Summer fishing is in full swing across Idaho. Opportunities abound for species like bass, bluegill and catfish, while conditions are improving for chasing trout in rivers, streams and high mountain lakes. Here are some updates from around the state, including some exciting stocking reports from the McCall area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PAYETTE\/ LITTLE PAYETTE LAKES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first time since 2014, Idaho Fish & Game has\nstocked Kokanee salmon in McCall\u2019s Payette Lake. The recent load of 400,000\nfingerling Kokanee is the latest step in an effort to balance the fishery\u2019s\npopulations of Kokanee and Mackinaw\ntrout<\/a> \u2014 two species with divergent, loyal followings in the fishing\ncommunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPayette Lake management is a tricky balancing act, because\nKokanee are the primary forage fish for lake trout,\u201d said Jordan Messner,\nSouthwest Regional Fisheries Manager for Fish and Game in McCall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The annual number of spawning Kokanee declined from more\nthan 40,000 in the mid-1990s to less than 1,000 a few years ago\u2014 likely due to predation\nby Mackinaws. As the Kokanee population crashed, lake trout quality has\nsuffered as the fish don\u2019t have enough to eat. I saw that firsthand\nthis winter<\/a>, as we caught 20-inch Mackinaws that didn\u2019t even weigh two\npounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past two years, Fish & Game removed about\n1,400 lake trout from Payette in a twofold effort to improve fish quality and\nboost Kokanee populations. It appears to be working, as the most recent Kokanee\nrun saw 3,000 spawners. With any luck, resuming Kokanee stocking will help push\nthose numbers even higher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While many Mackinaw anglers are unhappy Fish & Game\nis removing lake trout, Messner says Fish & Game is focused on removing\nsmaller lake trout, and fish quality is starting to improve as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just down the road, Little Payette Lake recently received 600\nadult smallmouth bass<\/a>, which were transplanted from Oxbow Reservoir to\nmaintain a trophy-level fishery. Late summer is a great time to catch bass at Little\nPayette\u2014I caught 10 fish over two pounds during a recent camping trip there\u2014as\nthe fish turn on a little later because of the higher elevation and colder\nwater temps. As a bonus, you might even catch\na tiger muskie<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n BASS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been beating\nthis drum<\/a> for a few weeks, but there is no end in sight to quality bass\nfishing in 2020. Fish in our region have finished spawning, which means they\nare on the prowl for small fish, crayfish, frogs, bugs and anything else they\ncan fit in those bucket-sized mouths. Soft plastics\u2014namely a Texas-rigged worm\nor crayfish\u2014have been the most productive lures on my recent trips, although\nI\u2019ve also caught fish on swimbaits, spinnerbaits and topwater lures. Popular\nfisheries like Lake\nLowell<\/a> and C.J. Strike continue to produce, but don\u2019t overlook smaller\nlakes and ponds for quality bass fishing (and smaller crowds). <\/p>\n\n\n\n