If you landlocked guys every tried the action out here...man oh man!

This fish was caught on a Florescent High Fly about 10 feet from the bottom in March of 2007. The downrigger ball was alsmost hitting the rocky bottom!

OK that is debatable but I wanted to post this pic is me floating out on Royal Lake on the Olympic Peninsula. The hike is a difficult 4 miles and 2500 feet but it is all worth it! This pic is from late August and the Brook trout were hitting good old fashioned Elk Hair Caddis #14-18. The fish were fiesty but only 8-10 inches. The scenery on this lake is dynamo!

I live in moscow idaho about 20 miles from lewiston and the fishing is picking up again on the snake, last week we picked up 9 on the boat the first day and day 2 we picked up 13 only 6 keepers for the three of us between the two days. two weeks ago we got nothing. I hope things are good arounf salmon and challis but their is alot of fish on their way...hope someone catches the two keepers i let go! let me know how the fishing is down their please sole_soaker@yahoo.com

I get to come home for x-mas break, I plan on doing some ducking and gooseing just wanting to know about the numbers of birds in the aberdeen area. please send me an e-mail at sole_soaker@yahoo.com

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Hello guys and gals, We are gathering together DUI stories from around the country in an effort curb drunk driving. If you could share your DUI story with us, it could help thousands of people. Your story will be kept anonymous. Please submit your DUI Story by clicking here: DUI Stories Thank you in advance for you help. Best, Steve

I have herd from a few people that the deer hunting in south eastern idaho is on it's way down hill. I do not know if they are just being lazy and not hunting to hard or hard enough to find much. I recently moved to northern idaho for school and am a little home sick for the mule deer hunting. I could sure use a few good pics from someone and a good story or two. The deer hunting up here concists of whitetail hunting and I hear it gets realy good come mid november, opening day up here was rather slow, seen a few does and one small buck I sat all morning in one spot about a mile froma road and watched a clear cut. The elk are finaly into the rut not and talking untill almost 1 pm. please shoot me a line or two about the season in mule deer country @ sole_soaker@yahoo.com thanks and good luck and stay safe and kill a six pack

Wow! It’s already here. Big game season has officially started in Idaho and hunters have a new species of game to hunt…the Canada wolf. A species that Idaho Fish and Game introduced here more than a decade ago that many feel do not belong in Idaho or more importantly the lower 48, as they are not native to this area.

But before we get into that bird nest lets take a quick run down of what hunters can expect during the archery season and what I have seen in the field the past year.

Deer and elk season for bow hunters kicked off August 30th and continues the entire month of September ending September 30th in units 66A, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78.

With a mild winter it already looks like this is going to be a good year for bow and rifle hunters but your still going to have to work for your game. The days of record numbers of deer are gone and we probably will never see an era like that again. But, hunters that work the backcountry will increase their odds for trophy bucks or meat for the freezer....

We all love hunting season. In fact, many outdoorsmen only venture into the field during the early September to late October hunting season. Leaving the rest of the year to bird hunters, trappers, anglers and the like. Hunters in pursuit target elk, mule deer and antelope every season faithfully. But, a “New Kid” on the block has emerged and Idaho hunters have taken notice. The almighty White tailed deer, America’s number one big game species has taken a foothold in southeast Idaho and he is here to stay and growing to trophy class sizes!

I grew up during my teenage years hunting whitetails in Texas and trust me, what you see on television is 70/30. About 70 percent is bogus hunting on ranches with feeders but the other 30 percent is honest hard hunting and these individuals had to work to get these shots.

My experience has been long hours in the woods covering swampy boggy bottom land and seeing only the white flag of the whitetails tail bounding over logs and blow- downs. This was all before store bought tree...

Preparation

Note: A filleting glove provides protection against accidental cuts and makes it easier to grip the fish. Modern filleting gloves are lightweight and comfortable to use.

