Well, I tried every spot in the magic valley and have been very succesful with bullheads but otherwise there hasn't been a catfish in sight. So... I'm going to brownlee. I have a limited budget and a young son so I'll be restricted to shorefishing. Any good holes I should be looking into? I've heard good things about "power arm" but I don't know about camping. Any free/primitive spots? Thanks in advance for your help, PMs are welcome if you want to keep in on the down low. I'll trade you my secret bullhead pond [bob
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I was there about a month ago and the water was way way way down. Try and find someone who can tell you the water level. We took our boat and parked it by 3 others at the campground, because none of us could reach the water with them. Good luck.
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Here is a link that gives the water levels in Brownlee.
No expert here but have fish there a few times. If it was me for cats I would try out of Weiser toward the Steck Park area. Good camp sites at Steck or stop and camp free on either side of there. Up stream side you will need to walk down to the river and beyond Steck has some places a guy can camp and have a closer easier walk to the water, but the road will become rough past the park. Cats can be caught anywhere along there.
Good luck
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If you could luck into a spot with Mormon crickets on the shore, it's a sure bet the cats will be stacked in the water near there. I'd keep an eye out for that. If you can find a spot like that you'll have more cats than you can shake a stick at.
Otherwise, everywhere is usually pretty good. My prefered catfish bait is sand shrimp. They seem to bring them in pretty good. On the Idaho side, I'd look to try somewhere near the mouth of Johnson creek (you'll need some type of 4WD or ATV to get there, or one of coves you can drive to north of there. They are usually fairly easy to find. I hope you keep a whole truck full.
To get there, on your way to steck park, turn off of Old
Ferry Rd onto Jonathan Rd and keep following it until you get to the reservoir. The road changes names, but as far as I know, there are no signs. If you just stay on the main road (most well traveled) you'll get there. It takes about an hour. Shortly after you can first see the res, you'll want to take the two-track jeep trail over the hill south and west to Johnson Creek, or you can stay on the main road and that will bring you to at least 3 or 4 coves that should all provide C-cats.
Made you some pictures in google maps, but this site doesn't handle pictures all that well. Hope you get them.
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There is some great camping at woodhead park at Brownlee, this is a Idaho power campground. There is also one below Brownlee damn and below Oxbow damn. Great camping spots and good fishing along the river at any spots. Don't be afraid to just try a bobber and worm or cricket rig. Go the the Idaho power site to find information about these camping spots
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Thanks all for the replies and especially the maps! I'm in a small corrola so I think a few of the spots mentioned won't quite work, at least this time.
is it legal to camp anywhere along the shoreline?
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Yes, but there won't be a lot of good spots.
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Ok I'll try to make it up to one of those coves. Is the road good enough for a small car or would I need to park somewhere and walk back? I'm very excited for this trip, I've been catching bluegill everyday to use for bait. How far is that spot from the park?[reply][/reply]
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You'd be able to make it to the coves in a small car, but beyond that it will be pretty rough and rocky. You likely will have to walk a few hundred yards to get down to the water. There will be some very small places you could camp and park but you'll have to look a little. I believe the best camping will be at the second cove you come to. It has also been pretty good for Cats historically. Last year the mormon crickets were thick in the Mountain Man lodge area (last cove before the road leaves the res) and the Cats were heavily stacked in there. I'd recommend checking that out. If the crickets are there I doubt you'll find a better spot to fish. If no crickets, I'd try the second cove.
Distance from the park? I'd guess on the water that it is about 10-12 miles, but over the hill it will be more like 38 because there will be some backtracking involved. Seems like from Jonathan Rd to the first cove is about 20 miles or so and from Jonathan Rd to Steck is about 18. Those are just estimates.
Good luck and we are expecting a full report with pictures.
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thanks so much for the help! if i wanted to go to steck park, could i stay on I-84 to Huntington, OR and cross the river? i looked on google maps but i cant tell if the bridge there is for a train or cars... it would be much faster that way but it seems too good to be true.
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That is a train bridge. I have seen people cross it but they were asking for trouble. You have been given some very good tips on location. The only thing I will add is find a float tube so you can get off the shore. Your odds of catching cats will increase I promise.
Ron
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Alright, I got my mapquest on and have everything planned out! Luckily, between the advice from members here and also a recent report from a friend, I feel confident I'll bring home some fish. I'll be bringing a camera and a couple of lovely ladies to show off the catch so stay tuned for my report. Thanks again to everyone that's shared their knowledge and expertise. I just found another good spot for both bullheads and largemouth bass in the magic valley, so if you want any directions, shoot me a PM.
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