We have a condo reserved in McCall for a family vacation during the last week of August. I've never been there. I hope to wet a line if the stars align properly. Will be on foot with spinning and fly tackle. Anyone out there have suggestions on waters I might investigate further? Also are there any "kid friendly" waters where I could take the grandkids fishing. Thanks.
Bowfin
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If it were me I would hit the payette river by the airport. Last year this time of year we had 100 fish days on stimulator patterns and hopper patterns down there. Rainbows and brookies. Most fish were small 10 to 12 inches but we did manage a few that went 14 to 16. For me it doesn't matter how big they are I just love dry fly fishing.
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For the G-kids, I'd take them to the Mile High Marina and fish right off the docks. I took my G-kids there last weekend and we were catching NPM's (aka Squash fish, a trash fish if you are not familiar with them) 2 at a time. I'll bet we caught 20-30 fish in under and hour and we really weren't trying that hard. Plus, the water is really clear, so most of the time you can see the fish before they bite which is quite a thrill for kids (and big kids too). Size ranged from about 8-14 inches. They are good fighters and dumber than just about any fish out there. We also caught a few perch.
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I like to head over to the hatchery and throw a hook in there, that's where all the big ones are... Or you could just take the kids and look at them.
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+1 on the suggestion of the river by the airport. In Valley county (where McCall is) there is a grasshopper invasion. I don't know if they've been able to lower the numbers of them, or if the really bad numbers are in the McCall area, but it'd be hard to imagine not catching a fish on a hopper through September.
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