I admit I don’t always take my own advice. Sometimes I get up on a Saturday morning and know I’m in for a blazing hot day. It seems better to hang around the house with the air conditioner blasting rather than loading the gear and going fishing.
But I know there are plenty of places to fish, and summer is the best time of the year for certain areas.
Mountain lakes are the first that come to mind, but if you look around, you realize there’s much more.
Twice a day I drive over the Boise River, and it’s looking good right now. I can easily hit it for an hour or two in the evening. I don’t always catch fish, but I’m never sorry I tried.
The cool water is a nice antidote to the hot weather.
You can also hit local ponds and lakes (think Lake Lowell). Get there early or late. I almost never go early, but that last hour as the sun is setting is magical.
Expect to tailor your tactics to conditions. Weed beds form, and fish are likely to be in different places than they were in spring.
It can be tough, and I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty good when I’m confronted with a tough fishing situation and figure out how to overcome it. I’m always trying to learn more.
New state record white crappie: Congratulations to Trenten Smith of Nampa, who landed a 3-pound, 12-ounce crappie from Crane Creek Reservoir. We’d love to see a photo, Trenten. Email it to outdoors@idahostatesman.com, or give me a call at 377-6215.
