Give brown trout a boost on the Boise, Owyhee rivers this fall. Here’s how.

We Idahoans are fortunate to have several healthy brown trout fisheries in our midst. These beautiful predators have the potential to reach awesome sizes in our river systems — most of which have wild, naturally-sustaining populations. Brown trout fishing is good on the Boise and Big Wood rivers, and excellent on the Owyhee River in eastern Oregon, as well as the South Fork Snake River in eastern Idaho.

Fall is spawning season for brown trout, and as such, there are some steps anglers can take to help boost these fisheries between October and January. Practicing catch-and-release is recommended (on the Owyhee, it is required year-round). And if you are wading in the rivers, be careful not to trample the redds (or nests, where trout deposit their eggs). Browns are very active before and after they spawn, so anglers are more likely to encounter one this time of year. The biggest brown trout I ever caught on the Boise River came while targeting steelhead, which were recently stocked in the Boise by Idaho Fish and Game.

In an effort to improve spawning habitat for both brown and rainbow trout, the Boise Valley Fly Fishers have been doing gravel augmentation work on the Boise River. The club recently installed signage near one of the side channels that was augmented earlier this year — and fish have been using it to spawn!

Kudos to all who work to improve our fisheries, and tight lines!

Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures and questions with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com, or visit www.tightlines208.com for the latest local fishing reports and upcoming class offerings.