Tag: snake river guides

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Why Southern Idaho is the Ultimate Sturgeon Fishing Destination

When it comes to sturgeon fishing, few places in the western United States can compare to the abundant waters of southern Idaho, particularly around CJ Strike Reservoir. Whether you’re an experienced angler or a newcomer hoping to snag some impressive catches, this remarkable region offers an exceptional fishing experience you won’t want to miss.

The Sturgeon: A Unique Challenge

Sturgeon are one of the world’s oldest fish species, often characterized by their unique appearance and impressive size. Known for their powerful fight and gentle nature, these fish provide both a thrilling and fulfilling fishing experience. CJ Strike Reservoir and the Snake River is home to healthy populations of white sturgeon making it a prime location for anglers seeking a true adventure.

Abundant Waters at CJ Strike Reservoir

Located just southeast of Boise, CJ Strike Reservoir is renowned for its vast and diverse aquatic ecosystem. Stretching over 20 miles, this reservoir offers a variety of habitats perfect for sturgeon. Anglers can find success in different areas—whether you’re fishing shallow bays, deep channels, or rocky structures. The natural beauty of the surrounding landscape paired with the thrill of going after these formidable fish creates an unforgettable outing.

The waters of CJ Strike are particularly well-suited for sturgeon due to ample forage and optimal spawning conditions. The combination of these factors leads to larger fish and more active feeding times, which translates into a more successful fishing trip.

Accessibility and Ease of Travel

One of the standout features of fishing in southern Idaho is the convenience of travel. The Boise Airport (BOI) is the gateway to your sturgeon fishing adventure, providing multiple daily flights from major cities across the country. Once you’ve arrived, it’s just a short drive to CJ Strike Reservoir, making it easy to transition from air travel to the great outdoors.

With various accommodations available nearby, including campgrounds, lodges, and rental cabins, you can easily set up a home base for your sturgeon fishing expedition. This accessibility means you can spend less time worrying about logistics and more time casting your line.

Local Guides and Resources

For those new to sturgeon fishing or unfamiliar with CJ Strike Reservoir, working with a local guide can enhance your experience significantly. Dedicated professionals know the ins and outs of the water, ensure your safety, and maximize your chances of landing a trophy sturgeon. Many offer half-day and full-day trips tailored to your needs, whether you’re targeting trophy fish or just having fun with friends and family.

Supporting Local Conservation Efforts

Fishing plays a critical role in the conservation of local ecosystems. By participating in sustainable fishing practices and supporting local fishing guides and businesses, you contribute to the preservation of Idaho’s natural resources. This commitment ensures that future generations will also have the opportunity to enjoy sturgeon fishing in the beautiful waters of southern Idaho.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an exciting fishing destination, look no further than southern Idaho and CJ Strike Reservoir. With its bountiful sturgeon population, beautiful scenery, ease of access from Boise Airport, and excellent local support, this area is truly the ultimate sturgeon fishing destination in the West.

So pack your gear, book your travel to Boise, and get ready for an unforgettable sturgeon fishing adventure in southern Idaho. Don’t forget to visit jonessportfishing.com for tips, guides, and everything else you need to make your fishing trip a success!

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Discover the Ultimate Sturgeon Fishing Experience in Idaho

When it comes to sturgeon fishing, few places can rival the breathtaking beauty and abundant opportunities found in Idaho. At Jones Sport Fishing, we’re here to highlight the incredible areas we fish for sturgeon and explain why your next fishing adventure should take you to the heart of Idaho’s pristine waters.

Why Choose Idaho for Sturgeon Fishing?

