Fall brings many fishing opportunities for Idaho anglers,\nincluding the prime season for chasing anadromous salmon and steelhead. If you\u2019re\nup for a challenge and adventure, stomping around the backcountry chasing giant\nfish on the Salmon or Clearwater River is a one-of-a-kind Idaho experience! There\nare also plenty of local options, from catching trout in the rivers to pursuing\npanfish in reservoirs. As you plan your next outing, here are some ideas to get\nyou started: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steelhead Season is Here! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n October is a prime month for catching one of Idaho\u2019s most\niconic fish\u2014the steelhead. Like anadromous salmon, these rainbow trout are born\nin rivers or hatcheries and migrate to the ocean before returning to their home\nrivers and streams to spawn. Steelhead that spend one year in the ocean, known\nas A-run fish, are usually between 24 and 30 inches in length, while B-run\nfish, which live in the ocean for multiple years, can grow to more than three\nfeet long! Most steelhead fishing in Idaho is done on the Snake, Salmon and\nClearwater rivers. It is often hard work, with anglers spending a full day on\nthe river for the chance to hook a fish or two, usually using jigs, crankbaits,\nspinners or bait including shrimp and roe. The fall steelhead season is open\nthrough December 31, with a daily limit of one fish per angler. Keepers must be\nhatchery fish, marked by the absence of an adipose fin. Wild fish with intact\nadipose fins must be released. Steelhead fishing also requires barbless hooks\nand a special permit. For a full list of seasons, recent fish counts, fishing\ntips and harvest rules (which can change), visit the Idaho Fish & Game\nwebsite at www.idfg.idaho.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Panfish School in Session <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fall is a great time to catch a stringer full of delicious\ncrappie or perch for the frying pan. As the water cools, the fish tend to\nschool up in relatively deep water\u201430 to 50 feet is usually a good place to\nstart looking. Locally, C.J. Strike Reservoir near Bruneau is probably the best\nbet for catching panfish. It is loaded with crappie, perch and an underrated\npopulation of bluegill, all of which reach quality keeper size. I have also had\nsome great days catching big crappie at Brownlee Reservoir in November, and\nLake Cascade is famous for its jumbo perch, which are usually quite active in\nthe fall as long as the weather holds (the lake often starts to freeze at some\npoint in late November or early December). No matter where you fish, I recommend\nusing small panfish jigs tipped with a piece of worm or crappie nibble Power\nBait. Small swimbaits and spinnerbaits can also be good, especially on crappie.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Streaming for Trout <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as you don\u2019t mind the cold, trout fishing in local\nrivers and streams is usually excellent through the fall months. Flows in rivers\nincluding the Boise, Payette and Owyhee are low, making it easier to navigate\nand identify deep pools likely to hold fish. I have had several successful\ntrips on the Boise River this fall, catching rainbows up to 20 inches long using\nspinners and worms. Rapalas and flies will also do the trick\u2014nymphs like a hare\u2019s\near or pheasant tail are effective year-round, and streamer patterns might\nattract big, aggressive brown trout. Speaking of browns, I recommend practicing\ncatch-and-release through the fall (it is required on the Owyhee), as the fish\nspawn between October and January. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fall brings many fishing opportunities for Idaho anglers, including the prime season for chasing anadromous salmon and steelhead. If you\u2019re up for a challenge and adventure, stomping around the backcountry chasing giant fish on the Salmon or Clearwater River is a one-of-a-kind Idaho experience! There are also plenty of local options, from catching trout in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1421"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1425,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1421\/revisions\/1425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}