SE Idaho Ice

[BrianID]

This is from the F&G Website and I thought many of you might find it usefull. I think the F&G's reports about ice condition are conservative compared to what I have heard from others but still give a very good idea about current conditions after the warm spell that we had.

Southeast Region Fishing Report

Report Date: January 2, 2005

Franklin County
As of January 1, Oneida Reservoir still had open water and is probably unsafe. There were two anglers observed on Glendale Reservoir, but there was open water all the way around the edge. During the last week of December there were several people ice fishing on Foster Reservoir and doing pretty well. However, since then we had rain and now there is open water all the way around the edge and I think it must have weakened the ice because I haven't seen a person on it since then. I don't think the ice is real safe right now. I think we need another good freeze to improve ice conditions

Bingham County
Ice was about 3 inches thick at McTucker ponds on Dec. 26 with a few anglers out, the same at Rose pond a few days earlier but the water level was dropping. With the warm weather the last few days, anglers should be cautious and check the ice depth before going far from the bank.

Oneida County
The ice is safe on Devil Creek, Deep Creek, Daniels, and Weston reservoirs. Pleasantview had no ice as of last week. Ice is about 6 inches deep on Crowthers and fishing has been good for 12" to 16" rainbow trout.

Caribou County
Anglers are fishing Alexander Reservoir, with most angling occurring on weekends. Blackfoot Reservoir has plenty of ice, but it is so low that the only place fish are likely to be is near the dam where water may be 12 to 14 feet deep at the most.

Bear Lake County
Montpelier Reservoir and Dingle Pond are rock solid. Fishing is spotty at Montpelier Reservoir. There is no ice on Bear Lake and there probably will not be any without some real temperature changes soon.

River fisheries
Anglers wishing to fish moving water should try the Snake River above American Falls Reservoir or below Eagle Rock. The river reach between American Falls Reservoir and Eagle Rock is closed until the General Season opener on Memorial Day weekend. The river above American Falls Reservoir contains a good population of whitefish as well as trout.
The Bear River below Oneida River is another popular winter fishery for both trout and whitefish.
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[barfuss]

Thanks for the Ice report. Do you have any idea on a fishing report for the SE ID area. Is Deep creek back to fishing order yet? Does anybody have a report on Daniels? I would like to try another lake than Devils Creek. Thanks for your help
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[BrianID]

As far as I have heard Daniels has been about the same as it has all year. The guys that know what there doing are catching fish. It is more difficult than other places in the area because you can only use one pole while ice fishing, the no bait rule makes it more difficult to get fish to bite and the barbless hooks make it more difficult for some to land fish there but the chance at catching bigger fish is worth it to many. Deep Creek was drained dry a little over a year ago but has been planted with trout but only about 1/3 as many as Devil Creek. Crowthers is also another option if the fish aren't bitting at Devil Creek.
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[acey]

I hit Devils Creek for a few hours on Tuesday but only had 3 light hits and didn't get any fish on. The ice was still 8-10 inches thick with a lot of snow and slush on top that made walking out hard. I tried on the east side by the bay but a different area may have been better. I left by 12:30 and didn't really see anyone catching many fish. I drove up to look at Deep Creek but the road in to the dam hasn't been plowed and I figured I would get stuck in my 2 wheel drive truck. I didn't see anyone fishing the lake. If you hit Crowthers let us know how you did. Acey
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