Idaho is home to some of the most stunning landscapes and ecosystems in the United States. With rivers and lakes teeming with fish, it’s no wonder that sturgeon fishing has become a must-do activity for anglers from all over the nation. Here are several reasons why sturgeon fishing in Idaho should be at the top of your destination list:

  1. Year-Round Fishing Opportunities: Unlike many fishing destinations, Idaho offers anglers the unique opportunity to fish for sturgeon year-round. This means that no matter the season, there’s always a chance to hook into these magnificent fish.
  2. Expert Guidance from Local Professionals: At Jones Sport Fishing, our experienced guides are familiar with the local waters and know the best spots for sturgeon fishing. They are equipped with the latest techniques and tips to ensure that you have a successful outing.
  3. Diverse Fishing Locations: We fish in a variety of areas that are perfect for sturgeon, including American Falls, CJ Strike Reservoir, the King Hill area, and the lower end of Hell’s Canyon. These waters not only boast robust sturgeon populations but also offer beautiful scenery, making your fishing experience both enjoyable and memorable.
  4. Catch and Release Practices: Our commitment to sustainable fishing means that we promote catch and release practices, ensuring that the sturgeon population remains healthy for future generations. You can enjoy the thrill of catching a sturgeon while knowing that you’re helping conserve Idaho’s natural resources.

Prime Sturgeon Fishing Areas in Idaho

At Jones Sport Fishing, we target several key locations renowned for their sturgeon fishing potential:

  • Snake River in Southern Idaho: We target the Snake River South East of Boise Idaho in the CJ Strike area, and the Snake River between CJ Strike Dam and the town of Bliss. This is one of the best natural spawning areas in the Snake River for white sturgeon and is our flagship area for sturgeon fishing in Idaho. One of our owners, Brett Jones guided the current Idaho catch and release state record holder to his awesome catch here. That fish measuring 10’4” as of the date this was written still stands as the record for Idaho.
  • Lower Hells Canyon: The lower end of Hell’s Canyon is a top destination for sturgeon anglers. Located near the towns of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, This area offer fantastic sturgeon fishing in the lower end of Americas deepest canyon. Catch rates here are not as high as the Souther Idaho or American Falls areas, but hooking and landing multiple big fish in a day is definitely a possibility. There are some very large sturgeon in this area, and added bonus of fantastic smallmouth bass fishing can be combined to any sturgeon trip in this area from April – October. Also during the months of September-March multi day trips can be arranged that target salmon or steelhead one day, and Sturgeon the next.
  • American Falls: This is probably the best location we offer for overall numbers of fish caught. The American Falls Sturgeon area offer a very high catch rate for fish that are generally between 3-7 feet with fish over 8 feet in length caught on occasion, but not at the rate of our other areas. The high catch rate in this area is perfect for kids.

Preparing for Your Sturgeon Fishing Adventure

If you’re ready for an unforgettable sturgeon fishing adventure, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Dress Appropriately: Since sturgeon can be caught year-round, be sure to dress for the weather conditions. Layers are essential, especially during the cooler months. During cold weather make sure to bring waders so you can get in the water with these awesome fish and get that perfect picture.
  • Stay Hydrated and Energized: Fishing can be a physically demanding activity, so stay hydrated and bring snacks to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.

Conclusion

Idaho is a sturgeon fishing paradise waiting to be explored. With year-round fishing opportunities, stunning scenery, and experienced local guides, there’s no better place for anglers to embark on their next fishing adventure. Visit Jonessportfishing.com today to book your guided trip and discover the thrill of sturgeon fishing in Idaho—where every catch is a story waiting to be told!

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Is Winter the best time for Idaho Sturgeon?

Without a doubt the number one question we get in our office is “when is the best time to fish for sturgeon?” While the question seems simple our answer isn’t always as cut and dry. Through our conversations with customers we try and get an idea of what kind of trip they are looking for and what time of year might be the best to recommend, this isn’t always easy to do, as Idaho sturgeon fishing is good year round. Seasonal movements for spawning, and feeding often determine what areas we fish, and our guides are tuned into these cues and will put you on the best areas possible.

