer
MOUNTAIN STREAMS
Flows are variable depending upon the day and the weather, though they are starting to drop as the snowpack is diminishing. Most are very fishable right now as we are experiencing July conditions in June. This means trouble for them later this summer if we don’t get some good shots of precipitation. As of June 17, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 99 cfs, the Bruneau River down to 26 cfs and very fishable, the Jarbidge at 34 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 58 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 87 cfs, the South Fork at a fishable 110 cfs, Cleve Creek at 4.3 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.8 cfs and Kingston Creek at 6.1 cfs.
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HIGH ALPINE LAKES
Access is improving and while there is still snow at the higher elevations. Depending upon elevation and exposure, lakes are opening up and while Lamoille Lake was covered in ice last week, it should be opening up with this warm weather.
No change here as trout fishing in the collection ditch continues to be good depending upon the day and location. Bass fishing is fair to good and picking up. Trout are being caught with 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. On warm afternoons if you see insects hatching, switch to midge emergers, blue wing olive emergers as well as the usual assortment of dry flies including hoppers, elk hair caddis or yellow stimulators. 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. Boats with electric motors are now allowed on the south marsh. The boat opener was a bit slow, primarily due to wind. Dark colored soft plastic grubs and worms with contrasting sparkle flakes should work for bass. Colors include dark green, motor oil, black, purple and blue.
Fishing for both trout and bass continues to be fair to good depending upon the day. Algae and plant growth is coming on quickly. Surface water temperatures are well on their way into the 60’s and the bass bite has picked up, especially largemouth bass using crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Anglers are also having 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. Red seems to be the magic color for midge patterns. On quiet evenings (little or no wind) midge hatches have the trout sipping midges off the surface. Time for some dry fly action there. 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. 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. No black bass may be kept until July 1. They must be released immediately after being caught. South Fork Reservoir has been stocked with approximately 58,000 trout this spring.
Algae is starting to grow with the hot sunny weather. The outflow continues to be about 100 cfs and expect the water level to drop throughout the summer due to the extremely dry conditions. Very little change here as fishing continues to be good for trout, perch and bass. Surface water temperatures are in the 60’s and the algae is starting to grow. Expect buggers, leeches and small nymphs such as copper Johns, hares ears and PT’s to all be working. Low light conditions may induce some dry fly action. Bait anglers should be using worms fished off the bottom or suspended about five feet below a bobber. Small spinners should also be effective. As the surface water temperatures heat up expect fish to move into deeper water. Bass anglers have had success with orange pumpkin and green pumpkin soft plastics as well as perch-colored crankbaits. Orange has also been a good color for perch, bass and trout. Expect to catch several perch between bass and trout hookups. With the release of water from the dam, stream flows are still holding at approximately 100 cfs below the dam. Wildhorse was stocked with approximately 7,000 rainbow trout last week bringing this year’s total to 41,500. No black bass may be kept until July 1
No fish
With surface water temperatures in the 60’s, fishing for trout has been fair to good and bass fishing has been good. For the bait anglers, worms seem to be working better than PowerBait for trout. Spin fishermen should be using black spinners with gold blades. Fly rodders were having good luck with purple, black or olive wooly buggers. Since Wilson often fishes similar to South Fork, bring the chironomid patterns. Dark colored soft plastics and fire tiger/perch-colored crankbaits are working for bass. The water level is about four feet below the spillway and will continue to drop through the summer. Wilson received some of the blue gill that were salvaged from Jiggs Reservoir. Wilson has been stocked with approximately 30,000 trout this spring.
