Is it just me or for the shore fisherman do the fish seem alot smaller this year...I am completely lost this year on why i cant seem to catch anything of size...Im sure alot of u are thinking to urself...well u prob arent very good anyways...that maybe the case but atleast out of what luck i have had in the past i have caught some nice fish...Just a curiosity question...

Are you targeting any specific specie? Lake, stream or river and what part of Idaho?

The salmon run was good, we caught some nice fish a couple weeks back.

Zilch

Nothing specific Bass Catfish what ever we can get to bite on the days we go out. Im in the southwest region on the snake bout an hour from boise on the oregon border. Just seems things are slow this year and smaller. and yes i have had sever friends tell me how the steel head and salmon runns were awsome this year.

We will be heading down river to Corn Creek the end of Sept after the early steelhead. We like to go early before all the traffic of hunters/fishermen join the regular fishermen. Fifty miles of one lane road can be a bugger.

Zilch

Yes it can and usually is...Well good luck to ya

We hiked into Hat Creek Lakes for a couple days last week and my wife and I landed 92 trout. The largest being 19". We used a barbless #4 hook so most would be caught on their lip. It worked as only five of them were hooked deep and we ate them, all others were released to catch another day.
During the trip in and out we saw a bear, 27 elk and 7 deer. It was a great trip.

Zilch

very nice...were are these lakes located...i have only hiked seven devils and white clouds in my day and both were excellent trout fishing...as for me fishing has pretty well come to a close for me this year...i went out to brownlee at the end of august...didnt catch or have a single bite in the res dropped down below and caught 4 decent bass...hope to return to the mt again but raisin a baby makes it tough

Access from either Hat Creek Road north of Ellis or Morgan Creek Road between Ellis and Challis. We hiked in from the Morgan Creek side.

Have either of you guys fished Brownlee Res? Some great crappie fishing and huge catfish. The bass fishing isn't bad either. Went there last year for the first time and we caught over a 1000 crappie in four days only kept 300. Got to get back just ate the last I had. We fished the Powder River arm out of Richland, Or.

Harry

I generally try to fish brownlee several times a year...any where from steck park/Huntington on out to the dam its self...this year i didnt fare to well on the sizes of anything caught on that stretch of the snake but then again i dont have a boat usable at the time...my best crappie fishing was up at oxbow bout 1/4 from the dam...other than that i think the best bass fishing i had all summer was on the weiser river were we had to pull the little 12ftr alum over half way...however word from a area resident of brownlee res said the fishing was picking up again due to cooler weather...

well zilch sounds like a new area of idaho im gonna have to explore some time soon...sounds kinda like the bolder chains up in the white clouds...crazy good fishing in those high mountain lakes including two trophy cut throat lakes...

I have not fished in Brownlee since 1991. I went with a friend from Enterprise and we fished the Powder River arm. I need to get back there next year when the crappie go on the bite.

A friend claims the sturgeon fishing is picking up now below the dam at American Falls. Does anyone know about that?

Zilch

wish i could help on that...my sturgeon informants were two bosses i had but havent talked to either in a couple of years...

I am too busy for sturgeon this year, but hope to have time next year.

We went down river to Corn Creek trying for steelhead with no luck. A boat was several miles down from there and had one fish, still a little early I guess. Thirty five miles of rough dusty road makes me think twice about going back until we get some rain.

Hmmm...i had heard a couple of weeks ago that the fall run had started real early but hadnt heard anything else from anyone doing any good...but ya rain always makes for a better travel on dirt roads...im on a non fishing dry spell right now havent been out since august 28th...all i know is the trout fishing in creeks right now is pretty good...i have a buddy that went up to Sumter last weekend and caught some 40 trout below the dam...

We are swamped with ranch work that needs to be done before the snow flies and that put the fishing on hold. No rain in sight so we may not even try for steelhead until most of the "Killer B's" leave. Those are the 4 and 8 B plates that show up in droves to fish/hunt at the same time. It is a rat race, so we like snow and cold to make them think of home.

all sounds like much fun...i think i would rather deal with the fellow Idahoans the the Washingtonians and Californians when it comes to the rat race...but hey what can ya do...it is what it is...i might try for some large mouth this weekend at a small nearby lake...as for the trout i been hearin bout lately will probably not happen this year...

