Planning Spring Bass Trip - Suggestions?

[MTBob]

I am planning a spring bass fishing trip to southern Idaho with my son who lives in Boise. I have a 17 ft. Lund. Where do you folks recommend going and when is the best time to hit the spring spawn cycle?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Bob

[jeremypeace]

well i dont know where you are going to be as far as southern idaho goes.. but to target "pre spawn" bass, when the water hits 56 to 58 degrees, they will be in deep pockets around the brush, weed beds, shallows. they will some times come into the shallows to search for a bed in the middle of the day when the sun is shining good. 56-58 degrees they will start to move around, will be slugish still but still fun. 58+ is when they really troll the shallows to search for there beds for spawn and it is a great time for sight fishing them. i found to save your cranks tell they are in full on spawn mode, pre spawn they work but not as affective as they do once they start holding there beds. you will know when they are in there beds, just look for them they will stick to the one spot and try and eat everything that comes near. i like a good soft plastic for pre spawn for me its bright colors that work, but ive scene dark colors do just as well. a paddle tail works well, stick baits seem to do ok in pre spawn, jigs usually are slow in pre spawn. my favorite is a 8" pumpkin paddle tail for pre spawn, for spawn literally anything will work, just find there bed and drop it in the middle of the bed and you will get a fish. maniac custom lures sells my favorite soft plastics for bass, the cutt'r bug and there salt sticks and manic minnows do amazing things with the bass. you can find there product on there web site www.maniaccustomlure.com there product is made right in Utah and is very reasonably priced. good luck on your trip and hope you catch lots of fish
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[Belasko]

For bass I'd recommend going to CJ Strike if you're looking at the Boise area. All the other bass spots I know in that part of the state are the rivers, which I keep hearing are a bit high in the spring. Maybe some of the people from that side can elaborate more on it.
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[MTBob]

Thanks Jeremy, really good tips. I appreciate the fast reply.
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[MTBob]

Thanks Belasko. I've never fished CJ Strike, a few questions. It looks like a long reservoir, so do you have any recommended locations? How "friendly" is it for a 17 ft. Lund, 115HP?
Also, do you know how the bass fishing is in Brownlee?
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[Belasko]

CJ seems as friendly as any other body of water. It has it's good days and it's bad ones. Use common sense. I've fished it in a 14 ft gregor with no issues on pleasant spring/summer days. As for where to target I'd hunt around. I've done well in small coves that are fairly shallow for bass and also along rocky shorelines. I always see a handful of people fishing in the narrows section (just look at a map of it and it's obvious where it is). For bass I've usually gone north towards the snake arm, but had decent luck the other way as well. Just have to hunt around. I've heard good things at times about brownlee, but never fished it. Last year spring sounded like it was pretty slow for a bit reading the forum. You might check some of the old posts for ideas there.
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[armyNGfisherman]

would suggest cj strike as well. Fished a tournament there Saturday where everyone caught fish all day. 1.8lb clone average. 1st place had over15 lbs 2nd over14 and 3rd had over12. Bigger fish came off of cranks but plastic is working as well. I caught a smallie in the narrows that was over 5 lbs about a week and a half ago. So yes I think cj is the spot right now

[hizah]

Did really good below swan this last week. It would be sketchy with a prop if you don't know the rocks, but if you have a trolling motor you'd be fine. Just fish right around the dam, you'll never be more than 200 yards from the ramp. Caught lot's of 3lb plus large and smallies on cranks. Above the dam is also good, but the fish tend to school, catch one you can catch 50 from the same spot, just need to find them. Strike can be hot, but also terrible, I've had both when conditions were identical.
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[MTBob]

Hey guys, thanks for all the tips, very helpful! Over the next few weeks I may want to circle back and ask more questions. I appreciate all the information.
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[gstott]

You're missing out not throwing hardbaits until post spawn. Some of my best early bass fishing is done throwing suspending jerkbaits and cranks along steep banks and points when the water is in the 40 and 50s. Lipless cranks fished across weedy flats can also be a good bet on warm sunny days when the fish move up to feed and prepare for the spawn.

You guys on the western side of the state are killing me. All the lakes around here are still capped and the forecast calls for highs in the low 30s the next couple of days. Blah.
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[CarlF]

That warm spell we had a couple of weeks ago lifted my spirits for ice off in Preston. Unfortunately, my hopes have been repeatedly crushed as the lawn gets covered with snow.
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[gstott]

I know, it's seriously depressing. I read on the Utah F&G report that Newton had a bunch of open water and should be iced off soon. Usually the Preston lakes aren't far behind. So I drove by Newton on the way home from work today, and I can see where once there was open water, but it froze back over right up to the shore [mad] I guess it's stream trout for a bit longer.
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[mr.jigr12]

What days are you going to be headed fishing? With that info, we can help u narrow it down to where and what to use!!!
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[MTBob]

We are planning a trip to Boise and fish southern Idaho the last half of April - 10th to 30th.
But, I'd also like to find out when the best times are to fish for bass and adjust our trip accordingly.
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