1. Clean the outside of the fish

The first step is to clean the outside of the fish in running water. This removes the protective slime from the skin of the fish and makes it much easier to handle. If you want to remove the scales from the fish, now is the time to do it either with a blunt knife-edge or using a fish scaler. Although, I never do this as it takes too much time and is messy as heck.

Note: If I'm filleting my fish then I never clean them (i.e. I don't remove the innards, gills, etc.).

2. Make a cut down one side behind the gills

Start the fillet by laying the fish on it's side on the fillet board and cutting down behind the gills.

The idea is to cut far enough to free the flesh without cutting right through the rib cage.

3. Cut down to the spine along one side of the back Make a cut along one side of spine, cutting down to the...

By John Bulger jbulger@journalnet.com
POCATELLO — “I am haunted by waters.” These final words of Norman Maclean’s celebrated work, “A River Runs Through It,” always move me, regardless of the number of times I read the novella. Perhaps it was because, for 20-plus years, I lived in Missoula, Montana, plying the same waters Maclean wrote about fishing more than a half-century before. Maybe it was the sentences that preceded the finale — “Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand in my youth are dead” — which appealed to my Irish maudlin sentimentality. But mostly, I think it identified something within, put words to a transcendent feeling when, standing alone in a self-discovered wilderness creek, I hooked into a hefty trout that had perhaps never been fooled before. When I pulled up Montana roots and moved to Southeast Idaho in 2007 to join my wife-to-be, I left behind family, friends, career and a quarter-century of acquired knowledge of where and how to fish spots where few others...

By Cody Bloomsburg cbloomsburg@journalnet.com
Even though I can express everything I know about fishing on a 3-by-5 index card and still have room to scribble the prologue to “The Canterbury Tales,” I have always wanted to pick up fishing as a solid hobby. However, I have been too worried about making a complete fool out of myself to give it a try.
I hadn't fished in more than six years, and before that my angling experience was mostly limited to drowning worms in Lake Coeur d’Alene. It was a good day so long as I pulled out enough perch, sunfish or bullhead to make at least a plate full for my grandma to pan fry for me.
Recently, I swallowed my pride and gave it a shot. Surprisingly, I found the fishing community to be very laid-back and full of people willing to impart valuable information for the low price of a friendly conversation.
The idea was for Journal photographer Joe Kline and me to head to Crystal Springs Pond, where we would meet up with Matt Kreizenbeck, the Idaho Department of Fish and...

By John Bulger jbulger@journalnet.com BEAR LAKE — The three Idaho Fish and Game biologists wade slowly through the frothing creek that spills into Bear Lake, two carrying nets while the lead man sweeps a wand slowly through the water. One netter surges towards movement in the water and deftly captures a huge trout that has been stunned by electroshock.
Over the next 15 minutes, the team nets numerous other vividly colored trout—some weighing more than 10 pounds—that are schooling in a pool on Fish Haven Creek, unable to further ascend the stream to spawn because of the velocity of the water funneling through a highway culvert.
Bonneville Cutthroats were once so prevalent that they were considered nuisance fish. By the 1950s, the species, closely related to the Yellowstone Cutthroat, was believed to be extinct as a pure population due to overharvest, competition by non-native species, hybridization and habitat loss.
However, studies in the 1970s compared the trout with museum specimens from the turn...

It has been raining for the past 2 weeks now. This is great for Idaho, with the low water levels and all, but for we fisherman when the rain comes where can we go. Well I think we need a coffee shop for sportsman. I know Lee Aikens used to have one but with the passing on to a lot better fishing waters and hunting grounds the coffee shop came to a halt. I heard a rumor about a western states sportsman possibly opening one but I haven't heard to much about it. I did however came up with a solution Portneuf Outfitters. Yes, Roger has a new location in Old Town Pocatello. Roger moved about three stores down to the corner. Every Tuesday and Saturday they, Rogers fly tyers, have open fly tying. You don't have to be a fly tyer. Just come on in, go to the back, get a cup, just be sure and be polite and ask to make sure they have the coffee brewing and sit and watch. You bait and lure casters might even want to get into fly fishing. At Rogers also keep your ears open cause these well experienced tyers will drop sutle...

