Still Water

Still Waters, November 21st, 2023

Irrigation reservoirs to the southeast are ice free for a while. However winter travel conditions may prevail on the roads going to them. This will make traveling to nearby still waters such as Springfield Reservoir and McTucker Ponds more attractive. The Sand Creek Ponds are also nearby, and remain open to fishing through November 30th. The above photo shows the character of the ponds during summer and early autumn. Within twenty miles north of St. Anthony, they are reached by a good gravel road, have primitive launching facilities and hold rainbow trout ranging to trophy size. Only midge hatches are taking place now making nymph and streamer patterns the best bets for action through using either floating or intermediate lines.

Still Waters, November 18th, 2023

To date, Springfield Lake offers some of the best still water fishing around. IDF&G has planted a number of fish including old brood rainbows, and hosts a good number of hold-overs going to trophy sizes. Midge activity has been prolific. Nymph and streamer (try fly rod jigs of various colors) patterns as well as midge life cycle patterns are effective,

Being mostly shallow, this reservoir makes floating lines appropriate for use because through their use patterns can be presented at effective depth or for top water and indicator aided fishing. Fishing on Springfield Reservoir is restricted to fishing with barbless artificial flies and lures and has a bag limit of two trout, none under twenty inches.

Similar to Springfield Reservoir in physical character, non-motorized Sand Creek Ponds north of St. Anthony offer the same fishing strategies for rainbow trout, but closes to fishing after November 30th.

Still Waters, October 17th, 2023

Blue-green algae growth has ceased on nearly all our still waters. Such conditions for this decrease include fewer sunlight hours, cooling water and air temperatures, and time result in this good situation for anglers and animals be they pets or livestock. It’s really god news for fish because decreasing blue-green algae means more dissolved oxygen in hosting water as well as a lesser impact on available food. Our irrigation reservoirs ( ie Island Park, Twenty-Four, Mile, Treasureton, Chesterfield, Paul’s Reservoir, and even Henry’s Lake) are particularly subject to this bloom because of draw-down during warmest months, but natural lakes also host these algae (Blair Lake, Aldous Lake). So expect improvement in still water fishing success coming up.

Incidentally, there is a particular indicator that large fish are present in any still water. That is the presence of snails as indicated by their shells along the shoreline. Such as Sheridan Reservoir, Treasureton Reservoir, Hebgen Lake, Little Valley Reservoir, and Aldous Lake are examples. Jack Gartside’s Wet Mouse drifted under an indicator is an excellent pattern for imitating a dead and drifting snail in such waters.

Still Waters, September 23rd, 2023

Sand Creek Pond # 4

The weather the last several days is doing wonders for fishing success on many of these. Fewer daylight hours and cooler air temps are bringing water temperatures down to levels making fish active again and reducing aquatic weed cover. Sand Creek Ponds is an example where these actions are taking place. About 15 miles north of St. Anthony, the ponds offer an easy-to-access still water fishery. Pond #4 offers the most with a boat launch, a rainbow trout population producing individuals to trophy size, and a few brookies. Speckled duns may be winding down in numbers but a few remain during warmer days, Nymph patterns of choice suspended under a indicator remain effective as are leech and scud patterns. The ponds are non-motorized and have limited bank fishing. A killing frost has likely taken place, but enough terrestrial insects remain that a floating hopper or ant pattern or dry damsel fly could raise some interest from resident rainbow trout.

Still Waters, September 12th, 2023

Island Park Reservoir

The blue-green algae bloom in Island Park Reservoir has reached amounts making water toxic for human and animal consumption and contact. Thus washing hands and equipment and keeping pets away from these waters is much recommended. However, now that shorter and cooler days are arriving this bloom will eventually break up, and submerged springs will be safer to fish. Most of these springs are off the north shoreline at the west end of the reservoir. Good fishing can take place around these through presenting midge pupa patterns in red, olive or black colors, all under indicators.

Still Waters, August 26th, 2023

There is an excellent article on the Idaho Department of Game’s News Release Page. Titled ” Collaborative Effort to Restore Bear Lake Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Receives National Award.” It describes how government agencies, conservation organizations and private land owners are combining to restore access to spawning areas and the quality of such. These efforts appear to result in increasing the wild Bonneville cutthroat population in spawning runs but also their population in the lake.

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Still Waters, August 15th, 2023

Daniels Reservoir on a Windy Day

The Idaho Department of Fish & Game’s (IDF&G) Southeast Region office has put out a very interesting news release on the quality and quantity of trout in four popular area reservoirs: Daniels, Springfield, Treasureton and Twenty-Four Mile. The news release shows that even though summer is a ” down time” for still water fishing success, fish in good numbers and sizes are present in each. To read this informative article, go to the IDF&G’s web site and look under News Releases. Store the given info on each reservoir report for your visits during upcoming fall months.

Still Waters, August 5th, 2023

Mackay Reservoir is being drained down to near river channel depth in order to do repairs on the ancient Mackay Dam. Thus IDF&G has placed a salvage order on the reservoir. Anyone salvaging fish must have a valid Idaho fishing license. Sport fishing methods, netting, archery and guddling ( using hands to capture fish) are legal means to harvest. Chemical and electrical means are illegal. On completion of dam repairs and subsequent reservoir filling, IDF&G will re-establish the reservoir trout population.

Still Waters, July 26th, 2023

Horseshoe Lake

Nearly all our still waters are in the summer doldrums. Here is one with conditional exception if you have a flotation device and do not mind fishing early in the day or during evenings. That would be non-motorized Horseshoe Lake. Facilities here are totally primitive: no rest rooms, no developed camping/picnic area, no boat launch facility except the north side open shoreline. Why place this small lake on our fishing report? Because it is easily approached and is stocked each year with grayling ( and rainbow trout with holdovers being rare). The rainbow trout to grayling ratio is about 8 to 1, and a “braggin’ fish” grayling here is about 13″ long. They are active during AM spinner falls, damsel fly egg laying activity and PM speckled dun hatches. Use the lightest tackle you have and a floating line to present patterns imitating these life forms.

One gets to Horseshoe Lake by traveling the Cave Falls Road about five miles east into the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Just past the LDS church girl’s camp the turn-off to Horseshoe Lake is on the left side of the road and signed. The road is good enough for sedans and gently rises to the lake. Take a camera to capture the beauty of this rare salmonid.

Still Waters, July 22nd, 2023

Aldous Lake

There is not much for fishing success on our irrigation reservoirs during these dog days. There are, however, a few places you can have better fly fishing success and tranquility if you are willing to leave the beaten path. One of these is Aldous Lake above Kilgore. That fact alone offers that it will not be populated, except for a few locals. The Continental Divide is just above the lake. From Kilgore go west, take the first turn to the right and proceed to the Ching Creek Road. It ends at a parking lot/trail head. The walk to the lake, which is no more than a tarn, is a bit more than a mile with about the last half going uphill. Aldous features submerged springs making the water level and quality good enough to offer hold-over conditions for resident trout. Submerged vegetation hosts scuds and leeches galore.

It is best to pack a flotation device to get onto the lake because the timbered shoreline offers little room for back casting excepting a tiny area on the west shoreline. If speckled duns and damsel flies are active, you will have little problem attracting resident cutthroat trout featuring individuals exceeding twenty inches. No surface action? Try small leech or scud patterns or even fly rod jigs and use about a five-weight system to present these.