We get very few nonresident fishermen here in the fall, and most of those use outfitters and float the river. A few bank fishermen come from Montana and all those I have met have been good people. I visited a friend near Priest Lake last year in November and you would think you were in Washington state if you looked at all the license plates. I am glad I live in eastern Idaho.

my experiences with nonresidents on that side of the state have always been good...they are all very friendly and share alot of the same opinions and views as many of our extreme outdoors man enthusiasts...its always great to b in good company with these types of sportsman wither it b on the water or around a campfire...im definitely not lucky with all of that living in southwest Idaho...    

We hiked in to another high mountain lake over the weekend and it was windy with mini whitecaps all over the lake. We did manage to catch around thirty trout with several in the 16-18" range. All were released but one, we needed a meal.
Now we are waiting for the steelhead.

nice nice good to hear...i made it up to that little lake myself and to no success didnt catch a single bass...however caught several blue gill with very good girth...last time caught anything like that was bout 4 years ago on the snake close to brownlee...as for the steelhead good luck with that and as for the rain im not sure if u got any ur way but out this way we have got a good little bit in the past 24 hrs...much needed

It has been a week of nothing but work with no chance to fish. The dang elk tore down almost 60 yards of fence and broke wooden posts off at the ground. One must have got tangled up as the fence was dragged down into my ditch. Then with all the leaves and debris coming down after the rain, it made a dam and washed out ditch. Some say ranching is fun, yeah right. Oh well, in a couple more days we hope to thin down the herd.
I hear it was over 28 hours per steelhead caught last week, not good. It can only get better.

oh wow ya that is a serious work load...i myself have been spending my evenings and weekends on a tractor and have been missing out on good trout fishing...the joys of being a husband and father...i read on the fish and game web site bout the steel head fishing and yes not to promising right now...good luck to ya on getting away for a steelhead journey and gettin the good ol elk problem takin care of...

went up to manns creek sunday expecting to catch one (if not more) of the 8k trout planted...instead we caught bout 8 large mouth one 13 incher the rest just under twelve and also a really nice crappie...my buddy however did manage to catch one of the little planters from two weeks ago...tons of people not many fish from what i could tell...

We fished the Salmon River below North Fork last Thursday, hooked three but only landed one. It was a 24" keeper. The water had cleared so we used 8# leader.

Too much last minute ranch work before winter to play much, but we hope to go again soon. After elk season closes on Monday, many of the hunter-fisherman combo campers will be gone.

anyone know how steelhead season is going...

The local fishermen have been doing good in the Salmon below the Middle Fork.

I live in Washington State a stone's throw away from North Idaho, my usual stomping ground for awesome Smallmouth fishing (from the shore). And this year has been the best bass fishing of my life! Out of Lake Coeur'd'Alene I pulled at least five 4 pound smallmouth bass! That is no small accomplishment considering my limitations from the shoreline! And sorry but these spots are closly gaurded from most of the fishing public. Because if they weren't kept secret, the hicks in North Idaho would fish them out!!! Almost all the hicks ive seen keep ALL their fish and do not practice catch and release ever. And when I say all, I mean ALL of their fish. They will keep bass that are almost minnows and even keep and eat Squawfish! Yuck! By the middle of summer, most spots are deadzones. You will be lucky to catch a minnow. But anyways, just saying, find a good spot on shore where no one else goes. You will have to hike in, but thats where the action is! Good luck and fish on! (And the fish in my profile pic is a Smallmouth I caught from shore this summer. He came in at just over 4 pounds! That is the only bass I have ever kept. I figured the hillbillies would get to him soon so I might as well keep one this one time)

VERY WELL PUT ON THE CONSERVATION OF KEEPING FISHING GREAT. hikes (wading) have lead me to some excellent spots very recently makes it all the better...

Thanks. Very soon I will be posting a forum about "Catch and Release." Im sure that will be very controversial!

under what state are u going to post the catch and release topic. i would def love to b part of that topic and true might make a couple of friends along the way but anger many more. i will b awaiting the topic

The steelhead are here, but catching them is another thing. Most drift boats come in with something, but it is still slower than I like. It can only get better and it is still early.