Fishing report: Fall brings multispecies opportunities for Idaho anglers
As an angler, few things are more fun than a grab-bag day on the water. Sometimes, throwing a lure, fly or bait will pick up three or four different fish, making each bite an exciting mystery. Other days, you have to vary your approach to catch different species, but you can easily swap out tackle to hone in on your targets.
Fall can be a great season for multispecies action. Rivers are typically running low, which means fish will congregate in the most favorable remaining habitat. Reservoirs also have hot spots, usually related to underwater structure like a rockpile, ledge or drop-off that attracts both panfish and their predators — especially bass, which move into deeper water as temperatures drop.
Idaho is home to many multispecies fisheries. In our region, perhaps the most popular is C.J. Strike Reservoir. I recently fished there with some buddies, and we enjoyed fast action on a gorgeous fall morning, catching more than 100 crappie, a dozen smallmouth bass, a handful of yellow perch and one lonesome bluegill. Most of the fish were caught on small jigs, but we did throw some Carolina-rigged plastics to target bass specifically.
I’m amazed that Strike continues to produce such quality fishing — it gets fished by dozens of boats per day, and hundreds on the weekends, with many anglers keeping buckets full of crappie and perch — but such is life on a fertile, boom year panfish reservoir. I kept a dozen of my biggest crappie and perch for a fish fry, releasing the rest to be caught another day. Rainbow trout are another common find at C.J. Strike, and anglers can also catch sturgeon in a handful of deep holes, or in the Snake River just below Strike Dam.
Other popular fisheries for multispecies trips include Lake Cascade (perch, rainbow trout, bass and a number of others); Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir (walleye, bass, rainbow trout, perch); Brownlee Reservoir (crappie, bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish); and Magic Reservoir (rainbow trout, brown trout, perch, bass). Whether you’re looking to catch a few fish for the frying pan or just want to relax and see what’s biting, it’s hard to go wrong with multispecies action.
Steelhead update
Fishing has picked up for steelhead on the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. The latest harvest reports as of this writing show catch rates between 9 and 13 hours per fish on the main Clearwater, North Fork Clearwater and Snake downstream of the Salmon River. Fish are being caught on roe, jigs, streamers, wobbling plugs and Rapala-style jerk baits. Get all the latest details on the Idaho Fish & Game website.
Rock some cold weather fishing gloves
With winter and ice fishing season just around the corner, I want to give a shoutout to my friends at Sun State Industrial Supply, who just got in a new shipment of their Rock Fish gloves. Waterproof, insulated and dexterous, Rock Fish gloves are the best solution I’ve found for keeping my hands warm and nimble while fishing in the cold. And they’re on sale for $10! To order a pair, visit sun-state-industrial-supply.myshopify.com.
Tight lines!
Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM.