Boise Area

[Soft_Plastics]

I'm hoping for some help. I'll be in Boise in a couple weeks and my niece has a foreign exchange student staying with her. She has asked me to take him fishing. I fish the American Falls area all the time because my wife if from there, but I don't know any places in the Boise area. Is there a good place I could take him For some fast fishing for bass and panfish? A pond or even the snake River. Any place within a hour of Boise would work great.
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[k2muskie]

Lucky Peak and also Cascade. Cascade is farther but fishing is going well. Lucky peak fishing is good. Hoping others provide info as the info I have are from folks in that area I'm friends with. I live in Utah but get great info from friends...
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[hooknhunter]

Brownlee is also fishing very well right now. But it is a bit further than an hour.
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[PACKFAN]

I think your best bet would be C.J. Strike, are you bank fishing or using a boat?
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[Soft_Plastics]

I'll just be bank fishing.
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[hooknhunter]

As of Friday night, Crappie up to about 10 inches were stacking up just a few feet off the bank and swirling in the surface film within 10 feet of the bank at Brownlee. Fish don't get any easier to catch than what they were on Friday evening and Saturday morning. I expect it will continue like that for a while.

CJ isn't a bad place. In fact, it is a great place, but I doubt it will fish any better than Brownlee right now. At CJ you'll probably be getting perch, bass, and crappie. At Brownlee, would be mostly crappie with an an occasional bass or possibly a catfish.

Cascade also has good possibilities for trout, bass, and perch, but it is much more hit and miss (IMHO) as to whether or not you'll do much catching.

CJ and Brownlee would be your best bets, IMHO. CJ is closer, but I think the catching would likely be better at Brownlee right now. Just my $.02.

Edit: At Brownlee, we had 2 times on Friday evening, and 2 more times on Saturday morning where crappie jumped clear out of the water trying to take our jigs out of the air. The bite doesn't get much better than that, ever........
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[Soft_Plastics]

I assume the river below CJ Strike is about like the rest of the Snake that I am familiar with around American Falls. Find good structure, and start casting smallmouth lures, and jigs and catch fish. I really prefer to fish the river, but I have no problem fishing ponds or lakes. Does anybody have information on fishing the river? Again anything within an hour or so from Boise works best.
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[hooknhunter]

Anywhere on the snake. Do what you said. Fish will be caught. Below Swan Falls has good access.
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[hooknhunter]

I see something I missed before. You're not from around here.

Take I-84 to the Meridian exit. Go south to Kuna. At the 90 degree natural right turn into Kuna, keep following the natural flow of traffic (you'll be heading west). You'll pass the new Albertson's grocery on your right. Shortly after that you'll pass an LDS church on the right and the road will make another natural right. Take a left just barely past the church at the natural right (you'll be heading south again) on Swan Falls road. Stay on Swan Falls road until you come to Swan Falls dam. As you approach the dam you can turn right and go down river. There is lots of access down river (about 3-5 miles, I think) and some pretty good fishing for SMB's and catfish. If you choose to go left into the reservoir there is a nice park and a few docks. You'll have access to about a mile of reservoir if you are willing to walk a bit. After that, access becomes more difficult going up river. I catch a lot of fish down there, so I know fishing can be good at times. Not sure how well it will fish from the bank, though. I normally fish it in my boat.

Perhaps that is more along the lines of what you are seeking. Good luck. I'm out.
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