January is synonymous with ice fishing in Idaho, and the\nNew Year has brought opportunities for local anglers to get out and enjoy the\nhardwater. I can officially recommend parts of Lake Cascade and Magic\nReservoir, with more fisheries likely to join the list soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magic Reservoir (Ice Fishing) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Located a couple hours east of Boise, Magic is loaded\nwith perch, although they tend to be much smaller than the Lake Cascade jumbos.\nBut if you locate a school, catch rates can be fast, and there are bound to be\na few keepers in the mix. Magic also has solid populations of rainbow and brown\ntrout, offering anglers a chance to tangle with something bigger. Small jigs\nand spoons tipped with worms, corn, marshmallows or cut bait are the ticket. As\nof this writing, there is still open water on the main reservoir, but there are\nseveral fishable arms coves with at least six inches of ice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lake Cascade (Ice Fishing) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The north end of Cascade has seven solid inches of ice as\nof this writing, with anglers accessing the lake via Poison Creek and Boulder\nCreek. Ice is building from the south as well, with several anglers reporting\nfishable ice at Blue Heron. Jumbo yellow perch are the target for most anglers,\nand a few are showing up along with smaller perch and rainbow trout. I like to\nlook for perch in 15 to 30 feet of water, fishing near the bottom with small,\nperch-colored jigs. Trout usually cruise shallower and will take small jigs and\nspoons in silver, white, pink or perch patterns. Stay mobile until you find the\nbite, as Cascade fish can be picky. I recommend tipping your lures with worms,\nperch meat, mealworms and other baits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brownlee Reservoir (Bass, Crappie, Catfish) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brownlee is usually a friendly spot to fish from a boat\nin the winter months. Even if water levels drop below the ramps, there are\nnumerous spots where you can launch from shore, and snow and ice typically\naren\u2019t a problem. Crappie fishing has been slow, but I have had some great days\ncatching cold-weather crappie at Brownlee in the past. If you can locate a\nschool, you might be in business. Bass have slowed down, but catching\nthem in cold water is a fun challenge<\/a>. Using drop-shot soft plastics in\ndeeper water or dragging slow, deep-diving crankbaits might entice a nice bass.\nThe same goes for catfish, which have a hard time resisting a nice chunk of cut\nbait no matter how chilly it gets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Boise River (Trout, Whitefish) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Steady as the tides and convenient as they come, the\nBoise River is a reliable fishing spot this time of year. There won\u2019t\nbe any steelhead in the Boise this fall<\/a>, but rainbow trout, brown trout and\nwhitefish can be found in abundance if you know where to look. Spinners,\nspoons, worms, Power Bait, streamers and hare\u2019s ear nymphs are good tackle\nchoices for fishing the Boise River. Remember to practice catch-and-release on\nbig, wild trout to help preserve our unique urban fishery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n