Headed out yesterday to Crystal springs and Mctuckers ponds. I left the fly rod home. I decided to just sit back and watch the water while fishing with worms. This is almost a sacred religious for me to do. Actually this was the first time in well over 7 years I left the fly rod home. To put it simple I missed my fly rod that day. Crystal springs is small but is a beautiful place with yellow cannarys flying around and the 6 inch trout jumping out of the water for the mayfly. With nothing but a can of worms and one lure(a mepps)I set out to fish. I had 2 bites and this was around 5 in the afternoon. The worms and the mepps both failed me. I tried long casts, I tried short casts, I tried around the bank, i got skunked. So off to old reliable Mctuckers. I arrived around 6 tossed out the worm and had a bite instantly. I jumped on the pole gave a yank and reeled a 3 inch bullhead catty. I continued to catch these little buggers for awhile until I switched ponds. Bluegill can be fun when fishing with a flyrod...

by Dave Langston



Over the past 18 years as an outdoor writer I have had my share of lumps and victories. From miss-quotes (which I do apologize for) to outdoorsmen that simply did not want their names or stories to appear in print. But you have to understand, I am still a form of media. Anything you say can and may appear in any magazine or on any show in America not just Idaho. You are responsible for your own words and action. If you have secret fishing holes or areas where game is plentiful keep quiet. Or just tell us upfront not to print what you say; any ethical writer will respect that.

For instance, I received a call Friday night at 6:00 pm on my cell phone from a disgruntled outdoorsman who I still believe is a good guy by heart but verbally threatened me because of his passion for the sport. Apparently I wrote something he told me that ruffled a few feathers in his home town I now believe. I was not told “Do not quote or print the information I am telling you,” by this individual.

He even sent...

By Dave Langston



The Portneuf River from Chesterfield reservoir to Inkom is a favorite of many local anglers and in the past brought in many out of state sportsmen looking for pristine waters. This small river boomed in the 1970 era and started its decline in the late 1980’s into the 1990’s. But, with habitat and environmental cleanups and restorations the river is on the way back to its former self.

“This river has always been a favorite of mine and I have spent countless hours fishing for rainbows and cutthroats,” says Pocatello angler Van Tillotson. Tillotson says that it was not unusual for anglers to bring home bows or cuts up to 4,5 or even 6 pounds in the past. “This was a fabulous fishery and I am glad to see it is coming back,” he adds.

Your best bet for rainbows and cutthroats is above the town of Lava Hot springs up to the mouth of Toponce creek near Bancroft. Although a good amount of this is private, access points marked by Idaho Fish and Game (208) 232-4703 are clearly marked and offer...

By Dave Langston We all talk about the fish that got away, hey were anglers and we are proud of our catch and sometimes the fish we lost somehow turns into the next world record if we could have just landed it.

Bass, trout, sturgeon, steelhead and salmon are on most southeast Idaho angler’s minds at this time and provide us with tales of monsters that broke off and returned back into the depths from which they came. Giving us yet more stories to fabricate, telling our friends and family of the fish that nearly pulled them over board.

But, I have never heard stories of the “monster” bluegill, perch or crappie that tugged on the end of an angler’s line. Here are a few places I know that anglers can put some pan fish in the cooler and also help add to your stories in the future.

Twin Lakes



I know what your thinking, this impoundment is always mentioned in articles but there is a reason why. With help from Idaho Fish and Game, bass clubs and other organizations and individuals Twin Lakes has...