With all that said if folks are simply looking to catch a pile of sturgeon and have a great day out of the house the winter and early spring months of December-March are consistently some of our best for catching numbers of fish. The winter might not be the favorite time for getting in the water and swimming with your catch, but the fish are in predictable patterns and our guides consistently get on good numbers of fish. Fishing has been fantastic the last few weeks, so if looking for a winter adventure and fishing is more your thing don’t hesitate to give us a call or check out our online calendar under the book online tab.

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Spring Fishing Opportunities

Columbia River Walleye

Columbia River Walleye, CJ Strike and Hells Canyon Sturgeon, American Falls Trout, and CJ Strike Crappie!

These are just a few of the options that we have right now to get you out on the water this spring with us. March is our official kickoff for our Columbia River Walleye season, and we couldn’t be more excited to chase these tasty and challenging fish. Walleye are one of the most sought after fish in the Columbia basin, and we cant wait to be out on the river chasing them.

March also means the giant white Sturgeon of the Snake River really start to wake up and feed.  We have already had some fantastic Sturgeon fishing the past month or so, and that will just continue to get better as the weather warms, and water temps make getting in the water for a glory shot even more enjoyable.  We are having great success on CJ Strike Reservoir located and hour south of Boise, ID as well as on the lower end of Hell’s Canyon near Lewiston, ID.  Both of these fisheries are a great way to get out on the water and enjoy one of the coolest fish that swims in our Idaho waters.  

March is also our kickoff for trophy trout on the Snake River near American Falls, as well as American Falls Reservoir.  March is one of the best times to spend a day in one of our drift boats fly fishing for the huge trout that call the Snake River home.  This is an amazing opportunity to try and break the 10 pound mark on some huge fish.  As March moves on and river levels rise with spring flows the power boat fishing on the river becomes the hottest bite around.  This is a fantastic fishery and its all catch and release with no bait through the Saturday of memorial day weekend.  The river fishery at American Falls is our bread and butter, and we would love the opportunity to show you why we love this place so much.  

Along with the Snake River at American Falls March also means its time to chase trophy rainbows on American Falls reservoir.  Last year Brett broke the catch and release state record with a 31.5 inch rainbow caught of the reservoir.  While this is a great fish its not even considered a monster on this system.  The huge Rainbows, Browns, and Rainbow/ Cutthroat Hybrids that prowl this huge reservoir are breathtaking, and we have the inside knowledge to put you on these amazing fish.  Along with awesome trophy opportunity we can also target the plentiful 18-24 inch rainbows that are amazing table fare.  the trout limit on the reservoir is 6 trout, although we only advocate harvesting rainbows and hybrids, as the natural reproducing browns and cutthroat are a true gems worth retuning to the river.   

Finally how can we forget the fantastic Crappie fishing at CJ Strike. In recent days the crappie are starting to break out of their huge winter schools and are now moving around much more. As of yesterday they are no yet on the banks in the spawning areas, but it might only be a matter of a week or so before we start casting to large schools of crappie. Nothing is more fun for the entire family than a day spent loading up on these tasty fish. Not only are they an absolute blast to catch, but they are also one of the best tasting fresh water fish around.

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Clearwater/ Snake Confluence Fall Chinook

We have been home from the Oregon coast now for about 10 days and in that time we have spent some great days fishing for Fall Chinook on the Clearwater and Snake Rivers out of Lewiston, Idaho. Although we love to fish in Astoria it just doesn’t quite measure up to our local fisheries and sleeping in our own beds. The confluence as we call it is one of our favorite fisheries and we can’t be more excited to be catching fall Chinook at home in Idaho.

The confluence is a unique fishery as the cold clear waters of Idaho’s Clearwater meet the slightly stained warm waters of the Snake River. The Clearwater this time of year is often running at around 50 degrees when it meets the hot 70 degree water of the Snake. These are the conditions that allow this fishery to thrive. Migrating salmon and steelhead bound for the Snake, Salmon, and Clearwater rivers seek this cold water refuge. While the Clearwater fish tend to shoot straight up the Clearwater, the Snake and Salmon River fish hold up, hang out, and wait for water temperatures on the Snake to cool down before continuing their migration, and it’s these holding fish that provide us with fantastic fishing.

