Fishing Report
Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:39 AM PDT
BROWNLEE RESERVOIR (Upper): Generally fishing has been slow as the water has been very low and muddy. Most boat ramps are out of the water except Woodhead Park. The bass fishing has picked up and a few perch are being caught from boats. The reservoir is 48 feet below normal.
OXBOW RESERVOIR: No recent report.
HELLS CANYON RESERVOIR: No recent report.
SNAKE RIVER below HELLS CANYON RESERVOIR: The Snake River from Hell’s Canyon Dam to the Oregon/Washington state line closed for steelhead angling on April 30.
The Snake River from Dug Bar boat ramp upstream to the deadline below Hell’s Canyon Dam opened for spring salmon angling on April 26. The daily bag limit is three adipose fin-clipped adult per day. Two jack (less than 24 inches) may be kept in addition to the adult limit. Barbless hooks are required. Counts of adult salmon over Lower Granite Dam have been low, to date, but are beginning to increase. We expect salmon angling to be slow until fish numbers improve.
Trout and smallmouth bass fishing are good.
SNAKE RIVER (Above Brownlee Reservoir): Flows near Nyssa have ranged from 2,200 to 6.000 cfs from May 7 through May 13. Flows near Weiser have ranged from 16,500 cfs to 19,500 cfs from May 7 through May 13. Angling is good for 18 to 28 inch catfish. Smallmouth bass angling remains slow.Snake River
Channel catfish: A few cats are beginning to show up near Loveridge Bridge but fish are still few and far between.
Smallmouth Bass: Some nice bass 14-15 inches have been caught below CJ by perch fishermen. For the time being, catch rates for bass seem to be better in the river than in the lake. Use the same lures and techniques as mentioned above.
Sturgeon: Has been hit or miss lately. One angler will say the fishing is excellent, the next might ask if there are any sturgeon left in the river. Patient folks should see a bite or two. Most anglers are using pickled herring or whole five to six-inch crappie.
Boise River: Water is around 1,000 cfs and the river should be fishing well. Current flows will allow stocking to continue as planned for the next month.
South Fork of the Boise River Anderson Ranch Dam downstream to Neal Bridge: Closed to fishing until May 24.
Brownlee Reservoir (Lower): Fishing for smallmouth bass and crappie has been steadily improving. Look for smallmouth near shore then move to deeper water (15-20 feet).
Reservoir level is down but predicted to begin rising in the coming weeks. Launch boats at Woodhead, or on the Oregon side at Morgan Creek or the Cemetery access.
Lake Lowell: The lake opened to boats on April 15 and fishing is good for largemouth bass. Fish jigs, crankbaits or spinner baits over or near the edge of the smart weed beds. Bluegill and catfish fishing should pick up as the water warms over the next couple weeks. Remember bass fishing is catch-and-release only until July 1 on Lake Lowell. All bass caught must be released immediately back to the water. No bass may be in possession prior to July 1. The catch-and-release prohibition also prohibits keeping bass in your live well for later release.
Salmon count
LATEST UPDATE: MAY 12, 2008
DAM Daily Count Total
Bonneville 4,613 86,640
Lower Granite 862 9,275