I say lets have a fishing competetion. SE Idaho, you can go from Chesterfield to american falls. You can fish from boat to from the bank, use worms to lures even power bait. Have a entry fee, have the competetion down to one thing pounds. Have it a 3 day event every fisherman would have a judge with them. We could make our own rules, sub- divisions, species division, we could run wild with this. Get fish and game involved, our local pros, fly to bait fishing this could be fun, all ideas and comments are appreciated. steve

Years ago i would go out to rose ponds and float around. Well i went out there just this past Thursday the 29th of may 2009. I looked up on the internet at fish and game, i found that rose ponds was just stocked before Memorial day weekend. As the case may have it i got skunked. Now like i said years ago this is the place i go to just get a quick hour or so in either from the bank or the float tube. These trout back then were not the brightest in the world. i be using a hopper in the end of may and catching them left and right. So either it got fished out or they got smarter ,, Someone let me know.

Up until last year i was on a 2 year hiatus from fly-fishing. Life was to hectic, no more on that. Last year i picked up the fly pole again. Remembering knots, tying flies, and casting was not like the old saying ' just like riding a bike'. The wind knots, trees and getting skunked did not help my confidence. I was just about to call it quits when that one rainbow trout changed all that. He didn't put up much of a fight, he didn't make the reel scream but, that little 5 inch rainbow brought back a feeling that i have forgotten about. That feeling was how it felt just be fishing again. Having that tug on the rod and knowing that the lunker is out there. I let that little 5" trout go hoping he helps someone else thinking of quitting fly-fishing. My day ended with a smile on my face. My casting arm had a ache in the shoulder and , i knew i was back. I'll keep posted where the fish are bigger than 5'.

ceritos beach on the baja of mexico guess the weight of the fish

Spring is finally here and even with low temperatures fishing is getting off to a good start on most reservoirs for cold-water species. Heck, I even got reports of ten pound plus rainbows taken at American Falls reservoir this past weekend. But for warm water anglers what species is first to take an offering thrown in the water? Catfish, and they become aggressive as soon as they prepare to spawn in the early spring.

Some of the biggest fish are taken during this time of the year. Down south during the January and February spawn, cats up to 40 pounds are taken regularly and can be found grouped together. They can be found on mud flats with rock and flats adjacent to sharp drop offs.

My bet right now is Alexander reservoir near Soda Springs. Although your not going to find monster channel cats you will have a shot at fish in the single digits up to 10 pounds with a select few bigger.

Another good bet is the Snake River from Burley down to Twin Falls offering anglers good access along with superb cat fishing opportunities....

Right now I am going to tell you how I feel about slob sportsmen and disruptive boaters. I don’t like them. Simply put, unethical outdoorsmen have no business in the woods or on the water. Why am I writing this article and sounding so disturbed? Here is an example.

Last year I was fishing at Twin Lake reservoir and kept my eye on a particular boat that was pulling a skier. After a few passes the boat kept getting closer and closer to a party of fishermen that were well out of the way from the middle of the lake. Finally, the boat came within 10 feet of the anglers and the skier got wrapped up in fishing line. Did I feel sorry for the skier? Not one bit. They new what they were doing but didn’t seem to care. They had the entire middle to themselves but thought they would ruin the day for everyone…and they did.

How about this one, we were fishing an area that was filled with bass but it was small and only had enough room for one boat comfortably. But another party of anglers noticed we were landing fish after fish...

Most Idaho anglers are dreaming of wild rainbows and cutthroat sipping flies off the surface of cold-water rivers and reservoirs among spectacular scenery in Idaho's backcountry.

Well, bass don't sip anything, and for scenery, how about 2 to 4 pounds of dynamite exploding in your face? Welcome to the world of America's number one game fish, the largemouth bass.

Bass are very aggressive, taking shad, shiners, minnows, crayfish, frogs, mice and ducklings if given the chance. They're the ultimate warm water predator in most reservoirs and lakes in Idaho, using concealment and ambush tactics to fill their bellies.

And as you'll see, this aggressive urge is also a weakness anglers can use to their advantage on any body of water where bass are present. Here is a run down of prime waters for you to target in the next few months.

Condie Reservoir

Condie Reservoir, 20 miles south of Grace, Idaho, offers an unbelievable bass fishing experience. It's designated a trophy water destination.

Two bass may be kept and...