For salmon the confluence is primarily a troll fishery although there is a strong following of bobber and shrimp fisherman that do very well for steelhead, and also catch a few salmon while targeting steelhead. We absolutely love to troll and this fishery is a trollers dream. Our go to set ups are almost identical to the other troll fisheries we fish throughout the Columbia River Basin. We fish 360 style flashers with superbaits or spinners as our lures of choice, and all of this is easily accomplished without the use of downriggers.

When targeting salmon in the confluence we tend to try and keep our gear within about 5 feet of the bottom. Utilizing lead cannon ball weights and line counter reels. Our go to depths the past few outing have been to run 12 ounces of lead at 30 and 35 feet on our line counters, and 8 ounces at 50 feet. Water depth ranges in in the confluence from 25- 40 or so feet and the above numbers do a great job of having us in the zone at all times.

Another thing to keep in mind when fishing at the Confluence is that trolling speed is your friend. These Chinook seem to like a fast troll, and we want to see a deep thump on the rod telling us that our flashers are working well. If your not getting that deep thump, then speed up. Also speed can be used to raise and lower your gear when trying to fish over shallower humps. If you need your set up to raise up just simply go faster and get your gear up and over the hump. Often times these speed changes are really what get these salmon to bite.

Like we stated before this is one of our favorite fisheries and the flat calm waters of the Snake and Clearwater Confluence are a great place to hone your salmon skills. So, grab some canned tuna, a handful of 3.5 Colorado Spinners, and your favorite superbaits and get out on the water.

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Snake River Steelhead

We had a fantastic day in the sun today on the lower end of Hell’s Canyon fishing out of Heller Bar. We ended up putting 8 fish In the net for our two anglers today. The Snake River currently has quite a few fish in it and the fishing is good. We did very well today side drifting eggs and yarn and egg combinations. The water was low today so we fished very light lead and really pounded the slow pocket water near the bank. The water temperature was around 37 which puts these fish in the slower water near the bank. We have open boats next week and will be fishing the Snake through the 15th of February so if you are interested in booking a day get in touch with us.

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Columbia River Walleye Fishing!

The Walleye bite on the Columbia River is heating up! We had a great day today mostly jigging, but we also caught fish in worm spinners with bottom walkers. We have openings now through June for the best tasting white flesh fish that swim.

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Hell’s Canyon Steelhead Fishing!

Snake River Steelhead

We are continuing to see great fishing in the lower end of Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River near Heller Bar. It’s been great to see all the keepers around too. Yesterday was awesome, nice Steelhead, no crowds, and 58 degrees in January!  We have a few openings over the next few weeks if you want to get out!  Click Here for more information on our Snake River Steelhead adventures.

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Snake River Keeps Kicking out Steelhead

Snake River Steelhead

We had another great day fishing the Snake River out of Heller Bar. We ended our day 9-11 and kept 5 nice fish. Fishing the Snake for Steelhead continues to be a great option and we really think it’s going to fish great well into February!  Again today our key was fishing coon shrimp in our concoction. This mix just keeps on kicking out fish!  We have openings over the next few weeks so get in on this while the getting is good!  Ohh and did I mention that we had the river all to ourselves?!

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Snake River Steelhead Fishing Report

AF4ACED6-F3C5-46BD-9835-35FC36780509We had another fantastic day at the entrance to  Hells Canyon out of Heller Bar. We continue to do very well on Steelhead and we have been finding lots of keepers.  Success came today drifting shrimp put up in our little mix. This has been a great little trick for us. Stay tuned as we continue to develop a specific snake river recipe!  We might even share it with our readers.

We have openings next week so get in touch with Dani in our Office at 208-669-1569 or click Here to book online.