Late spring is a great time to be an angler in Idaho. No matter what species you like to catch, options are plentiful for chasing trophy trout, post-spawn bass, hungry panfish and more\u2014and you can\u2019t beat the weather! Here are a few ideas to get you started: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TROUT <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you prefer fly-fishing in rivers or pursuing\nlake-dwelling monsters from a boat, it\u2019s prime time for targeting big rainbows,\ncutthroats and hybrids, which will retreat to deeper water once things get too\nwarm. Fly-fishing with dry patterns, nymphs and streamers is a good option.\nLeech and woolly bugger patterns are particularly effective for catching lake\nand reservoir trout from a boat or float tube. With spinning tackle, I like to\nstart with a spinner or Rapala on one rod and, if conditions allow, fish a bait\nline with a worm or some Power Bait (make sure you have a two-pole permit).\nTrolling is another great way to catch trout\u2014it allows you to cover a lot of\nwater while dragging pop gear, spinners or Rapalas. Sharpen those hooks and tie\ngood knots! <\/p>\n\n\n\n CRAPPIE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These large panfish are one of Idaho\u2019s most popular\nspecies, and with good reason. In addition to being excellent table fare,\ncrappie live in huge schools and are often quite easy to catch once you locate them.\nThis spring has been one of the better crappie seasons in recent memory\u2014the\nfish go in cycles, and the size and numbers are both favorable this year.\nCrappie are found in the Snake River and associated reservoirs, including\nBrownlee and C.J. Strike. A good keeper-sized fish is 10 to 12 inches, but they\nare capable of growing up to 16 inches. A boat with a fish finder is a huge\nhelp in locating of crappie, although some schools are close enough to shore\nfor bank anglers to get in on the action (look for areas with steep drop-offs).\nSmall panfish jigs tipped with a crappie nibble or dead minnow are the go-to\nfor most anglers. Crappie will also hit Rapalas, small crankbaits and small Ned\nRig-style soft plastics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BASS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s an interesting time for bass fishing in local\nwaters. In warmer fisheries at lower elevations, many fish have finished\nspawning and are now entering full-on summer feast mode. In cooler waters at\nhigher elevations, fish may just now be moving in shallow to begin their\nspawning routine. Bluegill are also preparing to spawn, so spinnerbaits and\nother minnow-imitating lures are a good way to trigger a predatory strike from\na bass. Finesse jigs, swim baits and soft plastics pitched in and around weeds\nand other heavy cover are also a good way to go. And when conditions are right\non warm, calm evenings and mornings, nothing beats the excitement of an\nexplosive topwater strike on a frog, plug or fly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tight Lines! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Late spring is a great time to be an angler in Idaho. No matter what species you like to catch, options are plentiful for chasing trophy trout, post-spawn bass, hungry panfish and more\u2014and you can\u2019t beat the weather! Here are a few ideas to get you started: TROUT Whether you prefer fly-fishing in rivers or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-883","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\/883","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=883"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":888,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions\/888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tightlines208.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}