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The next week bodes well for fishing with daytime highs ranging from the mid 60’s on Sunday and Monday and the high 70’sto low 80’s the rest of the week. Overnight lows hovering between 30 and 45 degrees. Can you say fall fishing!
However, surface water temps have only dipped a few degrees at area reservoirs from the low to mid 70’s into the mid 60’s which is still a bit above the comfort level of trout.
So anglers still need to look for those parts of the lake where trout are likely to hang out. These include stream inlets or springs, which provide cooler more oxygenated water along with food, water that is shaded by plant growth, and deeper water, which is generally cooler and not as affected by air temperature as the surface is.
So target these parts of the lake or reservoir until the weather really starts to cool down for the best chances of success. Of course, early morning the surface temps are at their coolest of the day after the cold night and trout are more likely to be out and about.
It is just the opposite for warm water species such as bass, which enjoy warmer water temperatures. Look for them in the late afternoon, in shallower water with south facing exposures and on structure.
Fishing has been good. Worms or PowerBait fished off the bottom using a slip sinker have been working. Bobber fishing is working on some days but slow on others. 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. Small dark colored spinners with contrasting bright spots have caught trout as well. Just give the spinner enough time to sink close to the bottom before retrieving.
Surface water temperatures are in the low to mid 60’s and fishing has been good for 8 to 10-inch rainbow trout using worms, PowerBait or small spinners. A few small brown trout are also being caught. 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.
Trout fishing has been fair to good with trout hitting dry flies before the day heats up and subsurface later in the day. The same flies, lures and techniques that work at South Fork should work here for both trout and bass.
Surface water temps are in the mid to high 60’s but should drop into the low to mid 60’s after the cold front moves through on Monday. Fishing has been good for bass but just fair for trout though that may flip soon with the cooling of the water. Bass are averaging 11-13 inches with the occasional 15-incher. Best time for trout is early morning or late evening. Anglers shouldn’t be surprised if they catch an occasional Bluegill but NDOW is asking that those fish not be harvested since they are the founder population of what could be a fun pan fishery. 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. The boat launch construction is expected to begin soon, so launching boats will become very difficult for anglers. There will be launch access on the north end of the lake but parking is limited.
There are still 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. If fishing the edge of the weed beds leech patterns should also work. Spinners, PowerBait, and nightcrawlers will do well for the spincasting crowd. With warm surface water temperatures, fishing is best in early morning or late evening.
The water level is down due to evaporation, but fishing is still productive here. 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.
Almost dry and no fish.
MOUNTAIN STREAMS
Starting Saturday, Sept. 18, Lamoille Canyon Road will be open to the end of the canyon so access to Lamoille Creeek and the high mountain lakes. Great job by the crews that got this done. Flows at area streams are 10 to 25% of normal for this time of year and fish are holding in the pools. The water is cooling and soon the plants in the riparian should start to go dormant for the winter which should release some ground water to help with stream flows, though what is really needed is some major precipitation. As of September 16, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at a very low 12 cfs, the Bruneau River at 3.4 cfs, the Jarbidge at 4.3 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 26 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 3 cfs, the South Fork at a very low 6 cfs, Cleve Creek at 3.7 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.2 cfs and Kingston Creek at 4.1 cfs.
High Alpine Lakes
The road to the Lamoille Canyon Trailhead will be open to the public starting Saturday, September 18. So anglers will now be able to access the high mountain lakes along the Ruby Crest Trail. Fishing conditions are good at the high mountain lakes. The same tactics and presentations that work at Angel Lake should work here. The further you get from the trailheads, the better the fishing. Be prepared for changing weather conditions and check the forecast before heading out.
Very little 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 with a few being caught off the dikes. The bass bite is slowing a bit and this weekend’s cooler weather will definitely have an impact. Bass fishing in the morning has been slow with the best fishing being mid-afternoon and later once the surface waters heat back up a bit. 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. 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. 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.
Fishing for bass is fair to good good while fishing for trout is fair. The surface water temperature is in the mid to high 60’s depending upon time of day and location though after this weekend should be down to the low to mid 60’s. Good news for trout anglers. However, until that happens anglers still need to fish deeper water for trout, about 12 to 15 feet below the surface. Anglers are also having some success with both worms and PowerBait fished off the bottom using a slip sinker. 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. 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. 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 may keep one black bass 15 inches or longer.
Surface water temperatures are starting to drop into the low 60’s and the algae is starting to clear a bit. Trout fishing is picking up but still just considered fair. Perch and bass fishing is fair to good. Trout are starting to move up in the water column, but don’t expect them to move much for another couple of weeks. Trout anglers will still need to get their presentations down to 10 to 15 feet to have the best chance of catching them. However, a few trout are starting to cruise the shallows at first light with the advent of the cool night-time temperatures. Leech patterns, wooly buggers and the usual nymph assortment of copper Johns, hares ears, pheasant tails and chironomids have all been working. Bait anglers should be using worms or PowerBait fished off the bottom or suspended well below a bobber. Small spinners are also be effective, just give them plenty of time to sink deeper into the water column. Boaters can try flashers tipped with worms on a downrigger to reach the proper depth. 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. Anglers may keep one black bass 15 inches or longer.
No fish
With surface water temperatures in the mid-60’s, fishing for trout is fair and fair to good for bass. Soft plastic baits in Junebug, green pumpkin and light blue/bluegill sparkly colors have been working for bass. For the bait anglers, worms seem to be working better than PowerBait for trout. Spin fishermen should be using blue or green spinners with silver blades. Fly rodders were having good luck with damselfly nymph and dry patterns along the weed bed edges in the morning. Nymphs include blue copper Johns, hares ears, PT’s and of course damselfly nymphs. With the big midge hatch bring the chironomid patterns. The boat ramp is out of the water and is unusable.
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What better way to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day next Saturday, September 25, than by taking your kids chukar hunting!......
